Principal Network Architect (Transport)

Location: Charlotte, NC, United States; the role is associated with hirify.global's Charlotte hybrid workforce and Charlotte-area hiring priority.

Company

hirify.global provides broadband internet services and is upgrading copper networks to fiber across rural markets in the Midwest and South.

What you will do

• Engineer, design, deploy, optimize, and provide lifecycle support for optical and packet transport infrastructure supporting broadband, voice, Ethernet, enterprise, and mobile backhaul services.
• Act as a technical SME for DWDM, OTN, ROADM, Ethernet, wavelength services, and carrier-grade transport technologies.
• Develop engineering packages, bills of material, equipment and port assignments, fiber assignments, rack requirements, configurations, and implementation documentation.
• Partner with Network Planning, Architecture, Operations, Field Engineering, vendors, and technical teams to deploy, commission, monitor, and support transport solutions.
• Provide technical support for complex incidents, optical impairments, degraded wavelengths, equipment failures, fiber issues, alarms, migrations, upgrades, capacity augments, and legacy platform retirements.
• Evaluate and validate new platforms, optics, configurations, software releases, and network designs through technical analysis, lab testing, proof of concept, and field validation.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Telecommunications, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical discipline; equivalent telecommunications experience may be considered.
• 15+ years of telecommunications network engineering experience, including significant optical or packet transport network experience.
• Strong working knowledge of DWDM, CWDM, OTN, ROADM, Ethernet, MPLS, and carrier-grade transport technologies.
• Experience engineering and supporting carrier-class optical platforms, preferably Ciena 6500, Nokia GX, Fujitsu 9500, or comparable systems.
• Experience with metro, regional, long-haul, and backbone transport network architectures.
• Experience producing network diagrams, equipment requirements, port and fiber assignments, BOMs, implementation packages, and Methods of Procedure.
• Experience with fiber characterization and optical test equipment, including OTDRs, optical power meters, spectrum analyzers, and Ethernet or transport test sets.
• Familiarity with VIAVI, EXFO, Spirent, or equivalent test platforms.
• Ability to identify design, capacity, performance, resiliency, interoperability, and support risks; develop mitigation strategies; and troubleshoot complex issues across fiber, optical, transport, Ethernet, and packet layers.
• Understanding of telecommunications facilities, including racks, power, grounding, fiber distribution, patch panels, DC power systems, and environmental requirements.

Nice to have

• Master's degree.
• Telecom, cable, or internet service provider industry experience.

Culture & Benefits

• Contemporary work practices with roles designated as remote, hybrid, office, or field-based depending on position and business needs.
• Technology-enabled collaboration and a focus on inclusion, belonging, and accessible internet service.
• Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance.
• Employee assistance program, 401(k) plan with company match, voluntary benefits, and paid time off.