Software Development Engineer

In an increasingly connected world, the pandemic has highlighted just how essential telecom networks are to keeping society running. The Network Infrastructure group is at the heart of a revolution in connectivity, pushing boundaries to deliver more and faster network capacity to people worldwide through our ambition, innovation, and technical expertise.

Join the Optical Networks division, where innovation meets scale in the AI driven datacenter era. With the recent acquisition of Infinera, we’ve united two industry leaders to create an optical networking powerhouse - combining cutting-edge technology with proven leadership to redefine the future of connectivity. Infinera is now part of the Nokia Corporation and its subsidiaries. When you apply, the information you share will be handled with care and used only for recruitment purposes within the group.

As a Staff Software Development Engineer at Nokia, you will provide technical leadership in the design, architecture, and delivery of high‑quality software for next‑generation optical communication systems. You will work across multiple teams and disciplines—software, hardware, systems, and product management—to translate complex business and system requirements into robust, scalable software solutions. In our Agile environment, you will play a key role in driving technical direction, mentoring engineers, and ensuring engineering excellence across the optical networking domain.

How You Will Contribute And What You Will Learn

Provide technical leadership and architectural guidance for the design and implementation of software solutions for optical networking products using C/C++, Python, and other relevant technologies.

Own and drive end‑to‑end technical solutions, from requirements analysis and high‑level design through implementation, validation, and long‑term maintenance.

Act as a key technical authority in backlog refinement, sprint planning, and feature design discussions, ensuring alignment with system architecture and long‑term platform strategy.

Proactively utilize AI‑assisted development tools to improve code quality, development efficiency, and engineering processes.

Define and promote software design standards, coding best practices, and documentation guidelines across development teams.

Lead the investigation and resolution of complex, cross‑system issues, including performance bottlenecks, scalability challenges, and stability problems.

Influence and evolve CI/CD pipelines, build systems, and automation frameworks to support reliable and efficient software delivery at scale.

Advocate modern version control and collaboration practices (e.g., Git workflows, code reviews) across teams.

Mentor senior and junior engineers, fostering technical growth, design thinking, and knowledge sharing.

Stay current with optical communication technologies and industry trends, and apply this knowledge to guide architectural and technical decisions.

Key Skills And Experience

8+ years of hands‑on experience in software development, with strong expertise in C/C++, Python, or comparable programming languages.

Proven experience leveraging AI‑based tools to enhance software development, debugging, and design workflows.

Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience).

Strong experience in Agile/Scrum environments, including influencing technical direction across multiple teams.

Demonstrated ability to drive architectural decisions, resolve complex technical problems, and balance short‑term delivery with long‑term sustainability.

Excellent communication and collaboration skills, enabling effective work across globally distributed teams.

Strong experience in embedded systems, memory constrained systems, RTOS as FreeRTOS and Zephyr, Linux based systems

It would be nice if you also had

Strong understanding of optical communication technologies and standards, such as CMIS, C‑CMIS, OTN, and Ethernet.

Extensive experience with Git‑based version control and large‑scale collaborative development.

Hands‑on knowledge of CI/CD systems, build tooling, and test automation in complex software environments.

Software architecture, system design, or Agile‑related certifications.

About Us

Advancing connectivity to secure a brighter world.

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.

Learn more about life at Nokia .

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 .