Applied R&D Engineer 5 - SW

As a Principal/Staff Software Engineer, you will be an advanced individual contributor responsible for owning complex technical domains and providing leadership within cross-functional teams. You will play a key role in building and scaling Optical DCI transport platforms that support the AI infrastructure super cycle, delivering ultra-high bandwidth, low-latency connectivity for distributed data centers and large-scale GPU/accelerator clusters. This involves working closely with hardware, optics, FPGA, and system teams to develop robust, scalable, and highly reliable transport solutions for optical line systems, ROADMs, high-capacity transponders, and related DCI platforms.

Your Responsibilities:

• Own the design and implementation of complex embedded software and firmware components for Optical DCI transport systems supporting AI and hyperscale workloads.
• Execute across the full embedded software lifecycle, including requirements analysis, design, implementation, integration, verification, and system-level qualification.
• Design and develop real-time control, monitoring, and telemetry software for high-capacity optical transport, encompassing optics control, link management, fault handling, and performance monitoring.
• Translate AI infrastructure and DCI system requirements (bandwidth scaling, latency, resiliency, automation) into efficient, maintainable software designs within established architectures.
• Lead technical execution for a defined subsystem or feature area, ensuring delivery with high quality, performance, and reliability.
• Participate in hardware/software co-design, platform bring-up, and debugging complex system-level issues involving firmware, hardware, optics, and FPGA subsystems.
• Drive best practices through design reviews, code reviews, and technical guidance, raising the quality bar across the team.

Must-Have:

• Strong hands-on experience developing embedded software and firmware in C/C++ on bare metal and/or RTOS-based platforms.
• Deep expertise in real-time embedded systems, including timing-critical execution, interrupt handling, control loops, and operation in resource-constrained environments.
• Solid domain knowledge of optical transport and Optical DCI technologies, particularly those supporting AI-scale bandwidth and latency requirements.
• In-depth understanding of OpenROADM and OpenConfig, including YANG-based data modeling and interfaces for optical device control, telemetry, and automation.
• Experience with ARM, PowerPC, Intel, or similar processor architectures, including low-level hardware interfaces, board bring-up, and interaction with FPGA/CPLD logic.
• Proven experience designing and integrating hardware interfaces and interprocessor communication mechanisms in multiprocessor systems.
• Strong systems-level thinking, with the ability to debug and resolve issues spanning firmware, hardware, and system behavior.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to clearly articulate technical concepts and collaborate effectively across teams.
• Proficiency with modern development and collaboration tools, including Git, Jira, and Confluence.
  

Education & Experience:

• 8-12 years of relevant industry experience with a Bachelor's degree in Science, Technology, or Engineering, OR
• 6-10 years of relevant industry experience with a Master's degree in Science, Technology, or Engineering.
  

Nice-to-Have:

• Hands-on experience using AI-assisted development tools (e.g., Cursor, GitHub Copilot) to improve development efficiency, code quality, and execution velocity.