Principal Systems Engineer - Optical Transceivers

Job Title

Principal Systems Engineer - Optical Transceivers

Role Summary

Lead system architecture and product development for next-generation optical transceivers targeting hyperscale data centers and AI networking. Translate customer and industry requirements into product specifications and drive cross-functional delivery from concept through qualification and deployment.

Work spans optics, DSP, ASIC, packaging, firmware, manufacturing and customer-facing teams to optimize performance, power, cost and manufacturability.

Experience Level

Senior - requires approximately 12+ years of experience in optical communications, networking systems, or transceiver development.

Responsibilities

Primary responsibilities include defining system architecture, leading product development, and resolving cross-functional technical issues.

• Define system requirements, product architecture, link budgets, and performance targets for optical transceivers.
• Lead architecture decisions across optical engines, DSPs, lasers, packaging, thermal management, and host electrical interfaces.
• Analyze modulation schemes, lane rates, and interconnect architectures for performance, power, cost, and manufacturability trade-offs.
• Perform system-level modeling and simulation of optical and electrical channels; evaluate SNR, BER, FEC and reliability margins.
• Collaborate with DSP and ASIC teams to define equalization, FEC, and signal integrity requirements for high-speed interfaces (200G/lane and beyond).
• Define validation methodologies, interoperability test plans, and lead product qualification and customer validations.
• Drive root-cause analysis and corrective actions for system-level performance issues and support field deployments and escalations.
• Mentor and develop engineers across systems, optics, hardware, firmware, and validation disciplines.
• Represent the company in customer technical engagements and industry discussions.

Requirements

Required technical skills and experience to perform the role. Preferred skills and specialized experience are listed separately.

Must-have

• 12+ years of experience in optical communications, networking systems, or transceiver development, with demonstrated experience developing high-speed optical modules.
• Deep knowledge of optical communication systems, silicon photonics, high-speed SerDes architectures, and DSP-based communication systems.
• Experience with FEC, coding techniques, signal integrity, link budgets, BER/SNR analysis and system-level performance optimization.
• Proven systems thinking, architecture leadership, analytical problem-solving, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Strong written, verbal, and presentation skills; customer engagement experience and technical leadership in product development.

Nice-to-have

• Experience with 1.6T PAM4 modules, co-packaged optics (CPO), linear receive/pluggable optics (LRO/LPO), silicon photonics integration, and advanced packaging.
• Experience coding for test and verification (Python or similar).
• Proven record of technical leadership and architectural ownership of complex products.

Education Requirements

BS degree in Electrical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Physics, or a related technical field is required. MS or PhD in Electrical/Optical Engineering or Physics is preferred.

About the Company

Company: Jabil

Headquarters: St. Petersburg, Florida, United States

Global manufacturing services and engineering company that designs and manufactures electronic components, precision mechanical systems, and provides supply-chain, NPI, and contract manufacturing solutions across industries including semiconductor, healthcare, automotive, and consumer electronics.