Senior Network Engineer - Optical

This is a remote position.

The Senior Optical Engineer is responsible for designing, engineering, and supporting the continued growth of Ziply Fiber’s optical transport network. This role focuses on ROADM-based DWDM, OTN, and coherent 100G/400G wavelength services, while helping align the optical layer with the IP/MPLS core network. As a senior technical contributor, this position provides optical engineering expertise, technical leadership, and mentorship, while partnering with network architecture and operations to deliver a scalable, reliable, and future-ready transport network.

The Essential Duties and Responsibilities listed below are a range of duties performed by the employee and not intended to reflect all duties performed.

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Performs other duties as required to support the business and evolving organization .Required Qualifications:

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• High school diploma or GED.
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• Minimum of five (5) years of network engineering experience, including at least three (3) years in DWDM and optical transport.
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• Strong IP/MPLS networking knowledge — including BGP, IS-IS or OSPF, and MPLS — in a packet-optical or converged core environment.
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• Working knowledge of DWDM/ROADM, OTN (G.709), SONET/SDH, and coherent 100G/400G wavelength services
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• Understanding of optical fundamentals: single-mode vs. multi-mode fiber, optical power/loss budgets, OSNR, chromatic dispersion, PMD, and optical amplification (EDFA/Raman).
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• Hands-on experience with at least one major optical transport platform (e.g., Ciena, Nokia, Infinera, or Cisco NCS), with the ability to work across multiple vendor platforms.
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• Experience with optical test equipment such as OTDRs, optical spectrum analyzers, and optical power meters.
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• Strong knowledge of telecommunications design, installation practices, and principles.
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• Experience provisioning or commissioning telecommunications network elements such as routers, switches, DSLAMs, PON, TDM, VoIP, and DWDM.
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• Experience with equipment asset and circuit inventory systems.
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• Proficiency reading and interpreting technical documents such as vendor deployment guidelines, white papers, and configuration manuals.
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• Excellent troubleshooting and analytical skills.
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• Ability to work flexible hours, including nights, weekends, and on-call as needed.
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• Ability to drive on behalf of the company in a safe and responsible manner.
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• Must have and maintain a valid driver’s license, auto insurance, and a satisfactory driving record.
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• Must complete a pre-employment drug screening.

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• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, telecommunications, computer science, information technology, or a related technical field.
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• Scripting and automation experience (e.g., Python on Linux) and certifications such as Cisco CCNP, Juniper JNCIP, or a vendor optical certification.
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• Excellent time management skills and the ability to prioritize.
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• Strong oral and written communication skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with all levels of the organization and to interact with customers and vendors in a courteous, professional manner.
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• Ability to provide excellent customer service.
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• Proficiency with standard office software, including Microsoft Office (Excel, Outlook, Visio), and telephone systems.

• Medical, dental, vision, 401k, flexible spending account, paid sick leave and paid time off, parental leave, quarterly performance bonus, training, career growth and education reimbursement programs.
• Ziply Fiber is a local internet service provider dedicated to elevating the connected lives of the communities we serve. We offer the fastest home internet in the nation, a refreshingly great customer experience, and affordable plans that put customers in charge.
• As our state-of-the-art fiber network expands, so does our need for team members who can help us grow and realize our goals.

$110,000 to $165,000 annually DOE

• Genuinely Caring:

We treat customers and colleagues like neighbors, with empathy and full attention.

• Empowering You:

We help customers choose what is best for them, and we support employees in implementing new ideas and solutions.

• Innovation and Improvement:

We constantly seek ways to improve how we serve customers and each other.

• Earning Your Trust:

We build trust through clear, honest, human communication.

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Perform optical link engineering — wavelength and route planning, optical power and loss budgets, OSNR analysis, chromatic dispersion and PMD management, and EDFA/Raman amplifier placement.

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Design ROADM-based DWDM topologies (fixed and flex-grid) and specify coherent transponders and muxponders for 100G/400G wavelength services.

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Own the end-to-end design of DWDM and optical transport solutions, developed in partnership with network architecture, and define the technical standards and reference designs that guide implementation.

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Deliver wavelength services to the core IP network in a way that complements the architecture and redundancy goals for IP services.

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Plan and prepare detailed equipment installation specifications and drawings.

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Streamline and standardize implementation methods and procedures to support scale.

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Partner with systems engineering to automate network provisioning and turn-up tasks wherever possible.

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Serve as the optical-layer subject-matter expert, providing technical guidance and mentorship to engineers and leading design and peer reviews.

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Develop multi-year optical capacity and technology roadmaps, including migration planning from legacy SONET/TDM toward OTN and coherent transport.

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Lead vendor and technology evaluation and selection, including RFI/RFP processes, lab and proof-of-concept testing, and standardization of platforms and methods.

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Commission and turn up optical systems using OTDRs, optical spectrum analyzers, and optical power meters; validate span loss, OSNR, and channel power before service activation.

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Isolate and resolve optical-layer faults end-to-end across multi-vendor network segments.

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Participate in the oversight and installation of DWDM and IP network layers.

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Coordinate with third-party fiber providers as needed to successfully turn up DWDM systems.

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Provision DWDM wavelengths for customers and for internal core-network capacity.

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Provision DWDM wavelengths and associated muxes to deliver OC-192 circuits to the TDM team. The DWDM team’s minimum circuit size is OC-192/10G; smaller circuits are handled by the TDM team.

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Connect DC power to DWDM equipment and/or routers.

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Ensure new IP POPs are accessible once the DWDM network is in place.

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Work with the core network engineering team to ensure capacity is provisioned for a congestion-free, fully protected IP network.

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Support the core IP network with the implementation of DWDM wavelengths as needed for capacity.

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Hand off newly deployed equipment and customer services to Network Operations for ongoing surveillance and management.

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Keep all site records accurate and up to date.

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Generate quote requests, purchase requests, and RFPs.

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Attend meetings with management, internal departments, and vendors, and participate in inter-departmental planning to coordinate project activities and meet company objectives.

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Travel to job and project sites as required.

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Participate in the on-call rotation for DWDM outages.