ASIC Engineer Intern (Winter 2026)

As the global leader in high-speed connectivity, Ciena is committed to a people-first approach. Our teams enjoy a culture focused on prioritizing a flexible work environment that empowers individual growth, well-being, and belonging. We’re a technology company that leads with our humanity—driving our business priorities alongside meaningful social, community, and societal impact.

The Opportunity

4-month work terms, extendable to 8 months

How You Will Contribute

Ciena Corporation is a global networking leader holding the #1 market position in our field.  The R&D headquarters in Ottawa is home to our world leading Digital Signal Processing (DSP) WaveLogic ASIC chipsets, forming the core of Ciena’s Optical Communications Systems.

We are looking for a passionate and enthusiastic student to help develop and evolve the automation infrastructure used for our next generation ASIC devices.  As a member of the team, you will contribute to the infrastructure, design and integration of Ciena’s intellectual property into our next generation of ASICs. We are looking for students who have an interest in ASIC and Hardware Design with an interest in design, verification, and scripting. The position will be catered to a student’s previous experience, strengths, and expertise.

You will enjoy working in a team environment, with mentors who want to help you throughout the work term.

In this role, you will…

• Work with a fast-paced team developing large-scale DSP ASICs for optical communications. There are multiple jobs we are hiring for. Students will be trained and will have access to key engineers while working on these projects. Some projects can be extended to 8 months.
• Interact daily with other developers and team-leads for guidance and support
• ASIC Design Tasks
• Develop small design blocks
• Assist designers on analysing the design for correctness and speed
• Assist with implementation and verification of designs
• ASIC Layout Tasks
• Work with layout engineers to implement netlists into a silicon-realiseable form
• Assist with automating the placement and extraction of key building blocks
• ASIC Integration Tasks
• Working with the integration team to create constraints to implement the design
• Assist with analysing reports to find deficiencies
• Assist with automating the integration of designs and IP to build the ASIC
• ASIC Verification Tasks
• Develop reusable System Verilog/UVM verification classes.
• Develop and enhance Python scripts to improve developers' productivity and product quality, examples include the following:
• simulation reporting and analysis (collating data and reporting using Python).
• optimizing our build, simulation and debug workflow.
  

In this role you will gain…

• Experience building complex scripts and applications using Excel, Python, TCL
• A deeper understanding of ASIC and Hardware design and verification techniques and languages
• First-hand exposure to real world class ASIC developments using the latest ASIC technologies
• A strong sense of responsibility for quality and completion of assigned tasks
  
  

The Must Haves

• Programming experience (ideally using at least one of Java, Python, TCL, Skill/Ocean, and System Verilog)
• Familiarity with Linux based development environments
  
  

Assets

• Previous experience ASIC or FPGA development programs
• Strong analytical and debugging skills
• Familiarity with Agile JIRA, Confluence, GIT
  
  

Pay Range: The hourly pay range for this position is $25.00 - $34.00

• Good Communication Skills
  
  

Pay ranges at Ciena are designed to accommodate variations in knowledge, skills, experience, market conditions, and locations, reflecting our diverse products, industries, and lines of business. Please note that the pay range information provided in this posting pertains specifically to the primary location, which is the top location listed in case multiple locations are available.

In addition to competitive compensation, Ciena offers students access to the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), company-paid holidays, paid sick leave, and vacation pay as required by applicable laws.

Not ready to apply? Join our Talent Community to get relevant job alerts straight to your inbox.

At Ciena, we are committed to building and fostering an environment in which our employees feel respected, valued, and heard. Ciena values the diversity of its workforce and respects its employees as individuals. We do not tolerate any form of discrimination.

Ciena is an Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability and protected veteran status.

If contacted in relation to a job opportunity, please advise Ciena of any accommodation measures you may require.