The Technical Department Head will lead a group of expert researchers, provide technical vision, support career development, and foster a culture of scientific excellence, accountability, collaboration, and impact across Bell Labs and Nokia. This role combines deep technical expertise with people leadership, strategic research planning, and the ability to translate emerging technologies into meaningful business and scientific outcomes.
Responsibilities
- Research strategy and technology roadmaps for high-speed optical integrated circuits, including coherent and direct-detect optical communication links.
- Architecture definition, system analysis, and circuit design for optical transmitters, receivers, data converters, clocking, signal processing interfaces, and related high-speed mixed-signal ASIC technologies.
- Advanced packaging, chiplet-based integration, photonic-electronic co-design, and heterogeneous integration approaches for scalable optical interconnect and networking solutions.
- System- and circuit-level design reviews, technical discussions, and research portfolio decisions across optical ASICs, packaging, integration, and measurement domains.
- External collaborations, research proposals, and partnerships with universities, government programs, suppliers, and strategic industry organizations.
- Resource planning and prioritization, including laboratory capabilities, high-speed measurement infrastructure, CAD tools, and end-to-end design flows.
- Technology transfer, strategic engagement, and close collaboration with Nokia business units to accelerate research impact.
- The department head should bring recognized expertise in high-speed analog, mixed-signal, and optical ASIC research, with the ability to guide teams from early-stage concepts through architecture, design, implementation, characterization, and system-level validation. The role requires a broad understanding of optical communication systems, electronic-photonic interfaces, packaging constraints, integration tradeoffs, and the research-to-impact pathway for advanced semiconductor technologies.
Qualifications
You have:
- Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering, or a related field with significant research experience in high-speed integrated circuits, optical communications, photonic-electronic integration, or advanced semiconductor technologies. A master’s degree with substantial relevant experience may also be considered.
- Strong record of technical leadership, publications, patents, or demonstrated research impact in high-speed analog, mixed-signal, and optical integrated circuit design implemented in advanced CMOS, SiGe BiCMOS, or related semiconductor technologies.
- Experience guiding the design, modeling, and simulation of optical communication ASICs, including high-speed transmitters, receivers, data converters, clocking circuits, equalization, and supporting mixed-signal building blocks.
- Familiarity with high-speed circuit simulation, electromagnetic analysis, package-aware design, signal integrity, and co-design workflows using industry-standard tools such as Cadence, Keysight ADS, GoldenGate, MATLAB, and 2.5D/3D EM simulation environments.
- Experience with optical link modeling, system-level tradeoff analysis, packaging and integration constraints, and the translation of system requirements into circuit and technology objectives.
- Experience with high-speed electrical and optical characterization, including laboratory measurement planning, test strategy, data interpretation, and validation of integrated circuits, packages, and modules.
Leadership/Management Qualifications
- Demonstrated ability to lead, mentor, and develop a group of researchers while setting a clear technical vision and maintaining a high standard of research.
- Strong leadership skills, including coaching, feedback, career development, accountability management, conflict resolution, and support for an inclusive and collaborative research culture.
- Ability to make high-level technical and organizational decisions, prioritize research investments, manage complex programs, and communicate direction clearly across multidisciplinary teams.
- Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to engage researchers, business stakeholders, executive leadership, external partners, and the broader technical community.
- Ability to build strong relationships across Nokia, Bell Labs, and external research ecosystems to align technical strategy with long-term organizational priorities.
- Experience identifying strategic partners, shaping collaborative research programs, and managing relationships with customers, suppliers, universities, government agencies, and industry organizations.
About Company
- Corporate Retirement Savings Plan
- Health and dental benefits
- Short-term disability, and long-term disability
- Life insurance, and AD&D – Company paid 2x base pay
- Optional or Supplemental life and AD&D insurance (Employee/Spouse/Child)
- Paid time off for holidays and Vacation
- Employee Stock Purchase Plan
- Tuition Assistance Plan
- Adoption assistance
- Employee Assistance Program/Work Life Resource Program
The above benefits exclude students.
Nokia Maintains broad annual base salary ranges for its roles in order to account for variations in knowledge, skills, experience and market conditions, and with consideration to internal peer equity. Check the salary ranges in the job info section for this role.
Company
Nokia is a global leader in connectivity for the AI era. With expertise across fixed, mobile and transport networks, powered by the innovation of Nokia Bell Labs, we’re advancing connectivity to secure a brighter world.
Our recruitment process
We act inclusively and respect the uniqueness of people. Our employment decisions are made regardless of race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by law. We are committed to a culture of inclusion built upon our core value of respect.
If you’re interested in this role but don’t meet every listed requirement, we still encourage you to apply. Unique backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences enrich our teams, and you may be just the right candidate for this or another opportunity.
The length of the recruitment process may vary depending on the specific role's requirements. We strive to ensure a smooth and inclusive experience for all candidates. Discover more about the recruitment process at Nokia.