Senior Optical Transport Network Engineer

Make your mark at Comcast -- a Fortune 30 global media and technology company. From the connectivity and platforms we provide, to the content and experiences we create, we reach hundreds of millions of customers, viewers, and guests worldwide. Become part of our award-winning technology team that turns big ideas into cutting-edge products, platforms, and solutions that our customers love. We create space to innovate, and we recognize, reward, and invest in your ideas, while ensuring you can proudly bring your authentic self to the workplace. Join us. You’ll do the best work of your career right here at Comcast. (In most cases, Comcast prefers to have employees on-site collaborating unless the team has been designated as virtual due to the nature of their work. If a position is listed with both office locations and virtual offerings, Comcast may be willing to consider candidates who live greater than 100 miles from the office for the remote option.)

Job Summary

The Senior Optical Transport Network Engineer is a critical technical leadership role responsible for the reliability, engineering, and evolution of Comcast's national optical backbone. This position blends deep optical transport engineering expertise with operational excellence and architectural ownership. You will play a direct role in designing, engineering, and deploying new backbone services while ensuring network reliability, scalability, and performance.

We are a small, highly technical team where engineers wear multiple hats. This role combines Engineering, Operations, and Architecture, with a primary focus on engineering and deploying new services on the Comcast Transport Backbone. As a Senior Engineer, you'll own the full lifecycle of backbone services from design and deployment to operational stability.

This position is highly technical, focusing on post-sales support for Solution Engineering services including design, solution acceptance, and network reconfiguration or migration. It involves managing and maintaining the extensive Ciena 6500/RLS Backbone Transport network spanning over 80,000 kilometers of fiber optic infrastructure. The role requires deep expertise in large-scale optical networks and service deployment.

Job Description

This position is ineligible for visa sponsorship. To be considered for this role, you must be legally authorized to work in the United States and not require sponsorship for employment now or in the future.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, engineer, deploy, and turn up new backbone optical transport services and capacity augmentations.
• Validate network designs, platforms, and software through lab and pre-production testing.
• Partner with architecture, routing, field, and operations teams to deliver secure, reliable, and high-performing network solutions.
• Monitor and troubleshoot network health, perform end-to-end circuit validation, and coordinate in-service maintenance.
• Support firmware and software lifecycle management across the optical network.
• Perform capacity planning, growth modeling, and technical design documentation.
• Coordinate lit circuit design, quoting, ordering, and fiber cross-connects with vendors and third parties.
• Participate in an on-call rotation supporting backbone network operations.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Software Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.
• 7–10 years of experience in Field Service Engineering, Optical Transport Engineering, or a related discipline supporting DWDM deployments.
• Hands-on experience with Ciena 6500, including Photonic, OTN, Ethernet, and Navigator.
• Experience with RLS platforms and Nokia PSS1830 / WS-NOC.
• Strong understanding of TCP/IP networking fundamentals.
• Strong troubleshooting and problem-solving skills, including design-level issue resolution.
• Ability to make sound technical decisions during outages, maintenance windows, and other critical events.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to communicate technical concepts to a variety of audiences.

 

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting large-scale backbone networks.

• Python scripting and network automation experience.

• API integration and development experience.

• Experience mentoring engineers and providing technical leadership.

 

Disclaimer: This information has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees in this role. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications.

Skills

Ciena 6500, IP Networks, Nokia BTS, Optical Transport Network (OTN), Problem Solving, Troubleshooting

Compensation

Colorado Pay Range: $109,311.61 - $163,967.42

This job can be performed in New Jersey with a Pay Range of $109,311.61 - $163,967.42

Comcast intends to offer the selected candidate base pay within this range, dependent on job-related, non-discriminatory factors such as experience. The application window is 30 days from the date job is posted, unless the number of applicants requires it to close sooner or later.

Base pay is one part of the Total Rewards that Comcast provides to compensate and recognize employees for their work.    Most sales positions are eligible for a Commission under the terms of an applicable plan, while most non-sales positions are eligible for a Bonus.  Additionally, Comcast provides best-in-class Benefits to eligible employees.  We believe that benefits should connect you to the support you need when it matters most, and should help you care for those who matter most.  That’s why we provide an array of options, expert guidance and always-on tools, that are personalized to meet the needs of your reality – to help support you physically, financially and emotionally through the big milestones and in your everyday life. Please visit the compensation and benefits summary on our careers site for more details.

Education

Bachelor's Degree

While possessing the stated degree is preferred, Comcast also may consider applicants who hold some combination of coursework and experience, or who have extensive related professional experience.

Certifications (if applicable)

Relevant Work Experience

7-10 Years

Comcast is an equal opportunity workplace. We will consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable law.