What are the responsibilities and job description for the Data Center Optical Transceiver Design and System Validation Engineer position at AMD and Careers?
Overview:
We are looking for a Senior Engineer to lead the design, qualification, and system-level testing of data center optical transceivers. This role requires deep technical expertise in electrical and optical validation, automation development, and interoperability testing. The ideal candidate will have hands-on experience with 400G, 800G, and 1.6T optical modules, including 100G/200G-PAM4 per-lane signaling, and be well-versed in relevant industry standards. A solid understanding of optical module architecture and host switch configuration is essential.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
ACADEMIC CREDENTIALS: B.S. or M.S. in Optical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or related
LOCATION: Santa Clara, California (Onsite)
#LI-CS1
Qualifications:
AMD does not accept unsolicited resumes from headhunters, recruitment agencies, or fee-based recruitment services. AMD and its subsidiaries are equal opportunity, inclusive employers and will consider all applicants without regard to age, ancestry, color, marital status, medical condition, mental or physical disability, national origin, race, religion, political and/or third-party affiliation, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We encourage applications from all qualified candidates and will accommodate applicants’ needs under the respective laws throughout all stages of the recruitment and selection process.
WHAT YOU DO AT AMD CHANGES EVERYTHING
At AMD, our mission is to build great products that accelerate next-generation computing experiences—from AI and data centers, to PCs, gaming and embedded systems. Grounded in a culture of innovation and collaboration, we believe real progress comes from bold ideas, human ingenuity and a shared passion to create something extraordinary. When you join AMD, you’ll discover the real differentiator is our culture. We push the limits of innovation to solve the world’s most important challenges—striving for execution excellence, while being direct, humble, collaborative, and inclusive of diverse perspectives. Join us as we shape the future of AI and beyond. Together, we advance your career.
Responsibilities:
THE ROLE:
We are looking for a Senior Engineer to lead the design, qualification, and system-level testing of data center optical transceivers. This role requires deep technical expertise in electrical and optical validation, automation development, and interoperability testing. The ideal candidate will have hands-on experience with 400G, 800G, and 1.6T optical modules, including 100G/200G-PAM4 per-lane signaling, and be well-versed in relevant industry standards. A solid understanding of optical module architecture and host switch configuration is essential.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Lead hardware design for 1.6T optical transceivers, including PCB design, schematic capture, and component selection.
- Define and optimize signal integrity (SI) for 200G/lane and beyond, covering high-speed SerDes, channel modeling, and link margin analysis.
- Develop robust power delivery network (PDN) solutions for high-density, high-speed optical/electrical systems.
- Collaborate with optical, packaging, thermal, and system engineers to co-design solutions that balance performance, power, and cost.
- Perform simulation, modeling, and validation of high-speed links and PDN networks.
- Debug and resolve hardware issues at board, module, and system level.
- Develop and execute transceiver design, qualification plans, including electrical, optical, and system-level validation
- Perform compliance and performance testing for 100G/200G per lane PAM4 transceivers (400G/800G/1.6T)
- Validate compliance to MSA CMIS (v4.0 ) and SFF-8636, including diagnostics, state machines, and memory maps
- Automate testing and reporting using Python
PREFERRED EXPERIENCE:
- Over 5 years of experience in optical networking or high-speed data communications
- Extensive hands-on experience with optical transceivers including QSFP-DD, OSFP, QSFP112, and 400G/800G/1.6T module design and qualification
- Proficient in high-speed SerDes design and validation
- Deep understanding of signal integrity for optical transceivers
- Familiar with optical co-packaged solutions and architectures
- Strong knowledge of optical transceiver functional blocks and their impact on overall system performance
- Experience configuring and testing host switches, particularly Broadcom Tomahawk-based platforms
- Proficient in standards and protocols such as CMIS, SFF-8636, I2C communication, and memory map register control
- Skilled in using lab equipment including DCA-X, BERT, real-time oscilloscopes, OSAs, and optical power meters
- Strong Python scripting skills for test automation and data analysis
- Solid understanding of SerDes tuning, including eye diagram analysis, jitter characterization, and electrical compliance
- Experience working on both the optical module side and the host/system side of high-speed links
- Familiar with AOCs, DACs, pluggable optics, and high-volume test environments; experience with host board electrical compliance, CMIS extensions, and vendor-specific diagnostic fields
- Knowledge of thermal management and airflow design considerations for transceiver integration in data center switches
ACADEMIC CREDENTIALS: B.S. or M.S. in Optical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or related
LOCATION: Santa Clara, California (Onsite)
#LI-CS1
#LI-NTSG-HW
Qualifications:
Benefits offered are described: AMD benefits at a glance.
AMD does not accept unsolicited resumes from headhunters, recruitment agencies, or fee-based recruitment services. AMD and its subsidiaries are equal opportunity, inclusive employers and will consider all applicants without regard to age, ancestry, color, marital status, medical condition, mental or physical disability, national origin, race, religion, political and/or third-party affiliation, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We encourage applications from all qualified candidates and will accommodate applicants’ needs under the respective laws throughout all stages of the recruitment and selection process.