Transport Engineer V – Long Distance / Ultra-Long Haul (ULH) Network Decommissioning

Location: Irving, TX (hybrid, 1–2 days per week on site)

Position Summary

The Transport Engineer will manage the migration, disconnection, and decommissioning of Manufacture Discontinued Equipment (MDE) in support of the Long Distance Zero Fill and Low Fill Device Power Down Initiative. The role involves defining, planning, and engineering the disconnect of transport systems carrying no traffic, driving offload grooms for low-traffic systems, and coordinating the power down and retirement in place of obsolete network elements. The goals are to optimize network utilization and reduce the high rate of system outages on legacy equipment.

Key Responsibilities

•         Engineer the removal of obsolete equipment from the network.

•         Respond to outages on high-failure-rate systems.

•         Free up space and power to support network growth.

•         Clear housekeeping order-wire from MDE gear, a prerequisite to starting a decommission project and equipment power down.

•         Identify the directional system or solution for new order-wire and housekeeping.

•         Prioritize Zero Fill power downs in support of site decommissions.

•         Coordinate groom offloads from MDE transport onto the TPTA/SONET mesh network for Low Fill device power downs.

•         Maintain equipment inventory records and Long Distance transport data in engineering and provisioning databases.

•         Perform database cleanup to ensure system and network integrity.

•         Work with peers to ensure on-time delivery that meets business and customer needs.

•         Handle escalations and troubleshoot as needed.

•         Apply field concepts, practices, and procedures.

•         Stay current on technology evolution.

Note: Duties are specific to engineering and design of ultra-long haul transport equipment under the Zero-Fill program and are not associated with normal day-to-day activities.

Required Qualifications

Technical Knowledge

•         Long Distance, Ultra-Long Haul (ULH), and OTN mesh networks

•         Equipment knowledge for SONET/SDH, ULH, OTN mesh, and WDM transport (legacy networks)

•         Engineering and design of ultra-long haul transport

Vendor and Equipment Expertise

•         Vendors: Nortel, Ciena, Fujitsu, Siemens, and other Long Distance network vendors

•         Nortel OC-48 Classic: N:1, 1+1, 2F-BLSR, and 2F-UPSR configurations

•         Nortel OC-192 Classic: 1+1, 4F-BLSR, and MOR OPAMP configurations

•         OPC configurations

•         Fujitsu Flash-192 and FLASHWAVE 4100, 4500, and 9500

•         Siemens MTS OPAMPs and 7500 HiT ULH

Systems

•         BGW or Granite (XNG), CoFEE (Canvas), Nautilus, ICON, CCP, and Venue

•         Windows-based programs and corporate database systems

Professional Experience

•         Experience managing complex processes and driving results

Preferred Qualifications

•         Strong understanding of engineering specifications and drawings

•         Experience with both equipment inventory and design

•         Strong working knowledge of legacy network operating systems

•         Ability to assess, identify, and mitigate risks to the business or project

•         Ability to analyze problems independently and select and implement the right solutions

•         Works well independently and as a team player

•         Manages multiple assignments and competing priorities while meeting deadlines

Education and Experience

•         Bachelor's degree in a related technical field, or equivalent relevant experience

•         Five or more years of telecom work experience