Director of Network Engineering

Description

Position Overview

As the Director of Network Engineering at FiberLight, LLC, a leading provider of fiber-based telecommunications solutions, you will execute on the strategic vision and management of the company's core network infrastructure. This includes optical transport systems, Ethernet services, MPLS, and Layer 3 networking capabilities across a high-capacity fiber optic backbone. You will direct a multidisciplinary team comprising strategic core network engineers, circuit design specialists, provisioning experts, and circuit activation professionals, while assuming full accountability for the network's overall performance, reliability, scalability, and security. In this pivotal leadership role, you will drive initiatives to optimize network efficiency, support business growth through innovative fiber services, and ensure seamless delivery of mission-critical connectivity solutions to enterprise clients in diverse industries.

Essential Job Functions

• Manage and maintain engineering standards for the fiber optic network, ensuring compliance with industry best practices and regulatory requirements.
• Develop efficient processes for network design, provisioning, and activation, and document them comprehensively to promote consistency and operational excellence.
• Enforce accountability to established processes and standards across all teams, conducting regular audits and performance reviews to identify and mitigate risks.
• Collaborate closely with the product team to align product standards with engineering capabilities, facilitating the development of new products, features, and enhancements tailored to business fiber services.
• Oversee strategic network planning, including capacity forecasting, fiber route optimization, and technology roadmaps to support expansion and upgrades in DWDM, SONET/SDH, and coherent optics.
• Lead efforts to enhance network resilience through redundancy planning, disaster recovery strategies, and proactive monitoring to minimize downtime and meet stringent SLAs for business customers.
• Foster cross-functional partnerships with sales engineering, service delivery, operations, and customer support teams to translate business requirements into robust network architectures that deliver competitive advantages in the telecommunications market.
• Evaluate and integrate emerging technologies, such as SDN (Software-Defined Networking) and NFV (Network Functions Virtualization), to future-proof the fiber infrastructure and improve service agility.
• Mentor and develop team members, promoting a culture of innovation, continuous improvement, and technical expertise in fiber-based telecommunications.
  
  

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Electrical Engineering, Telecommunications, or equivalent.
• 10 years of progressive experience in network engineering and management, with a focus on fiber optic telecommunications networks.
• Demonstrated expertise with leading network equipment vendors, including Cisco, Juniper, Infinera (1FINITY), Fujitsu, Smart Optics, and Ciena.
• Proven experience with network management systems (e.g., NMS/EMS) and protocols such as SNMP, NETCONF, and YANG.
  
  

Other Skills/Abilities

• Proficiency in configuring, troubleshooting, and optimizing complex network infrastructure, including fiber optic transmission systems and Layer 2/3 protocols.
• Hands-on experience automating Cisco and Juniper routers and switches using Python scripts, Ansible, and Git for version control.
• Advanced experience with BGP, MPLS, and related routing protocols in large-scale carrier networks.
• Excellent communication, leadership, and teamwork abilities, with a track record of managing high-performing engineering teams.
• CCNP, JNCIP, or equivalent certifications are a plus; additional certifications in optical networking (e.g., Ciena or Infinera-specific) are highly desirable.