Subsea Network Engineer

GridironIT is seeking a Network Engineer for a Commercial Client.
The Company is:

• We are big proponents of life-work integration and provide the flexibility and tools to make it a reality with remote work and potentially, part-time work.
• We believe an inclusive, diverse, and barrier-free work environment makes for empowered and committed employees.
• We recognize the importance of well-being and offer programs and benefits to support and sustain the mental and physical health of our employees and their families and also offer a variety of paid family leave programs.
• We are committed to employee development, offering tuition reimbursement and a variety of in-house learning and mentorship opportunities.
• We know that financial security is important. We offer competitive salaries and incentive programs, RSU s (job level specific) and an employee share option purchase program.
• We realize time away to recharge is important. We offer flexible paid time off!
• Great work deserves recognition. We have a robust recognition program, with ongoing and enhanced awards for exemplary performance.

What Does Ciena Expect of You?

• Initiative you re a self-starter who works with limited direction and is committed to delivering against aggressive deadlines.
• A customer first mentality what s important to the customer is also important to you.
• Agility with an ability to flex between the strategic and tactical, you manage competing and ever-changing priorities and maintain a balanced and methodical approach to problem solving.

• Communication expertise you possess the ability to tailor your message and ideas to the audience to ensure understanding and consensus.
• The flexibility to work independently and as part of a broader team you thrive in a team environment, are comfortable working independently, and know how to get things done in a virtual environment.
• Relationship builder with a proven ability to influence at all levels, you re able to quickly develop trusted connections and get work done through others.
• A commitment to innovation you keep abreast of competitive developments and are always keen to formulate new ideas and problem solve.

How You Will Contribute:

• Network Engineer will be responsible for deploying Network Solutions for our Customers basis proposed Engineering Design (Ciena and/or third party) and services to meet the customer s network requirements.
• The ideal candidate will support the Project Lead, Sales Engineering, Account team and PLM on delivering project for our high profile Customers in a specified region.
• To accomplish this, you bring thoughtful knowledge to our clients and will convey a keen understanding of Ciena s complete value solutions across products and services, delivery, support, quality and expertise. In addition, you will help navigate the comprehensive challenges involved in the design and implementation of complex next generation networks.
• Prime interface with Customer organization for all technical communications, queries escalations and reviews.
• Support pre-sales activities, act as subject matter expertise and provide inputs on field requirements, experiences and contribute to Customer proposals and RFP responses, as required.
• Interface with the stakeholders within Ciena with Franchise Leaders, Program Managers, Ciena Operations teams, Field Operations, Sales and System Engineers and Service Delivery Groups to ensure delivery of project deliverables.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

• Support project leads on project handover from Engineering to Project team
• Validates deliverables, Identify dependencies and Technical Risk
• Leads the Turn-Up, Commissioning and Testing of various Ciena Product Lines (OME6500, Waveservers, 6500 OLS, Reconfigurable Line System, RLS) in both Greenfield and In-Service Deployment environments of Submarine and Terrestrial DWDM projects.
• Leads segment commissioning, Testing, Channel Addition, Channel Optimization and BERT.
• Responsible for diagnosing, troubleshooting, debugging, and resolving complex technical issues that occur during these activities as well as during in-service.
• Implements complex upgrades of Ciena Equipment on Customer s submarine and Terrestrial networks without impacting the services provided to the end user. This includes, but is not limited to, Channel Adds, Node Insertions, Traffic Migrations, and HW/SW Upgrades.
• Deployment of Flex grid ROADM, OLS (6500 Reconfigurable Line System) and Spectrum Manager.
• Validates that the actions taken by the Assigned Project Team are executed properly as per the steps detailed in the Method of Procedure (MOP). Ensures the Customer s network is operating in a stable state as designed during Maintenance Window activities.
• Provides on-site Technical Leadership during complex deployments of Ciena equipment to ensure that the network has been tested as per the Network Design Specification and is operating correctly prior to Customer hand-off.
• Provides detailed Project Status Reports to the Project Lead.
• Provides remote support on Field Issues escalated to this Level of Expertise by Service Partners during the deployment of Ciena Optical Products.
• Participates in the creation of Complex/Custom MOPs for both new Deployments and In-Service Upgrades.
• Creation of Acceptance Test Plans and vetting of test results before submitting to customers.
• Uses knowledge and practical experience of Managed DWDM Optical Networks to troubleshoot and solve technical problems encountered during the deployment of both new networks and upgrades to existing networks.
• Acts as a consultant related to network design and reconfiguration methodology and implementation when requested
• Produces as-built documentation from redlines and maintains office records when that service is purchased
• Escalates technical issues into Regional Technical Support, accurately defines the problem and participates in troubleshooting to ensure it is resolved to the satisfaction of customer.
• Interfaces and escalates deployment related issues to the assigned Support Application Specialist.
• Interfaces and recommends deployment related process improvements to the Services

The Must Haves:

• A technical degree in related fields is preferred, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Hands on Subsea networks deployments, working understanding of subsea OLS design and parameters that impacts the performance
• Experience of Deploying, Managing and Troubleshooting complex DWDM Optical Networks and resolving technical problems encountered during the deployment of green field networks and upgrades in existing networks.
• Experience of DWDM/CWDM Channel Addition, Node Insertions, Traffic Migrations, and HW/SW Upgrades.
• Hands on experience on testing tools like OSA, SDH Analyzer, Ethernet tester.
• Experience of creating and executing of complex MOPs for green field network and In-Service upgrades.
• Ability to understand and create Network Design and Handover documents.
• Possess a minimum of 10 years of Telecommunications-related industry operational experience and/or implementing projects within those markets.
• Possess a minimum of 8 years in a Technical lead role and/or participation in medium to large-scale projects deployment
• Proficiency with various software applications including Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint and Excel).

Interpersonal skills :

• Subsea deployment experience is a strong plus.
• On Field experience is a definite advantage
• Team player, organized, self-motivated, and capable of independent work.
• Strong communication skills: written and in formal presentations.
• A confident decision maker, Demonstrated sense of quick and good judgment, with sensitivity to customer demands and project timelines
• Self motivated and self driven take Initiative within assigned responsibilities
• Multitasking: able to manage many aspects of the account(s) simultaneously.
• Strong customer interface skills and ability to work with all levels of customer operations including senior management.
• History of working in a matrix management environment.
• Ability to learn and grasp technical concepts in fiber optic or high-speed data communications.
• Strong understanding of Ciena s products and technologies a plus

Compensation and Benefits: Salary Range: $100,000-125,000 (Compensation is determined by various factors, including but not limited to location, work experience, skills, education, certifications, seniority, and business needs. This range may be modified in the future.)
Benefits: Gridiron offers a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision insurance, HSA, FSA, 401(k), disability & ADD insurance, life and pet insurance to eligible employees. Full-time and part-time employees working at least 30 hours per week on a regular basis are eligible to participate in Gridiron s benefits programs.

Gridiron IT Solutions is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, protected veteran status or disability status. Gridiron IT is a Women Owned Small Business (WOSB) headquartered in the Washington, D.C. area that supports our clients' missions throughout the United States. Gridiron IT specializes in providing comprehensive IT services tailored to meet the needs of federal agencies. Our capabilities include IT Infrastructure & Cloud Services, Cyber Security, Software Integration & Development, Data Solution & AI, and Enterprise Applications. These capabilities are backed by Gridiron IT's experienced workforce and our commitment to ensuring we meet and exceed our clients' expectations.