Ciena Optical Design Engineer — Canada

Location: Remote

Job Type: Contract

Telence Solutions is a multi-vendor network consulting and systems integration firm with three decades of hands-on optical transport, IP/MPLS, and utility communications expertise. Our engineers plan, design, and migrate live production networks for carriers and critical infrastructure operators across North America — not just in the lab.

We're looking for a Ciena Optical Design Engineer to join our optical transport practice, supporting metro, regional, long-haul, and DCI network designs for our carrier and utility clients across Canada. You'll work directly on Ciena-based solution architecture, capacity planning, and vendor evaluation engagements — real production networks, not vendor lab configurations.

• Design and engineer solutions across Ciena's optical portfolio, including the 6500 Packet-Optical Platform (D/S-Series and T-Series), 6500 Reconfigurable Line System (RLS), Waveserver (E-Series and High-Capacity), and the 5400 family (5430) for converged SONET/SDH/OTN/packet environments

• Develop network designs leveraging WaveLogic coherent optics (through WaveLogic 6 Extreme), including capacity planning for up to 1.6 Tb/s per wavelength and quantum-safe encryption considerations

• Plan and configure multi-layer photonic architectures, including flexible-grid ROADM/amplifier design and migration from fixed-grid line systems

• Support client-facing vendor bake-offs and platform evaluations, translating operational requirements (capacity, interconnect, legacy SONET/SDH coexistence) into platform recommendations

• Design centralized management and control architectures using Navigator NCS

• Contribute to cutover planning, migration sequencing, and post-deployment stabilization on live client networks

• Produce clear technical documentation and design packages for internal teams and client stakeholders

• Hands-on design or engineering experience with Ciena optical platforms — 6500, Waveserver, 5400, or equivalent multi-vendor DWDM/OTN platforms

• Solid understanding of coherent optics fundamentals, optical power budgets, and dispersion/fiber capacity planning

• Familiarity with photonic line system design (ROADM, amplifier chains) and ideally flexible-grid architectures

• Experience with carrier-grade or utility-grade network requirements, where reliability and minimal service disruption are non-negotiable

• Comfort working directly with clients on requirements definition and platform recommendations, not just internal design work

• Eligible to work in Canada

• Experience with Ciena Navigator NCS or equivalent multi-vendor management platforms

• Exposure to DCI/interconnect design (Waveserver-class platforms) and open API integration

• Background supporting SONET/SDH-to-packet transition projects

• Utility, telecom, or critical infrastructure client experience

• Work on live, mission-critical networks — not whiteboard exercises

• Vendor-neutral culture: we design for the client's operational outcome, not a sales motion

• • Collaborate with a senior bench of optical architects and multi-vendor engineers