Principal Hardware Engineer

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Summary ADTRAN is seeking a Principal Hardware Engineer to provide technical leadership in the development of next-generation Optical Transport and Coherent Pluggable solutions for metro, core, long-haul, and data center interconnect applications. This role is responsible for the architecture, design, validation, and production support of advanced optical networking products, including coherent transceivers, DWDM systems, and optical transport platforms. The successful candidate will serve as a subject matter expert and collaborate across optical, electrical, firmware, FPGA, software, mechanical, manufacturing, and systems engineering teams to deliver innovative, high-performance networking solutions.

Technical Leadership Lead the hardware architecture and design of coherent pluggable transceivers and optical transport subsystems. Drive technical decisions related to high-speed digital, RF, mixed-signal, and optical hardware design. Provide mentorship and technical guidance to engineers across multiple product development teams. Serve as the primary technical resource for complex engineering challenges and design reviews. Evaluate emerging technologies, components, and architectures to support future product roadmaps. Hardware Design & Development Develop system architectures, block diagrams, schematics, and detailed hardware specifications. Design and validate high-speed circuit boards supporting coherent optical communication systems. Lead signal integrity, power integrity, and electromagnetic compatibility analyses. Collaborate with PCB layout engineers to optimize designs for performance, manufacturability, reliability, and cost. Oversee hardware integration, verification, qualification, and release activities throughout the product lifecycle. Support new product introductions and production transfers to manufacturing partners. Optical Transport Systems Define and evaluate optical subsystem requirements including: Coherent pluggable modules DWDM transport systems Optical amplifiers ROADM technologies Wavelength-selective switches Laser and photodetector-based subsystems Perform system-level analysis, performance modeling, and design trade studies. Work with suppliers to evaluate and qualify optical components and technologies. Test & Validation Develop test strategies, qualification plans, and validation methodologies. Utilize laboratory equipment including: Network analyzers Spectrum analyzers BER testers Oscilloscopes Optical measurement equipment Analyze performance data and lead root-cause investigations. Drive corrective actions and continuous product improvements. Cross-Functional Collaboration Partner with Systems, Software, FPGA, Mechanical, Manufacturing, Quality, and Product Management teams. Participate in customer, supplier, and executive technical reviews. Support field deployments and resolution of complex customer issues when required. Ensure projects meet performance, schedule, reliability, and cost objectives.

Education Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Optical Engineering, or a related discipline required. Master's degree preferred. Equivalent combination of education and directly related industry experience will be considered in lieu of an advanced degree.

10+ years of hardware engineering experience in telecommunications, networking, or optical communications. Significant experience designing high-speed electronic hardware and optical networking systems. Proven experience developing coherent