Optical Transport Network Engineer

Google is proud to boast a network that provides service to millions of Internet users around the world. The Network Engineering team is responsible for operating that network reliably and at scale. As a member of the team, you have a direct impact on design and feature enhancements to keep our systems running smoothly. You also ensure that network operations are safe and efficient by monitoring network performance, coordinating planned maintenance, adjusting hardware components and responding to network connectivity issues. Google's complex network generates a constant stream of challenges which require you to continually be innovative with an evolving set of technologies. Keeping the network reliable ensures that our users stay connected with our suite of applications, products and services.

It's an exciting time to join Google Cloud’s Go-To-Market team, leading the AI revolution for businesses worldwide. You’ll excel by leveraging Google's brand credibility—a legacy built on inventing foundational technologies and proven at scale. We’ll provide you with the world's most advanced AI portfolio, including frontier Gemini models, and the complete Vertex AI platform, helping you to solve business problems. We’re a collaborative culture providing direct access to DeepMind's engineering and research minds, empowering you to solve customer challenges. Join us to be the catalyst for our mission, drive customer success, and define the new cloud era—the market is yours.

Responsibilities

• Define requirements and drive the adoption of simplified, universal Layer 1 architectures to scale Google’s transport network for unprecedented AI and infrastructure demands.
• Drive multi-vendor hardware optionality and engage in deep co-development with external vendors across all optical layers to ensure intrinsic component robustness and mitigate single-source constraints.
• Develop and execute extensive New Product Introduction (NPI) test plans to ensure no systematic hardware or software quality issues are discovered in production.
• Leverage AI tools to amplify engineering efficiency, writing software and automating lab infrastructure (e.g., using Ondatra) to qualify and introduce new products.
• Ensure all new optical platforms adhere to Google's unified security posture and framework to mitigate network exposure to sophisticated threats.

Minimum qualifications:

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

Preferred qualifications:

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