Principal Optical Network Engineer

Non-CA Pay Range (Annual):

At Infinera, your base pay is one part of your total compensation package. Your actual base pay will depend on your skills, qualifications, experience, and location. This role may be eligible for equity grants, discretionary bonuses, or commission payments. The amount of these incentives is based on the terms of the Company’s incentive plans, the Company’s financial performance, and/or individual employee job performance.

Infinera also offers paid leave, medical, 

dental, and vision coverage, 401(k),

life, and disability insurance to

eligible employees.

Locations: Richardson, Texas; Remote

The TME team is part of the Global support and services business group at Infinera. We are a technical operations team, and it is our team’s responsibility to successfully drive early customer trials and demos for Infinera’s new product introductions. We are tasked with:

• Executing customer test plans inside Infinera-labs and becoming an early expert of new SW/HW product specifications, requirements, features, and issues.
• Providing technical support at different NPI phases of pre-launch, launch and post launch to both internal teams and external customers.
• Train our professional services and support organizations on new products.

We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced Principal Optical Network Engineer to join our Technical Marketing Engineering (TME) team. In this role, you will play a pivotal leadership role in designing, executing, and analyzing complex trials and demos, ensuring their success and providing valuable insights to our engineering, product management, and marketing teams.

Key responsibilities:

• Lead the development and execution of comprehensive test plans for new Infinera products, ensuring alignment with customer requirements and business objectives.
• Architect and implement complex lab environments, including network topologies, configurations, and traffic scenarios, to thoroughly evaluate new product features and functionality.
• Troubleshoot and diagnose technical issues arising during trials and demos, leveraging your deep expertise in optical networking technologies to identify root causes and develop effective solutions.
• Collaborate with engineering, product management, and marketing teams to translate technical specifications into compelling customer presentations and demonstrations.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to team members, fostering a collaborative and knowledge-sharing environment within the TME group.
• Stay abreast of industry trends and emerging technologies in the optical networking domain and proactively identify opportunities to leverage these advancements in new product trials and demos.
• Analyze trial and demo results to extract actionable insights, identify areas for product improvement, and communicate these findings effectively to stakeholders across the organization.
• Manage relationships with key customers and partners, acting as a trusted technical advisor and ensuring their successful adoption of Infinera's new products.
• Develop and maintain technical documentation, including best practices guides, wikis, and knowledge base articles, to support internal and external teams.

Personality:

We are looking for a self-motivated, optimistic leader who thrives in a fast-paced NPI environment. You should be dependable, driven, and possess exceptional communication skills, with the ability to see things from others' viewpoints. You should enjoy solving complex problems and have a proactive attitude towards helping teams enhance Infinera’s customer experience. Approachability and flexibility to travel for successful trials and demos are essential.

Specific job skills & qualifications:

• 10+ years of experience in optical networking technologies, including DWDM/SONET/SDH, high-speed Ethernet, and experience in a TME, system test engineer, or a related technical leadership role.
• Master’s degree in electrical engineering, Computer Science, Telecommunications, or a related technical field (or a Bachelor's degree with significant relevant experience).
• Proven experience in designing, executing, and analyzing complex technical trials and demos in a fast-paced environment.
• In-depth knowledge of optical transport network protocols, protection schemes, DWDM technology, IP routing protocols, Ethernet, and Software Defined Networking (SDN).
• Hands-on experience with installing, troubleshooting, and maintaining optical equipment in both lab and field environments.
• Proficiency in using test equipment such as OSAs, BERTs, traffic analyzers, and VOAs.
• Exceptional written, verbal, and presentation skills with the ability to tailor communication to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Experience with OpenConfig for automating network operations is a plus.  
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to extract meaningful insights from data and translate them into actionable recommendations.
• Proven ability to manage and prioritize multiple tasks effectively in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience working in a cross-functional team environment and collaborating effectively with diverse stakeholders.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, Confluence, Jira, and basic understanding of UNIX/Linux, shell scripting, networking, storage, and general administration.

Travel:

Occasional travel may be required

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“This position requires direct or indirect access to certain confidential information, hardware, software, technology, or technical information (referred to here as “Export-Controlled Information”) controlled under the U.S. International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and/or the U.S. Export Administration Regulations (EAR). All personnel in this position must be eligible to or be able to obtain authorization from the appropriate agency to access applicable Export-Controlled Information. The U.S. Department of Commerce currently requires a foreign person with a most recent citizenship or permanent residency of Sudan, Ukraine, or a country currently designated in Country Group D:1, E:1 or E:2 (Supplement No. 1 to Part 740, Title 15) to have an export control license to access our Export-Controlled Information, unless they meet certain exemptions provided under U.S. export control laws and regulations. The list of applicable countries in Country Group D:1, E:1 or E:2 may be updated by the U.S. government from time to time. The current processing time for an export control license is approximately 4 to 6 months.

Your employment or engagement with Infinera shall be contingent on verifying your eligibility or requirement for obtaining a necessary license and/or authorization from the appropriate agency. You will be required to provide certain information for export control compliance assessment purposes, and your information will be reviewed by Infinera's hiring and export control teams to ensure compliance with the U.S. export control laws and regulations. Infinera will collect necessary documents (such as proof of citizenship etc.) to assess license/authorization requirements if you are offered and accept the position.”

Infinera is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, sex, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Infinera complies with all applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment.