Virtual Optical Network Engineer Jobs in Dallas, TX

We are seeking a Network Engineering Manager to lead a team of Network Engineers while remaining hands-on with advanced IP/MPLS and optical networking technologies.

This is a technical leadership role, not a pure people-management position. The ideal candidate will have strong experience managing Network Engineers while maintaining hands-on expertise in BGP, MPLS, IS-IS, OSPF, traffic engineering, carrier Ethernet, and optical transport networks.

The manager will oversee network engineering projects, capacity planning, network modernization, technology evaluations, change management, and complex technical escalations.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and manage a team of approximately 3 Network Engineers.
• Manage engineering projects involving network upgrades, migrations, implementations, and technology deployments.
• Remain hands-on with IP/MPLS, routing, traffic engineering, and optical network technologies.
• Manage weekly network capacity reports and identify future capacity requirements.
• Evaluate and test new network technologies and provide recommendations to senior leadership.
• Coordinate daily engineering assignments, workload, project priorities, reporting, and technical deliverables.
• Develop project budgets, cost-benefit analyses, and resource plans.
• Support current and future optical network designs, including ROADM and DWDM environments.
• Provide technical oversight for network engineering tickets, workflows, implementations, and change management.
• Lead laboratory testing and ensure accurate technical documentation.
• Develop and review MOPs, test plans, implementation plans, network designs, and engineering documentation.
• Serve as the first-line escalation point for Network Engineering on-call issues.
• Collaborate with Engineering, Operations, and other technical teams to identify risks and resolve complex network issues.
• Recruit, coach, develop, and conduct performance evaluations for Network Engineering staff.

Required Qualifications

• 3–5+ years of experience directly managing or supervising Network Engineers.
• Strong hands-on background in service-provider IP networking.
• Advanced knowledge of MPLS, including LDP, RSVP-TE and/or Segment Routing concepts.
• Strong experience with Layer 2/Layer 3 VPNs, Carrier Ethernet, and traffic engineering.
• Deep hands-on BGP experience, including routing policies, communities, route reflectors, peering, transit, customer routing, and troubleshooting.
• Strong experience with IS-IS and OSPF in large-scale routed networks.
• Production experience with multiple network platforms, preferably Juniper, Cisco, Nokia, and Ciena.
• Advanced knowledge of ROADM and DWDM optical networks.
• Strong understanding of carrier network architecture, redundancy, resiliency, convergence, QoS, scalability, and operational supportability.
• Ability to analyze routing tables, packet captures, forwarding behavior, telemetry, logs, and performance data to troubleshoot complex issues.
• Strong project management, communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Experience creating technical documentation, MOPs, test plans, and implementation plans.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Information Technology, Telecommunications, or a related field; equivalent experience will be considered.
• 15+ years of relevant network engineering experience is highly preferred.
• Experience with coherent optics, wavelength services, and optical-layer troubleshooting.
• Network automation experience using Python, Ansible, NETCONF, YANG, gNMI, or vendor APIs.
• Experience with Segment Routing, EVPN, DCI, IP/optical convergence, network modernization, or large-scale backbone expansion.
• Industry certifications such as JNCIP/JNCIE, CCNP/CCIE Service Provider, Nokia NRS, or Ciena certifications.
• Experience with network inventory and order-management systems.
• Strong proficiency with Microsoft Office, Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook, and Visio.