Optical Transport Senior Engineer - Long Haul Wave

Job Title: Optical Transport Senior Engineer - Long Haul Wave

Location: Denver, CO (preferred) or Mt. Laurel, NJ

Hire mode: Contract (W2/C2C)

 Job Description:    

• 10+ years of hands-on experience engineering, provisioning, or supporting DWDM and optical transport networks in a carrier or large-scale service provider environment.
• Strong understanding of optical transport technologies, including DWDM, ROADM architectures, wavelength planning, optical amplification, regeneration, OSNR, dispersion, and optical power budgets.
• Hands-on experience provisioning and troubleshooting services on optical transport equipment from at least one major vendor, with the ability to work across multiple vendor platforms.
• Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot end-to-end circuits across multiple network segments while isolating faults within complex multi-vendor environments.
• Strong documentation skills and the ability to work directly with customers, operations teams, field personnel, and vendor support organizations throughout the service delivery process.

 Preferred Qualifications

• Direct experience with Nokia 1830 PSS, PSD, PSI-M, and related optical transport platforms.
• Direct experience with Ciena 6500, Waveserver, and RLS optical platforms.
• Experience supporting long haul or backbone optical transport networks.
• Familiarity with optical network management and orchestration systems.
• Experience performing optical service turn-up, customer acceptance testing, and production implementations.

 Key Responsibilities

Wave and Circuit Design

• Perform end-to-end feasibility studies and path design for backbone wavelength services, including route selection, regeneration requirements, optical amplification, and reach validation.
• Engineer optical spectrum across the complete path, including wavelength assignment, fixed-grid and flex-grid alignment, and spectrum utilization to maximize backbone efficiency while preserving future capacity.
• Select the appropriate transponder, muxponder, and line-side hardware based on service rate, reach, and platform requirements.
• Validate optical performance against engineering standards before implementation and identify any constraints requiring hardware additions or path modifications.
• Document the complete service design, including intermediate sites, equipment, ports, and circuit routing.

 Multi-Platform Service Provisioning

• Provision end-to-end wavelength services across a multi-vendor optical network consisting of Nokia and Ciena transport platforms.
• Configure and turn up services on Nokia optical transport platforms, including the 1830 PSS, PSD, PSI-M family, and related shelf types.
• Configure and turn up services on Ciena 6500, Waveserver, and RLS platforms, including transponders, CCMD/CMD components, and line-system elements.
• Manage service transitions between vendor platforms and ensure optical and framing parameters remain consistent across vendor boundaries.
• Execute provisioning through element and network management systems while maintaining accurate service records, circuit labeling, and implementation documentation.

End-to-End Troubleshooting and Customer Turn-Up

• Perform complete validation of wavelength services before customer handoff, including optical power verification, performance testing, error-free burn-in, and confirmation that service objectives have been achieved across the entire path.
• Troubleshoot complex issues across multi-vendor optical networks and determine whether faults originate within metro networks, the national backbone, or at vendor boundaries.
• Diagnose optical impairments including power issues, OSNR, dispersion, span loss, framing errors, timing issues, and service-layer alarms.
• Coordinate with field operations, network operations, and vendor technical support to resolve issues requiring field dispatch or vendor escalation.
• Deliver validated, production-ready wavelength services and provide post-installation support for services returning after customer handoff.

Operational Execution and Handoff

• Perform end-to-end service acceptance testing, document validation results, and verify that all customer acceptance criteria have been satisfied before placing services into production.
• Maintain accurate engineering records, service documentation, turn-up results, circuit labeling, and as-built documentation throughout the delivery lifecycle.
• Execute work in accordance with approved operational procedures and engineering practices to minimize customer impact while maintaining backbone stability.

Continuous Improvement

• Identify opportunities to automate repetitive design, provisioning, validation, and documentation tasks to improve delivery efficiency and reduce manual effort.
• Contribute to implementation procedures, methods of procedure (MOPs), and operational documentation that support backbone wavelength delivery.

Mandatory skills:

Nokia Optical platforms - Nokia 1830 PSS, PSD, PSI-M; Experience in optical transport technologies such as DWDM, ROADM architectures; Ciena 6500, Waveserver, and RLS optical