Senior Software Engineer – Embedded Software (Optical Networking)

Ciena Government Solutions•Atlanta, GA

7d•Hybrid

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 hybrid on-site role (not eligible for full-time remote work) where your technical leadership will directly influence product performance and customer success. Join Ciena’s WaveLogic Modem Software team and help shape the future of optical transport. In this role, you’ll lead the design and implementation of embedded C/C++ software for next-generation optical networking and transport systems . This senior technical lead role combines hands-on coding with software architecture, influencing how hardware and software integrate to power high-speed networks.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in electrical/computer engineering.
10+ years in embedded software engineering (telecom, networking, datacom, or related)
5+ years programming in C, C++, embedded C , with strong debugging tools (e.g. GDB, Valgrind).
Hands-on experience with FPGA/ASIC integration, device bring-up, and SoC platforms.
Knowledge of CPU architectures , hardware specifications, and timing diagrams.
Experience with Linux kernel and user-space drivers .
Strong foundation in embedded systems concepts : interrupts, synchronization, inter-process communication.
Familiarity with telecom and networking protocols : DWDM, OTN, Ethernet, TCP/IP.
Strong written and verbal communication skills for technical collaboration.

Nice To Haves

Experience designing large-scale distributed embedded systems using micro service architectures.
Knowledge of telecom standards such as G.709, IEEE 802.3.
Familiarity with data modelling (YANG) .
Experience with development tools: Git , Eclipse , JIRA , Confluence , or Yocto .

Responsibilities

Lead design, coding, and integration of embedded C/C++ software on Linux and real-time operating systems (RTOS such as Zephyr )
Develop software that interfaces with FPGA/ASIC hardware on SoC platforms.
Own the full lifecycle : requirements, architecture, implementation, testing, and customer deployment.
Prototype solutions on target hardware; create detailed technical specifications.
Collaborate with local and global teams to deliver scalable, high-performance systems.
Act as a technical lead : mentor engineers, review designs, and guide project progress.
Support field teams during deployments and troubleshooting.