Lead Hardware Architect for Optical Transceivers - Fremont, CA, United States
Originally posted 5 October 2026 by the employer.
About the role
This role leads the design of PAM4 optical transceivers for datacenter, AI/ML, and HPC applications from concept to high-volume production, defining and implementing their electrical/optical architecture.
What you'll do
- Lead the design of PAM4 optical transceivers from concept to high-volume production ready
- Define and implement the electrical/optical architecture of pluggable/co-packaged optical transceivers
- Work cross-functionally with FW/SW, OSA, process development, Q&R, program/product management to develop fully compliant optical transceivers
- Lead the integration of optical, hardware, FW/SW, and process, including troubleshooting and yield improvement
- Create various drawings, BOM, and ECO as product design documents
- Perform RF and link simulations as needed
What you'll need
- Expertise in high-speed RF design, photonics, and optoelectronics
- Expertise on high-speed optoelectronic and RF components – designs, specifications, characterization, performance, and qualification
- Solid understanding of signal/power integrity (SI/PI), and system integration of FW/SW and HW
- Hands-on technical background in PAM4 optical transceiver designs – EML, Silicon Photonics, DSP, driver, TIA, PCB/PCBA, electrical and optical packaging
- Experience in high-density multiple-layer PCB designs
- Experience in RF analysis and design using modeling tools such as CST or HFSS
- Optical and electrical lab measurement skills, including script-based test automation
Nice to have
- M.S./Ph.D. preferred
This role has been open 4 days — well below the 50-day median for Hardware Systems Engineering roles.
Hardware Systems Engineering · AI ML Hardware
|
Open roles in category
939
|
Median days open
50 d
|
Median salary
$157k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, and who else is hiring
| Metric | Coherent Corp | All employers we track in this specialty (939 roles · 103 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 14 | 939 |
| Open roles in the wider Software, Firmware & Systems family | 32 | 6078 · 146 employers |
| Median days open | 56 d | 50 d (+6 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $157k |
Who's hiring in this category
- Intel Corporation · 70 open roles · median 27 d
- KLA Corporation · 57 open roles · median 41 d
- NVIDIA · 53 open roles · median 63 d
- Teradyne · 47 open roles · median 21 d
- Applied Materials · 46 open roles · median 58 d
- AMD · 44 open roles · median 61 d
How we counted: 939 open Hardware Systems Engineering (AI ML Hardware) roles from 103 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 9 Oct 2026. Specialty figures count only roles carrying this exact specialty label, so an employer's related work in neighbouring specialties is not included there — it is counted in the wider Software, Firmware & Systems family row. Figures refresh nightly.