Senior Principal Electrical Engineer

Coherent Corp.

Senior Principal Electrical Engineer designing next-generation high-speed optical transceiver hardware and test instrumentation. Leading architecture, validation, and production deployment at Coherent Corp.

Posted 5/12/2026full-timeSanta Clara • California • 🇺🇸 United StatesSenior💰 $127,875 - $223,813 per yearWebsite

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

AssemblyDAC

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Lead complete RF/microwave and high-speed mixed-signal hardware architecture for next-generation optical transceivers, evaluation boards, reference platforms, and production test hardware.
Design high-speed schematics and PCBAs for 100G/lane, 200G/lane, 400G/lane and beyond interconnects, supporting 800G, 1.6T, 3.2T and future architectures where applicable.
Own board-level tradeoffs for signal integrity, power integrity, EMI/EMC, grounding, return path control, isolation, thermal performance, manufacturability, serviceability, cost, reliability, and schedule.
Architect and design high-performance instrumentation used for validation, characterization, calibration, automation, manufacturing test, and sustaining support of fiber optic transceiver modules.
Select and qualify high-speed, RF, microwave, analog, precision measurement, clocking, DSP, control, sensing, connector, cable, interconnect, and power components.
Define PCB stackups, materials, copper weights, dielectric selection, via structures, backdrill strategy, impedance targets, loss budgets, fabrication rules, assembly constraints, and acceptance criteria.
Partner with SI/PI, packaging, optics, firmware, software, mechanical, thermal, reliability, manufacturing, supply chain, and operations teams to deliver complete product and test solutions.
Lead schematic capture, layout strategy, layout review, RF structure review, BOM review, DFM/DFT review, design verification, bring-up, debug, characterization, and production release.
Define digital control interfaces and hardware/firmware interaction requirements for CPLDs, FPGAs, microcontrollers, DSPs, drivers, TIAs, modulators, lasers, sensors, ADCs, DACs, and power controllers.
Develop validation plans, test methods, calibration approaches, correlation methods, guardband strategies, and production screening methods for high-volume test environments.

Requirements

What you’ll need

15+ years of direct experience designing RF/microwave, high-speed mixed-signal, analog, digital, and precision measurement hardware.
15+ years of hands-on schematic, PCB layout guidance, bring-up, debug, and verification experience for complex high-speed PCBAs.
15+ years of experience designing or architecting test equipment, validation hardware, manufacturing test boards, automation fixtures, or instrumentation for high-performance electronics and/or optical communications.
Deep knowledge of high-speed PCB design for very-low-loss channels, including impedance control, crosstalk, skew, return loss, insertion loss, via transitions, connectors, cable launches, package breakout, return current, and reference plane management.
Proven understanding of RF/microwave design practices including controlled impedance transmission lines, RF launches, baluns, couplers, filters, attenuators, terminations, clock distribution, shielding, isolation, and grounding.
Expertise selecting PCB materials and stackups for high-frequency applications, including Rogers, Panasonic and equivalent low-loss laminate families, hybrid stackups, prepreg/core choices, resin systems, glass weave effects, fabrication tolerances, and cost/performance tradeoffs.
Strong command of precision analog design including low-noise sensing, voltage/current/temperature measurement, ADC/DAC interfaces, op amps, references, power monitoring, calibration, offset/gain error, noise, drift, and thermal effects.
Experience with optical module and networking ecosystems including OSFP, QSFP-DD and earlier MSA form factors; familiarity with CPO, XPO, NPO and 3.2T-class architecture challenges is strongly preferred.
Ability to evaluate high-speed ICs, drivers, TIAs, DSPs, retimers, clocking devices, power devices, sensors, controllers, and RF/microwave components across major suppliers.
Ability to create clear engineering documentation including architecture specifications, schematics, layout guidance, design review packages, validation plans, test reports, BOM rationale, risk registers, and manufacturing release documentation.

Benefits

Comp & perks

Health insurance
401(k) matching
Flexible work hours
Paid time off
Professional development opportunities

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

RF designmicrowave designhigh-speed mixed-signal designanalog designdigital designprecision measurement hardwarePCB layoutschematic capturevalidation hardware designtest equipment architecture

Soft Skills

leadershipcollaborationcommunicationproblem-solvingdocumentation skills