Technician

Fiber Optic Technician

The Fiber Optic Technician installs, tests, troubleshoots, and maintains fiber-optic infrastructure within high-density data center and related network environments. This role focuses on understanding full circuit signal flow, ensuring clean and reliable fiber connections, using EXFO and other test equipment to validate performance, and following strict handling and safety standards to support reliable optical communication.

Responsibilities

• Trace and understand full circuit signal flow from signal source to remote receiver, including transmitters, fiber connections, patch panels, distribution frames, and end devices.
• Identify and isolate faults such as dirty connectors, damaged fiber, excessive attenuation, bad transceivers, and incorrect patching within the physical layer.
• Troubleshoot fiber issues including dirty connectors, broken fibers, high insertion loss, excessive bends, incorrect polarity, defective transceivers, damaged patch cords, and poor splices.
• Use fiber troubleshooting tools such as Optical Power Meters, light sources, OTDRs, Visual Fault Locators, EXFO test equipment, and fiber inspection scopes to locate and diagnose faults.
• Verify optical loss measurements, interpret OTDR traces, and identify causes of degraded signal quality to restore optimal network performance.
• Perform fiber connector cleaning following industry best practices: inspect, clean, reinspect, and connect only when connectors pass inspection.
• Use one-click cleaners, lint-free wipes, fiber cleaning sticks, and optical-grade cleaning solutions to remove contamination from connector end faces.
• Install fiber-optic infrastructure, including pulling fiber cables, routing through trays and conduits, installing patch panels and fiber shelves, and performing connector terminations and fusion splicing.
• Label, document, and test completed fiber installations to confirm compliance with performance and quality standards.
• Work with single-mode and multi-mode fiber, and various connector types such as MPO/MTP, SC, and MMC, ensuring adherence to bend radius and cable tension requirements.
• Operate EXFO fiber inspection probes to inspect connector end faces, capture images, run automatic pass/fail analysis, and save inspection records.
• Verify connector cleanliness before certification testing and approve connections only when they meet IEC cleaning and inspection standards.
• Apply proper fiber handling techniques by observing bend radius limits, avoiding excessive pulling tension, and preventing fiber breaks, excessive bends, and connector contamination.
• Maintain clean and organized work areas, manage cables using appropriate methods such as Velcro straps, and avoid crushing or improperly routing cables.
• Follow safety practices including proper disposal of fiber scraps, wearing eye protection when necessary, and never looking directly into active fiber ports.
• Document and verify all test results, inspection records, and installation details for ongoing maintenance and audit purposes.
• Support data center and network operations by ensuring low insertion loss, clean inspection reports, and reliable optical network performance.

Essential Skills

• Strong understanding of full circuit signal flow from signal source to transmitter, fiber connection, patch panel, distribution frame, and receiver or end device.
• Knowledge of how optical signals convert to electrical signals and vice versa, and how connectors, splices, attenuators, splitters, and transceivers impact signal quality.
• Hands-on experience with fiber troubleshooting, including identifying dirty connectors, broken fibers, high insertion loss, macro-bending, incorrect polarity, defective transceivers, damaged patch cords, and poor splices.
• Proficiency using Optical Power Meters, light sources, OTDRs, Visual Fault Locators, EXFO test equipment, and fiber inspection scopes.
• Ability to interpret OTDR traces and verify optical loss measurements to diagnose and resolve issues.
• Demonstrated skill in fiber connector cleaning and inspection using one-click cleaners, lint-free wipes, fiber cleaning sticks, and optical-grade cleaning solutions.
• Experience with fiber-optic installation tasks such as pulling fiber, routing through trays and conduits, installing patch panels and fiber shelves, connector terminations, and fusion splicing.
• Knowledge of single-mode (SMF) and multi-mode (MMF) fiber and common connector types including MPO/MTP, SC, and MMC.
• Understanding of bend radius requirements and cable tension limitations to prevent damage and performance degradation.
• Experience using EXFO fiber inspection probes to capture connector images, perform automated pass/fail analysis, and verify connector cleanliness.
• Strong adherence to proper fiber handling and safety procedures, including cable management and safe work practices around live fiber.
• OSHA 10 certification.

Work Environment

This role is based primarily in an inside-plant data center environment focused on fiber-optic infrastructure. You will work with high-density fiber systems, including single-mode and multi-mode fiber, and a variety of connector types such as MPO/MTP, SC, and MMC. The work involves frequent use of specialized test and inspection equipment including EXFO fiber inspection probes, Optical Power Meters, OTDRs, Visual Fault Locators, and fiber inspection scopes. Typical schedule is Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., with the possibility of additional work on Saturdays and Sundays based on operational needs. The setting requires careful cable management, adherence to safety practices such as proper disposal of fiber scraps and use of eye protection when necessary, and compliance with data center operational protocols.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract position based out of Johnstown, OH.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $30.00 - $43.00/hr. Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: Medical, dental & vision Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital 401(k) Retirement Plan Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) Short and long-term disability Health Spending Account (HSA) Transportation benefits Employee Assistance Program Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)