Ciena

Senior Software Engineer

United States · Work style not stated · Full time

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About the role

Description from the employer’s posting. Check the employer’s page for the current version.

EmployerCiena
LocationUnited States
Work styleWork style not stated
Employment typeFull time
Employer posted29 Jun 2026

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.

Senior Software Engineer, WaveLogic Modem Software Development plays a critical role in delivering next-generation optical transport and switching capabilities at Ciena. This role contributes to embedded software that enables high-performance Layer 1/2 networking across advanced hardware platforms. The work directly impacts product quality, scalability, and customer adoption.

How you will make an impact:

Design embedded software in C running on Linux to configure ASIC and hardware components
Implement software to manage hardware resources and meet data path requirements for transport and switching applications
Collaborate with local and remote engineering teams to plan, estimate, and track development activities
Contribute across the product development lifecycle including definition, design, planning, implementation, and testing
Review product requirements and customer use cases to inform software design decisions
Prototype and evaluate alternative solutions on target hardware platforms
Deliver functional specifications and technical design documentation for embedded software architectures

Show full description

The must haves:

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering
Experience: 2+ years of experience in an embedded software development role within a networking or telecommunications environment, including building applications using C or C++
Application of BSP development, security features, and board bring-up
Development of Linux kernel drivers and user space drivers
Application of embedded systems concepts including Linux operating systems, mutual exclusion, synchronization, interrupt handling, and inter-process communication
Background in datacom and telecom concepts such as DWDM, OTN, Ethernet, and TCP/IP
Debugging using tools such as GDB and Valgrind
Verbal and technical writing skills

Nice to haves:

Experience designing embedded systems using microservice architecture on real-time operating systems
Ability to interpret CPU hardware architectures, hardware functional specifications, and hardware timing diagrams
Linux as a software development environment
Exposure to CLI, TL1, SNMP, NETCONF, REST, and gRPC
Use of development tools including Git, Eclipse, JIRA, Confluence, GDB, and Yocto
YANG modeling language and related toolchains
Scripting using Python, Go, or Bash

Pay Range:

Pay range information for this position, in USD is:

85,900.00 - 137,000.00

#LI-JD

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.

At Ciena, we are committed to building and fostering an environment in which our employees feel respected, valued, and heard. Ciena values the diversity of its workforce and respects its employees as individuals. We do not tolerate any form of discrimination.

Ciena is an Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability and protected veteran status.

If contacted in relation to a job opportunity, please advise Ciena of any accommodation measures you may require.

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