Location: Burlington, ON, Canada
Our Team:
Semtech’s Signal Integrity Products Applications Team is a group of experienced, passionate and talented engineers tasked to support and deliver industry-leading integrated circuits. The Applications Team provides innovative solutions to enable Data Center and Mobile Transport markets. We enable our customers and partners to achieve a new standard of product performance, overcoming complex problems in their system to accelerate their time to market.
Job Summary:
The Senior Applications Engineer is a seasoned individual contributor and a cornerstone of the applications team. Operating with a planning horizon of 6 to 12 months, this role is assigned to a specific product and is expected to independently plan, lead, and execute against it - delegating sub-tasks where appropriate and overseeing their completion. The Senior Engineer is the primary technical point of contact for customers on their assigned product, sets up and chairs customer calls, attends and demonstrates products at external events, and is recognized by customers as a trusted and knowledgeable resource. This level represents full mastery of the applications engineering discipline - a seasoned professional who has earned their expertise and can be relied upon to drive results independently.
Responsibilities:
1. NPI Project Support & Product Ownership (50%)
This role carries ownership across two interdependent NPI workstreams: internal infrastructure and test tooling, and on-board copper application support for the CopperEdge product portfolio. The Senior Engineer is expected to independently plan, execute, and deliver across these areas while acting as the technical bridge between hardware, applications, and software teams.
a) Infrastructure & In-House Test Equipment Firmware
Design and develop firmware for in-house test equipment and infrastructure solutions used across the applications and NPI lab environment, with a focus on reliability, repeatability, and ease of use.
Work with the broader applications team to define internal tooling requirements, translating together with third part silicon partners, lab workflow needs into embedded firmware features that enable test and measurement at next generation nodes.
b) On-Board Copper - CopperEdge Product Portfolio Support
Partner with customers on CopperEdge design-in activities, providing pre-sales technical support, performance characterizations, and design optimization recommendations across their on-board copper application environments.
Accurately identify application risks, estimate task timelines, and develop project plans that ensure NPI deliverables are met on schedule; communicate status and risks clearly to both internal and external stakeholders.
Contribute ideas to improve test automation and tooling for on-board copper characterization, and develop technical collateral - application notes, test reports, and design guides - that accelerate customer adoption of the CopperEdge portfolio.
Independently structure problems, challenge results, and recommend solutions based on evidence, with a strong focus on real-world application fit across data center and high-speed interconnect environments.
2. Customer Support & Relationship Management (25%)
Support customer qualification testing by providing test procedures, interpreting results, and recommending design optimizations; communicate findings clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Create technical customer collateral - test reports, application notes, and design guides - that are accurate, well-structured, and useful to a range of customer audiences.
3. Industry & External Engagement (10%)
Attend conferences and tradeshows to represent Semtech, demonstrating products, addressing technical questions, and building relationships with customers and ecosystem peers.
Develop working knowledge of relevant industry standards - including Ethernet, OIF, and IEEE specifications - and apply this knowledge to guide customers through compliance and interoperability challenges.
4. Mentorship & Team Leadership (15%)
Communicate and present clearly and effectively to a range of audiences, including explaining technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders such as sales, marketing, and customer program managers.
Travel Requirements:
This role requires domestic and international travel approximately once per quarter. Travel may include any combination of the following:
Conference and tradeshow attendance to represent Semtech, demonstrate products, and engage with the broader industry ecosystem (e.g., OFC, ECOC, CIOE, OCP).
On-site customer visits for technical promotion, pre-sales demonstrations, product qualification support, or hands-on debug of critical field issues.
While travel is not expected to be frequent, the ability and willingness to travel on short notice when customer or business needs require it is an important aspect of this role. The candidate should hold or be eligible to obtain a valid passport for international travel.
Minimum Qualifications:
Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering, Engineering Physics, or a related discipline; a Master’s degree or equivalent is preferred. Typically requires a minimum of 8 years of relevant industry experience; an advanced degree may substitute for up to 2 years of experience.
Minimum 8 years of relevant industry experience in signal integrity, optical transceivers, active copper cables, or high-speed host system qualification.
Demonstrated ability to independently lead an application workstream for a specific product, including planning, execution, and customer-facing responsibilities.
Hands-on experience with embedded firmware development for optical modules, copper cable assemblies, or test and measurement equipment, with a track record of delivering production-quality firmware in cross-functional team environments.
Proficiency with test and measurement equipment including Bit Error Rate Testers, Oscilloscopes, and Network Analyzers; experienced in planning, implementing, and interpreting complex test scenarios.
Strong written and oral communication skills, with demonstrated ability to set up and lead customer calls, present at external events, and tailor messaging to diverse audiences.
The intent of this job description is to describe the major duties and responsibilities performed by incumbents of this job. Incumbents may be required to perform job-related tasks other than those specifically included in this description.
All duties and responsibilities are essential job functions and requirements and are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities.
A reasonable estimate of the pay range for this position is $102,000 - $125,000. There are several factors taken into consideration in determining base salary, including but not limited to: job-related qualifications, skills, education and experience, as well as job location and the value of other elements of an employee’s total compensation package.
