RLS Photonics Software Engineer - New Grad 2025

at  Ciena

CIENA IS COMMITTED TO OUR PEOPLE-FIRST PHILOSOPHY. OUR TEAMS ENJOY A CULTURE FOCUSED ON PRIORITIZING A PERSONALIZED AND FLEXIBLE WORK ENVIRONMENT THAT EMPOWERS AN INDIVIDUAL’S PASSIONS, GROWTH, WELLBEING AND BELONGING. WE’RE A TECHNOLOGY COMPANY THAT LEADS WITH OUR HUMANITY—DRIVING OUR BUSINESS PRIORITIES ALONGSIDE MEANINGFUL SOCIAL, COMMUNITY, AND SOCIETAL IMPACT.

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We’re a company rooted in people—seeking to create a vibrant and inclusive environment, where everyone feels they can belong.

• Our interns and graduates work on real projects in real time in world class labs. Be a part of tomorrow’s future – today.
• We recognize that the learning doesn’t stop when you leave school - we champion a team environment for development and provide the tools to achieve success.
• We recognize the importance of well-being and offer programs and benefits to support and sustain the mental & physical health, and financial security, of our employees and their families.
• We are big proponents of life-work integration. Our people make a big difference at Ciena, but we want to shine light on their differences outside of working hours too. CienaCares supports non-profit causes important to employees by matching employee financial contributions and dedicating time for volunteering.

How You Will Contribute:

As a Software Engineer, you will contribute to the development of industry-leading photonics software for the RLS platform, pushing boundaries in optical innovation.

• You will design and develop embedded software on a next generation optical network platform
• You will participate in all stages of software development - requirements analysis, design and prototyping, implementation, testing, and eventually maintenance support.
• You will troubleshoot hardware and software, as well as performance issues, working with hardware, software, verification and system engineering teams to identify root causes for issues
• You will identify software performance improvements through test driven development, automated unit testing, and comprehensive integration testing
• You will engage with Product Owners and System Architects to evolve software applications adopting new features and technologies without compromising performance
• You will influence the software architecture, in order to improve resiliency, debuggability and maintainability
• You will provide help to the Customer Support team with questions and problems reported by customers.

What Does Ciena Expect of You?

• The ability to build trusted customer relationship quickly.
• A sense of urgency – what’s important to the customer is equally important to you. You make getting things done a priority.
• The flexibility to work independently and as part of a broader team.
• You embrace change – thriving in a diverse environment of ever-changing priorities and sometimes stressful situations.
• Curiosity - to understand new technologies, analyze, troubleshoot and resolve customer concerns.
• A dedication to ongoing learning – not only related specifically to your role and technological developments, but also other technical concerns that may impact your customers.
• Problem solver – you take pride in your ability to readily identify and find solutions to complex issues.
• Your self-motivated – always seeking out and methodically tackling sophisticated technical issues.

The Must Haves:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software or Computer Engineering or equivalent.
• Software development expertise, particularly large-scale embedded software development in C/C++ and object-oriented design.
• Familiarity with developing software on multi-processor, highly concurrent systems (good knowledge of mutual exclusion, synchronization, interrupt handling, inter-process communication, etc.)
• Experience in C/C++ and Python software development
• Knowledge of software testing methodologies
• Excellent verbal and written communication and documentation skills
• Enthusiastic, self-motivated, team player, problem solver and ability to multi-task
• Fast learner with excellent debugging skills
• Familiarity with Linux development environment
• Experience with design and development tools such as Git, GDB, Jira
• Excellent organizational skills to manage time, resources, and priorities

Assets:

• Knowledge of control theory, signal processing, or optical networking will be a bonus.
• Experience with automated test frameworks with as Google Test and Jenkins
• Knowledge of Yang modeling language and toolchains

The annual pay range for this position is $62,100 - $99,100.
Pay ranges at Ciena are designed to accommodate variations in knowledge, skills, experience, market conditions, and locations, reflecting our diverse products, industries, and lines of business. Please note that the pay range information provided in this posting pertains specifically to the primary location, which is the top location listed in case multiple locations are available.
Non-Sales employees may be eligible for a discretionary incentive bonus, while Sales employees may be eligible for a sales commission. In addition to competitive compensation, Ciena offers a comprehensive benefits package, including 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, and vacation time. We also comply with all applicable laws regarding Paid Family Leave and other leaves of absence.
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Please refer the Job description for details