Principal Network Hardware Engineer

The Networking Hardware Engineer ensures the quality and performance of networking components and systems. This role involves developing and implementing testing procedures for network switches, optical transceivers, fiber optic cables, and other related networking equipment. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in hardware design, hardware testing, network switch topologies, and an understanding of Ethernet protocols and testing. The candidate will also have technical responsibility for complex projects, including project requirements, specifications (where applicable), and documentation. They will organize project technical milestones and supporting tasks. They will act as a tech lead across the organization and collaborate with cross-functional teams and vendors.

Career Level - IC4

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with program/project managers to develop test strategy landmarks and deliverables.
• Will primarily develop test practices and strategies to validate production network configurations and scale use cases.
• Develop and implement testing protocols for networking equipment to ensure performance, reliability, and scalability.
• Perform inspections and testing of optical transceivers, fiber optic cables, and other networking hardware to ensure compliance with industry standards and specifications.
• Analyze and troubleshoot hardware issues, providing timely resolutions and improvements.
• Utilize testing equipment such as bit error rate testers (BERT) and network analyzers to assess product quality.
• Document design processes, test results, and quality metrics, generating detailed reports on product quality.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including software, optical, and network engineers, to resolve quality issues and implement solutions.
• Stay updated on emerging technologies and recommend improvements to existing hardware designs and quality assurance methodologies.
• Mentor junior engineers.
• Collaborate with network vendor technical account teams and internal network design teams to drive bug resolution and assist in the validation of new firmware and/or operating systems.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field.
• 10+ years of experience in network hardware design, development, and testing.
• 4+ years of experience in testing, automating at system level.
• 4+ years of experience validating 100G, 400G, and 800GE cables and pluggable discrete optics.
• Strong knowledge of Ethernet and other networking protocols.
• Experience with network switch topologies, transceivers, fiber optics, and associated hardware.
• Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Experience with optical transceiver EEPROM, DOM, and layer 1 physical connectivity.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree or PhD in a relevant engineering discipline.
• Knowledge of automation tools for testing and validation.
• Prior experience with network and/or datacenter/cloud automation.
• In-depth knowledge validating and troubleshooting data center optics and cables.
• Hands-on experience of working with debug and testing of network switch hardware, optical modules, fiber optic cables, and other networking hardware and test equipment.
• Proficiency in using test equipment such as BERTs, VNA, MCB, HCB, and traffic generators.