Optical Network Engineer

Optical Network EngineerLocation: Washington, DC 20036 (Hybrid)Duration: 1 year contractPay Rate: $66.00 - $75.00 per hour (DOE and Open to Negotiate)About the RoleWe are seeking an experienced Optical Network Engineer to support the availability, performance, and scalability of a nationwide optical network infrastructure. This role is responsible for the day-to-day operation, monitoring, troubleshooting, and ongoing support of optical transport systems that power data centers, backbone networks, and cloud interconnect environments.The ideal candidate is passionate about optical networking technologies, thrives in a collaborative environment, and enjoys solving complex network challenges across large-scale infrastructure environments.Key ResponsibilitiesNetwork Operations & MaintenanceMonitor and maintain optical network availability and performance across metropolitan sites throughout the United States.Operate, provision, and troubleshoot multi-vendor OTN/DWDM infrastructure, including line systems, transponders, and ZR optics.Maintain device configurations and execute network changes following established change management procedures.Support capacity planning initiatives to ensure network scalability and performance.Incident Response & SupportParticipate in a 24x7 on-call rotation and serve as an escalation point for network-related incidents.Troubleshoot and resolve network outages, performance issues, and transport-related incidents.Coordinate with remote hands teams, carriers, and hardware vendors to execute fiber, hardware, and maintenance activities within lights-out facilities.Network Growth & Engineering SupportCollaborate with network engineering teams on optical network design, deployment, and expansion projects.Assist senior optical engineers with network projects and operational initiatives.Evaluate emerging optical networking technologies and support their integration into production environments.Partner with globally distributed teams to implement new network solutions and improve operational efficiency.Required Qualifications (Must Have)Mandatory Requirements3+ years of hands-on experience supporting major OTN/DWDM platforms, including Infinera/Nokia, Ciena, or ADVA/Adtran equipment.Strong knowledge of optical transport technologies, system design, device deployment, network operations, troubleshooting, and incident management.Experience participating in an on-call rotation and serving as an escalation point for service-related incidents.Experience working within lights-out data center environments and coordinating with remote hands, carriers, and vendors.Ability to support optical network projects and collaborate effectively with engineering teams.Preferred Qualifications (Nice to Have)Experience provisioning and managing configurations across major OTN vendor platforms.Solid understanding of: TCP/IP networkingIPv4 and IPv6Dynamic routing protocols such as BGP and IS-ISExperience supporting large-scale backbone, transport, data center, or service provider network environments.Experience with greenfield and brownfield network deployments.Strong background in change management, outage mitigation, root cause analysis, and blameless post-mortem processes.Proficiency with Linux-based environments (Bash, Zsh, etc.).Experience with automation, scripting, or programming languages such as Python or Go.Strong interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to collaborate across multiple teams and stakeholders.Demonstrated success delivering complex network infrastructure projects.Passion for continuous improvement, operational excellence, and network innovation.