Optical Network Development Engineer

12-18 Month Contract - Hybrid (Dublin)

We're hiring on behalf of a leading global technology organisation operating one of the world's largest IP and optical network infrastructures. This is a senior contract engineering role within a Data Centre Network Engineering team - for someone who has operated at scale in a carrier or hyperscale environment and brings hands-on depth across both IP and optical transport layers.

The contract

12-18 months. Remote-first with periodic requirements to attend Dublin offices and data centres depending on project deliverables.

The role

You’ll be part of a global infrastructure engineering team responsible for deploying, automating and sustaining a large-scale IP and optical network. This is not a maintenance role. The expectation is that you build, automate and improve - delivering forward-looking solutions that balance performance, cost and reliability at a scale most engineers never encounter.

What you'll actually be doing

• Deploying and automating network configurations across a large global footprint - writing tooling that eliminates manual work, not just running it
• Designing, deploying and troubleshooting DWDM (Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing) optical transport infrastructure - this is a core technical requirement of the role, not a nice-to-have
• Leading projects focused on network scaling, capacity optimisation and technology refresh across both IP and optical layers
• Troubleshooting routing, interconnectivity and performance issues in high-availability, mission-critical environments
• Supporting and mitigating large-scale network events for critical customers - clear communication under pressure is expected
• Collaborating with network, systems and software engineering teams to design and roll out new infrastructure, tooling and processes
• Creating and maintaining engineering standards, configuration documentation and operational best practices - Cisco and Huawei environments
• Driving innovation across all layers of the network stack

What we need

Must have

• Hands-on DWDM experience - Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing optical transport design, deployment and troubleshooting. This is non-negotiable for this role
• Strong core IP networking fundamentals - BGP, MPLS, OSPF, VLANs, routing protocol design and troubleshooting at scale, specifically BGP & OSPF
• Experience writing automation - Python, Ansible or equivalent. You should be building tooling, not just using it
• In-depth knowledge of and experience with major router platforms; specifically with Cisco 37xx, 49xx, 65xx, 73xx, 76xx platforms including all compatible supervisory and line cards for these platforms
• Candidates should also have had significant past experience with, and expertise in many of the following protocols & technologies: DWDM, T1/OTN, IPv4 & IPv6, TCP (internals & flow control), BGP, OSPF, HSRP/GLBP, PIMv2, IGMP, LDP, TACACS, IPSEC & VPNs, netflow, DNS, HTTP
• Experience operating in large-scale, complex network environments - national or international carrier, hyperscale or large enterprise footprint
• Demonstrated ability to lead or own network engineering projects from design through to delivery
• Comfortable with 24/7 on-call rotation and occasional travel to data centre and network sites

Strong advantage

• AWS network and infrastructure experience - VPC design, Direct Connect, cloud networking
• Experience on regional or international network inventory and integration projects
• SAP or equivalent workflow tooling for project and budget management
• Excel-based automation or scripting for operational reporting
• Experience working across multinational or cross-regional engineering teams

The profile we're targeting

Someone with a background in carrier-grade or hyperscale IP and optical networking - ideally having worked on national core network projects covering both IP routing and DWDM transport layers. Experience on projects involving BGP, MPLS and optical integration at scale is directly relevant. The ability to both lead technically and coordinate across international teams is important.

The reality of the role

This is a contract position on a globally significant network infrastructure. The scale is real, the on-call commitment is real and the expectation that you can operate autonomously is real. If you have genuine DWDM depth combined with core IP engineering experience and want to spend 12-18 months working on infrastructure that matters - this is worth a conversation.

Hybrid - with attendance at Dublin offices and data centres as required

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