Optical Transport Network Engineer

Google•Sunnyvale, CA

10d•$126,000 - $180,000

About The Position

Google’s Network Engineering team operates the network reliably and at scale. This role contributes directly to network design and feature enhancements, and helps keep network operations safe and efficient through performance monitoring, planned maintenance coordination, hardware adjustments, and responses to network connectivity issues. The work involves addressing challenges across an evolving set of technologies to maintain reliable connectivity for users of Google’s applications, products, and services. The engineer defines and advances simplified, universal Layer 1 architectures for Google’s transport network, supports multi-vendor optical hardware and vendor co-development, and develops and executes New Product Introduction (NPI) testing. The role also uses software, AI tools, and lab automation to qualify new products, while ensuring new optical platforms comply with Google’s security posture and framework.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
At least 3 years of experience with one or more optical technologies, such as client transceivers, optical metro, long-haul DWDM systems, or submarine systems.
Experience with one or more programming languages such as C++, Go, or Python.

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of network security postures, vulnerability management, and authentication hardening for hardware platforms.
Experience driving multi-vendor hardware optionality and conducting co-development with external vendors.
Ability to use AI coding assistants and automation tools to improve engineering efficiency and accelerate software deployment.
Experience with New Product Introduction (NPI) testing and automated lab testing frameworks such as OpenConfig/Ondatra.
Experience in full-stack software development, such as Python, Go, or C++, to automate the lifecycle of optical networks from design to production.

Responsibilities

Define requirements and drive adoption of simplified, universal Layer 1 architectures to scale Google’s transport network for AI and infrastructure demands.
Drive multi-vendor hardware optionality and co-develop with external vendors across optical layers to improve component robustness and mitigate single-source constraints.
Develop and execute New Product Introduction (NPI) test plans to identify and prevent systematic hardware or software quality issues before production.
Use AI tools to improve engineering efficiency, write software, and automate lab infrastructure, including with tools such as Ondatra, to qualify and introduce new products.
Ensure new optical platforms adhere to Google’s unified security posture and framework to mitigate network exposure to sophisticated threats.