Datacenter Fiber Specialist(With OTDR)

our Client•Santa Clara, CA

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Datacenter Fiber Specialist is responsible for the integrity, performance, and security of Microsoft’s fiber optic network in data center operations. The role focuses on fiber delivery, troubleshooting, maintenance, and testing for critical deployments, break-fix work, and network expansion. The specialist provides up to 40 hours per week of expertise during regular business hours and works with Microsoft engineering teams, third-party fiber providers, and internal deployment teams. The position is fully onsite in Santa Clara, California, for a 12+ month contract. Compensation is $42–$45 per hour on W-2. Candidates must work on the employer’s W-2; third-party candidates are not accepted. The position reports to the Senior Program Manager.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent and at least 3 years of experience supporting fiber optic networks or large-scale deployments.
Ability to pass a Microsoft Cloud Background Check upon hire and every two years thereafter.
Strong knowledge of fiber optics, dark and lit fiber networks, OTDR testing, and fiber maintenance.
Experience with fiber optic splicing, testing, and documentation in field service environments.
Understanding of data center infrastructure, including servers, networking, and rack enclosures.
Proficiency with fiber testing tools, including fusion splicers, OTDRs, power meters, and fiber identifiers.
Ability to read and interpret fiber optic maps, schematics, and test results.
Willingness to travel and respond to fiber-related issues as needed.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Telecommunications, Business Management, or a related field.
At least 10 years of experience in mission-critical fiber operations in large-scale environments.
At least 10 years of experience working with dark and lit fiber providers.
At least 10 years of experience in aerial and underground fiber delivery.
At least 5 years of experience in outside plant (OSP) and inside plant (ISP) fiber installation, management, and maintenance.
Expertise in fiber splicing, troubleshooting, and documentation.
Background in fiber network design, construction, and best practices.
Knowledge of fiber supply chain, asset management, and logistics.
IT service operations experience with ITIL, MOF, and SLA/OLA frameworks.
Familiarity with Microsoft Cloud Services and platforms, such as Azure and Office 365.

Responsibilities

Proactively monitor and maintain fiber infrastructure to prevent cuts, degradation, and outages.
Inspect, clean, and test fiber regularly to maintain operational integrity.
Educate and coach Microsoft full-time employees on fiber maintenance and best practices.
Coordinate fiber delivery and management with suppliers, partners, technicians, and customers.
Oversee leased and Microsoft-owned fiber to ensure defect-free, on-time delivery of customer capacity.
Plan and manage fiber logistics, infrastructure, and resources for new data center expansions.
Manage vendor and partner relationships, contracts, and service-level agreements for fiber operations.
Provide root cause analysis, lessons learned, and recommendations to improve fiber operations.
Conduct end-to-end fiber testing to validate new installations and troubleshoot existing infrastructure.
Perform optical loss testing, OTDR analysis, insertion loss measurements, reflectance tests, and return loss evaluations.
Ensure fiber test equipment is calibrated and certified within the past 12 months.
Generate detailed fiber test reports in raw and PDF formats for Microsoft engineering teams.
Perform fiber splicing for break-fix operations and deployments; bulk splicing is excluded.
Provide remote-hands support to Microsoft engineering teams and third-party fiber providers.
Inspect fiber paths, patch panels, racks, and ports for cleanliness and organization.
Perform cable management, labeling updates, and quality-assurance remediation.
Trace optical jumpers along circuit pathways to verify quality and prevent congestion or damage.
Follow applicable safety codes, regulations, and best practices for fiber optic installations.
Support fiber-related change management, including testing and validating network modifications.
Serve as a subject matter expert for fiber changes in carrier hotels, meet-me rooms, and leased facilities.
Troubleshoot and restore fiber outages in coordination with Microsoft remote engineering teams.
Implement disaster-recovery procedures for fiber-related incidents in enterprise environments.
Travel and respond to fiber-related issues as needed.