Fiber Optic Technician - OTDR Expert

GCS Recruitment; Des Moines (IA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading telecom company in Des Moines, IA is seeking a Fiber Engineer or OTDR Testing Technician to support enterprise data centre projects with advanced fibre optic testing, fault resolution, and troubleshooting. You will operate EXFO and Viavi OTDR equipment, read traces and event tables, identify faults, and produce detailed test reports and as-built records.

This on-site contract role requires independent work on customer sites and collaboration with project teams to ensure network

Qualifications

• Proven experience performing OTDR testing in fibre optic networks.
• Hands-on experience using EXFO and/or Viavi OTDR equipment.
• Strong knowledge of fibre optic troubleshooting, fault finding, and link restoration.
• Experience with fibre splicing and fibre optic network testing.
• Ability to read and interpret OTDR traces and fibre test results.
• Understanding of ISP/OSP fibre infrastructure and network documentation.
• Experience working independently on customer sites with minimal supervision.
• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Perform OTDR testing to identify fibre breaks, bends, high-loss events, and other network faults.
• Troubleshoot and repair fibre optic links across large-scale data centre environments.
• Operate and configure EXFO and Viavi OTDR test equipment.
• Analyse and interpret OTDR trace results, event tables, and return loss measurements to accurately locate faults.
• Identify fibre counts, cable routes, splice points, and damaged sections using OTDR testing.
• Work with ribbon fibre cables and ribbon connectors, including fault identification and testing.
• Carry out fibre optic testing, validation, and fault diagnostics to industry standards.
• Produce detailed test reports, documentation, and as-built records.
• Support installation, commissioning, and customer acceptance testing.
• Provide on-site technical support and collaborate with project teams to resolve network issues efficiently.

Skills

OTDR testing

EXFO

Viavi

Fibre troubleshooting

Fibre splicing

Documentation

Tools

EXFO

Viavi

Job description

Fiber Engineer- (OTDR Testing Expert)
Company: A leading telecom company
Contract: 12+ Months

Are you an experienced Fiber Engineer or OTDR Testing Technician with hands‑on expertise using EXFO or Viavi or any other OTDR equipment? We're looking for skilled professionals to support large‑scale data centre infrastructure projects, carrying out advanced fibre optic testing, troubleshooting, and fault resolution.

This is an excellent opportunity to work on mission‑critical fibre networks within enterprise data centre environments.

Key Responsibilities

• Perform OTDR testing to identify fibre breaks, bends, high‑loss events, and other network faults.
• Troubleshoot and repair fibre optic links across large‑scale data centre environments.
• Operate and configure EXFO and Viavi or any other OTDR test equipment.
• Analyse and interpret OTDR trace results, event tables, and return loss measurements to accurately locate faults.
• Identify fibre counts, cable routes, splice points, and damaged sections using OTDR testing.
• Work with ribbon fibre cables and ribbon connectors, including fault identification and testing.
• Carry out fibre optic testing, validation, and fault diagnostics to industry standards.
• Produce detailed test reports, documentation, and as‑built records.
• Support installation, commissioning, and customer acceptance testing.
• Provide on‑site technical support and collaborate with project teams to resolve network issues efficiently.

Required Skills & Experience

• Proven experience performing OTDR testing in fibre optic networks.
• Hands‑on experience using EXFO and/or Viavi OTDR equipment.
• Strong knowledge of fibre optic troubleshooting, fault finding, and link restoration.
• Experience with fibre splicing and fibre optic network testing.
• Ability to read and interpret OTDR traces and fibre test results.
• Understanding of ISP/OSP fibre infrastructure and network documentation.
• Experience working independently on customer sites with minimal supervision.
• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and communication skills.

Desirable Experience

• Previous experience supporting data centre or large telecom infrastructure projects.
• Knowledge of high‑power laser testing procedures.
• Experience with ribbon fibre installations and connector systems.
• Familiarity with structured cabling and mission‑critical network environments.

Ideal Background

We’d love to hear from the following professionals:

• Fiber Engineer
• OTDR Technician
• Fiber Test Technician
• Fiber Optic Technician
• Fiber Testing Engineer
• Data Centre Fiber Technician
• Network Field Engineer
• Telecom Field Engineer