Senior Staff Hardware Engineer - Optical

Job Title

Senior Staff Hardware Engineer - Optical

Role Summary

Lead hardware platform development for integrated optical transceiver engines used in high-speed fiber-optic communications. Work across silicon photonics, analog/RF, PCB/substrate design, firmware, and test to take designs from concept through production readiness.

Experience Level

Senior-level role with technical leadership responsibilities. See Education Requirements for degree and experience guidance.

Responsibilities

Primary responsibilities include hardware design, validation, and cross-functional leadership for optical module and test platforms.

• Lead design and delivery of optical module and test platform hardware (DUT cards, interposers, sockets, handler boards) from concept through NPI.
• Drive schematic capture, PCB/substrate layout reviews, stack-up and power-delivery design, and BOM decisions.
• Evaluate and improve signal integrity and power integrity based on simulation and measurement results.
• Bring test platforms to life: hardware bring-up, electrical/optical characterization, and debugging with high-speed lab equipment.
• Validate system behavior with optical, silicon, and firmware teams; investigate control-loop interactions across operating conditions.
• Develop automation and analysis tools to improve validation efficiency and measurement repeatability.
• Collaborate with operations, test, manufacturing, and product teams to enable successful product introduction.
• Provide technical leadership: lead design reviews, mentor engineers, and document design rationale and validation results.

Requirements

Must-have technical skills and experience for this role.

• Proven experience designing optical transceiver module and test platform hardware for high-speed communications.
• Strong fundamentals in analog and RF signaling, PCB design and fabrication, schematic capture, and hardware interfaces.
• Experience evaluating signal and power integrity using tools such as PowerDC, PowerSI, ADS, HFSS, or Clarity 3D.
• Proficiency with schematic capture and layout environments (Cadence or comparable tools).
• Familiarity with communication/control protocols: SPI, I2C, I3C, SPMI, UART.
• Hands-on experience with oscilloscopes, VNAs/PNAs, signal generators, optical sampling scopes, and electronic loads.
• Experience developing automation or analysis scripts/tools in Python, C++, and/or MATLAB.
• Strong problem-solving and cross-disciplinary debugging skills; effective written and verbal communication.
• Ability to balance performance, cost, availability, and manufacturability when selecting components.
• Eligible to access export-controlled technology; export license review may be required for non-U.S. citizens.

Education Requirements

Master's degree in Electrical or Electronic Engineering with 3+ years of relevant experience, or Bachelor's degree in Electrical or Electronic Engineering with 5+ years of relevant experience.

About the Company

Company: Marvell Technology

Headquarters: Santa Clara, California, United States

Marvell’s semiconductor solutions serve as essential building blocks of the data infrastructure connecting our world, driving innovation across enterprise, cloud, AI, and carrier architectures. The company focuses on creating transformative technology that shapes the future.