Senior Analog Signal Processing Engineer

Ciena • Ottawa, ON

1d

About The Position

As the global leader in high-speed connectivity, Ciena is committed to a people-first approach. Our teams enjoy a culture focused on prioritizing a flexible work environment that empowers individual growth, well-being, and belonging. We’re a technology company that leads with our humanity—driving our business priorities alongside meaningful social, community, and societal impact. This is a senior level position. We are seeking a Senior Analog & Mixed-Signal Engineer to join our DSP team. In this role, you will drive the design, modeling, and system-level validation of analog and mixed-signal subsystems for next-generation high-speed coherent optical modems. This position emphasizes behavioral modeling using C++ and SystemC, tightly integrated with MATLAB-based system simulations, firmware bring-up flows, and lab validation. You will operate at the intersection of analog-/digital-hardware, DSP, firmware, and electro-optical subsystems - contributing architectural decisions from early concept through silicon bring-up and product deployment.

Requirements

• Expert‑level understanding of analog and mixed‑signal processing in high‑speed communication systems.
• Proven experience writing C++ and/or SystemC behavioral models for hardware‑adjacent systems.
• Demonstrated ability to operate at the system‑architecture level while remaining grounded in real analog behavior and physical impairments.
• Solid understanding of key analog impairments, including noise, distortion, non‑linearity, bandwidth limitations, jitter, and phase noise, and their impact on modem‑level performance.
• Strong intuition for analog‑digital partitioning, power‑performance trade‑offs, and calibration strategies.
• Comfortable translating loosely defined system goals into well‑bounded analog architectures and specifications.
• Ability to mentor engineers across disciplines and serve as a technical reference for analog signal‑processing decisions.
• Comfortable working in a Linux‑based development environment, using Git and modern collaborative workflows.
• Clear technical communication skills and the ability to work effectively across disciplines.

Nice To Haves

• Tools C++, SystemC‑AMS MATLAB, Simulink Python Cadence Virtuoso Cadence AMS Designer Xcelium AMS

Responsibilities

• Define and review system‑level analog and mixed‑signal functions for coherent optical modems.
• Develop behavioral models of analog and mixed‑signal blocks using C++ and SystemC, with emphasis on firmware register‑map interfaces, control, observability, and execution speed rather than circuit‑level detail.
• Apply C++ / SystemC‑AMS to model continuous‑time and mixed‑signal behavior of PLLs, clocking systems, filters, DACs, ADCs, SerDes, and related subsystems.
• Build, support, and maintain C++ and MATLAB‑based verification flows, including C++ MEX wrappers that enable behavioral models to be exercised directly within system simulators.
• Collaborate closely with analog, digital, DSP, firmware, and lab teams to align models, specifications, and validation plans.
• Support ASIC lab bring‑up and characterization, correlating silicon and lab data with behavioral models and system simulations.
• Plan and schedule design tasks; specify required resources, tools, and processes.
• Create and publish design guidelines, how‑to documents, and setup guides in Confluence.
• Mentor junior engineers and contribute to best practices in analog behavioral modeling and system‑level validation.

Benefits

• medical, dental, and vision plans
• participation in 401(K) (USA) & DCPP (Canada) with company matching
• Employee Stock Purchase Program (ESPP)
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• company-paid holidays
• paid sick leave
• vacation time
• Paid Family Leave and other leaves of absence

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior