Full-Time
Staff Optical Engineer
Nokia
10,001+ employees
Global provider of mobile, fixed networks
No salary listed
India
In Person
Bachelor's, Master's, PhD
 Hardware Engineering (1) |
|---|
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- A Bachelor's or Master's degree in Optical Engineering, Electronics, Electrical Engineering, or a related field is required; a Ph.D. is a plus.
- At least 8 years of proven experience in optical design, integration, and testing of coherent transceivers or transponders, including ownership of optical transceiver design and optical design verification testing through product release.
- Experience working on optical line cards or systems.
- Deep knowledge of coherent transmission, including quadrature amplitude modulation, forward error correction and digital signal processing basics, dense wavelength division multiplexing impairments such as optical signal-to-noise ratio, chromatic dispersion, polarization mode dispersion, self-phase modulation, cross-phase modulation, four-wave mixing, and crosstalk, as well as specification tradeoffs.
- Familiarity with optical characterization equipment and measurement techniques.
- Ability to define and approve design and test plans, troubleshoot complex optical systems, and communicate results clearly.
- Own optical design and integration at the system and product levels, including optical architecture, product verification, manufacturing handoff, and technical authority for optical design and design verification testing.
- Translate product requirements into optical architecture, design rules, and optical design verification testing coverage.
- Lead closure of performance gaps across optics, digital signal processing, firmware, and the line card, and remain accountable for optical quality at product release.
- Own optical design architecture for coherent transceivers and transponder line cards, including optical paths, component and module strategy, schematics and design rules for optics, and approval of design updates.
- Lead design reviews of schematics, layout, mechanical fiber routing, thermal design, and signal integrity as they affect optical performance, and approve the optical design for the product.
- Decide tradeoffs among photonic integrated circuits, analog application-specific integrated circuits, digital signal processing, pluggable versus embedded architectures, and line-card optics; negotiate with architecture, application-specific integrated circuit, and photonic integrated circuit teams.
- Set optical design verification testing scope, pass/fail criteria, and coverage against product requirements, impairments, environmental conditions, and applicable multi-source agreements or references such as Optical Internetworking Forum, OpenZR+, OpenROADM, and International Telecommunication Union-Telecommunication Standardization Sector standards.
- Integrate optical modules into coherent transceivers and transponder line cards while ensuring optical performance.
- Compare results with specifications and multi-source agreement or reference requirements, and drive closure with digital signal processing, photonic integrated circuit, analog, firmware, and hardware teams.
- Translate optical design verification testing findings into design changes involving the bill of materials, schematics, firmware defaults, and mechanical fiber routing.
- Apply design-for-X practices for test, manufacturing, reliability, and compliance in the optical design from the outset rather than only to a laboratory prototype.
- Define calibration architecture and the manufacturing optical test strategy, including yield, test time, and design-verification-to-production correlation.
- Approve test plans, procedures, and release reports, and sign off on optical design and optical design verification testing for the product.
- Own the optical validation automation strategy, including Python or framework-based automation and data quality.
- Create and approve technical documentation covering architecture, design rules, test plans, procedures, and reports.
- Lead cross-functional work on optical performance and represent optical design, integration, and optical design verification testing for the product.
- A Ph.D. in Optical Engineering, Electronics, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
- Hands-on expertise with optical characterization equipment and measurement techniques.
- Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to troubleshoot complex optical systems.
Nokia provides mobile, fixed, and cloud network solutions for service providers, enterprises, and consumers, including hardware, software, and services to build and manage 5G, fixed, and cloud networks. Customers install Nokia equipment and software or subscribe to managed services, with Nokia supplying base stations, switches, network management tools, and ongoing support, plus IP licensing. It differentiates itself by offering an end-to-end mix of technologies, software, services, and intellectual property licensing across mobile, fixed, and cloud, with a focus on sustainability and inclusivity. Its goal is to help customers deploy scalable, secure, and sustainable networks that enable digital transformation and next-generation experiences.
Company Size
10,001+
Company Stage
IPO
Headquarters
Espoo, Finland
Founded
1865
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- Nokia won Google’s Finland AI data-center connectivity work on September 3, 2026.
- Nokia opened Riyadh’s first R&D center on September 1, 2026 for AI automation and 6G.
- BeeHealthy became Nokia’s first healthcare Network as Code customer on September 3, 2026.
What critics are saying
- Nokia announced up to 14,000 cuts in 2023, signaling structural margin pressure through 2026.
- Nokia faces ongoing patent battles, including UPC disputes and connected-car injunction fights in 2026.
- If AI and data-center orders stall, legacy mobile revenue erosion threatens Nokia’s core franchise.
What makes Nokia unique
- Nokia owns carrier-grade fixed, mobile, optical, and core networks across CSPs.
- Nokia turns telecom APIs into enterprise products with Network as Code.
- Nokia’s patents and installed base create sticky switching costs for operators.
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Benefits
Hybrid Work Options
Professional Development Budget
Growth & Insights and Company News
6 month growth
↑ 4%1 year growth
↑ 4%2 year growth
↑ 5%Nokia shares rose 2.3% in pre-market trading on Wednesday, heading for a third consecutive winning session. The gains came after Google announced a €13 billion ($15.1 billion) investment over two years to expand AI infrastructure in Finland. Nokia and Finnish telecom operator Elisa will supply connectivity infrastructure for Google's three planned data centre sites in Kajaani, Muhos and Vaala, plus an expansion of Google's existing Hamina facility. Nokia is also set to rejoin the Euro Stoxx 50 index on 21 September, replacing Volkswagen after a one-year absence. NOK stock has climbed over 60% this year amid the company's pivot towards infrastructure for AI data centres.
Nokia has launched Mobile Core Early Access, a live hosted environment enabling telecommunications providers and enterprises to evaluate advanced mobile core capabilities. The industry-first initiative offers hands-on exploration of software driving network connectivity in the AI era. The platform addresses operators' need for practical technology evaluation as mobile networks evolve to support AI-driven services and enterprise applications. Participants can assess business relevance, operational requirements, and deployment considerations before making investment decisions. After piloting with 30 companies in June, registration is now open globally. The end-to-end environment showcases 5G Core, automation, analytics, and network exposure use cases alongside radios and devices. "Mobile Core Early Access provides a practical way to experience the latest mobile core innovations in a live environment," said Kal De, Senior Vice President at Nokia.
Nokia is applying for a permit for an AI factory in Toppila, Oulu. It concerns a preliminary agreement that would enable a permit for a data center campus and its supporting functions, such as an electrical substation and a visitor center. Nokia is planning an AI campus in Oulu. The city's community services committee will consider on Tuesday a preliminary agreement that would enable the construction of a data center campus intended for AI computing in Toppila, Oulu. The campus would be located at Tervahovintie 10, behind and next to the district heating power plant. The plot is owned by the city of Oulu. A positive decision would mean that the committee would approve the preliminary agreement for the real estate deal in the Toppila area and the key terms of the future deed of sale. The decision does not yet mean that the deal will be completed. Marko Kilpeläinen, the city environment director of the city of Oulu, would consider the approval of the draft deed of sale significant. "If implemented, the project would be very significant for Finland and Oulu. I hope that the decision-making proceeds without delays," says Kilpeläinen. The buyers of the plot are Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy and Nscale DC Holdings Finland Oy. The price is estimated at 5 million euros. In the first phase, a data center and an electrical substation would be built on the plot, and in the second phase, another data center. The final deal will only be completed if the zoning, subdivision, building permit, and lease, environmental, and use right arrangements are in order. Oulun Energia Oy will apply for a building permit already on Wednesday from the building committee for the same AI Gigafactory data center, electrical substation, and visitor center. The permit is proposed to be approved, and at the same time, the applicant is proposed the right to start work before the permit becomes legally binding. Away from American IT giants. Building AI factories in Europe is an EU goal. The Union wants to be independent of American IT giants. The European Commission's initiative called InvestAI aims to secure 200 billion euros in investments in high-performance computing and AI. The Commission supports the establishment of AI gigafactories in EU countries. In the responses gathered by the EU initiative, a gigafactory has been proposed for 16 member states and 60 different locations.
Nokia to cut 11 jobs in its defense unit
Nokia has entered a commercial agreement with BeeHealthy, a digital healthcare platform owned by Mehiläinen, to integrate its Network as Code technology into patient-facing applications. The collaboration replaces SMS one-time passcodes with network-based verification, enabling faster and more secure access to healthcare services. BeeHealthy provides a white-label SaaS platform used by healthcare providers, insurers and social-care organisations across Finland, Sweden, Germany, Estonia, the Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates. Nokia's platform consolidates operator networks into a single developer-friendly interface, allowing enterprises to embed network capabilities directly into their applications. BeeHealthy becomes the first healthcare-sector commercial customer for Nokia's Network as Code platform. The integration includes APIs for number verification, SIM swap detection, location verification and identity validation. The companies are also exploring Quality on Demand capabilities to support latency-sensitive services like video consultations.