Lab Technician

ADTRAN, Inc.; Huntsville (TN); On-site; USD 52,000 - 76,000; Full time

Job summary

ADTRAN, Inc. is seeking a Telecommunications Lab Technician to maintain a reliable lab environment and support both local and remote engineering teams.

You will configure switches and routers, manage GPON infrastructure, and set up wireless gateways to enable testing and validation across time zones. The role requires hands-on lab work, documentation, and strong organizational skills to manage equipment, inventory, and procedures.

Qualifications

• Experience in telecommunications, broadband, networking, engineering, or lab support.
• Hands-on experience with switches, routers, VLANs and basic network troubleshooting.
• Knowledge of GPON or fiber networks and OLT/ONT connectivity is desirable.
• Experience setting up wireless gateways and customer premises equipment.

Responsibilities

• Maintain and support telecommunications lab infrastructure used by local and remote engineering teams.
• Configure, administer, and troubleshoot Ethernet switches, routers, access networks, wireless gateways, and lab networking equipment.
• Maintain GPON lab infrastructure (OLT/ONT, splitters, patching) and related power/cabling.
• Set up and verify residential/small-business wireless gateways (Wi‑Fi, LAN/WAN) and basic performance.
• Operate lab test equipment (power meters, traffic generators, packet capture, PDUs, consoles).
• Provision network connectivity for engineering test setups, simulations, product validation, and regression testing.
• Conduct routine lab audits and ensure labeling, documentation, power, and availability.
• Support remote engineers with hardware setup, swaps, diagnostics, and remote execution.

Skills

Switches

Routers

VLANs

IP addressing

Lab documentation

Remote support

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Associate degree or technical certification preferred

Tools

Power meters

Traffic generators

Packet capture

Managed PDUs

Console servers

Wireless test tools

Job description

Welcome! Our Growth is Creating Great Opportunities! Our team is expanding, and we want to hire the most talented people we can. Continued success depends on it! Thanks for your interest in working on our team!

Position Summary Adtran is seeking a Telecommunications Lab Technician to support local and remote engineering teams by maintaining a reliable, well-organized, and operational telecommunications lab environment. This role is responsible for day-to-day lab operations, including network equipment configuration, switch and router administration, GPON infrastructure maintenance, wireless network gateway setup, test equipment readiness, equipment inventory, cabling, and hands-on troubleshooting. The ideal candidate is technically curious, dependable, highly organized, and comfortable supporting engineers across multiple time zones.

Key Responsibilities

• Maintain and support telecommunications lab infrastructure used by local and remote engineering teams.
• Configure, administer, and troubleshoot Ethernet switches, routers, access networks, wireless network gateways, and related lab networking equipment.
• Maintain GPON lab infrastructure, including OLTs, ONTs/ONUs, optical splitters, fiber patching, test connections, and associated power and cabling.
• Set up, configure, and validate residential and small-business wireless gateways, including Wi-Fi configuration, SSID/security settings, LAN/WAN connectivity, and basic performance verification.
• Operate and maintain lab test equipment such as traffic generators, optical power meters, packet capture tools, managed PDUs, console servers, attenuators, and wireless test or monitoring tools.
• Provision and validate network connectivity for engineering test setups, customer simulations, product validation, and regression testing.
• Perform routine lab audits to ensure equipment is labeled, documented, powered, connected, and available for engineering use.
• Support remote engineers by setting up hardware, performing equipment swaps, capturing basic diagnostics, power-cycling devices, and validating service availability.
• Manage lab IP addressing, VLAN assignments, switch ports, patch panels, fiber jumpers, and physical topology documentation.
• Assist with firmware loading, device resets, console access, basic configuration changes, and recovery of lab systems.
• Maintain inventory records for lab equipment, optics, fiber components, cables, power supplies, test equipment, wireless gateways, and spare hardware.
• Coordinate with engineering, IT, facilities, and operations teams to maintain reliable lab services and resolve infrastructure issues quickly.
• Follow safety, ESD, fiber-handling, and equipment-handling procedures within the lab environment.
• Document lab procedures, topology diagrams, configuration notes, and troubleshooting steps to support repeatable operations.

Required Qualifications

• Experience working in a telecommunications, broadband, networking, engineering, or lab support environment.
• Hands-on experience with switches, routers, VLANs, IP addressing, cabling, console access, and basic network troubleshooting.
• Working knowledge of GPON or fiber access networks, including OLT/ONT connectivity, optical patching, splitters, and fiber handling.
• Experience setting up or troubleshooting wireless network gateways, Wi-Fi access points, customer premises equipment, or broadband home networking devices.
• Experience using common lab and network test equipment, including optical power meters, traffic generators, packet capture tools, managed PDUs, console servers, or wireless test tools.
• Ability to follow technical procedures, create clear documentation, and maintain accurate lab records.
• Comfortable supporting remote engineers through chat, email, video calls, ticketing systems, and step-by-step remote execution.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple lab requests, priorities, and equipment setups simultaneously.
• Ability to lift and move lab equipment, rack devices, connect cabling, and work safely around powered telecommunications equipment.
• High school diploma or equivalent required; associate degree, technical certification, military technical training, or equivalent experience preferred.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Adtran, GPON, xPON, broadband access, wireless gateways, customer premises equipment, or carrier-grade networking platforms.
• Familiarity with Linux command-line tools, serial console access, DHCP, DNS, routing, switching, packet captures, Wi-Fi diagnostics, and basic automation scripts.
• Experience using advanced test equipment or lab tools such as optical power meters, traffic generators, managed PDUs, spectrum or protocol analyzers, wireless analyzers, attenuators, or lab monitoring tools.
• Certifications such as Network+, CCNA, JNCIA, fiber optic technician certification, wireless networking certification, or equivalent practical experience.

Schedule and Work Location

This position is based onsite in Huntsville, Alabama. The role requires an early morning start to provide timely support for engineering teams in Central European Time, while also covering U.S. Central Time and the early portion of Pacific Time. Flexibility may be required to support critical lab needs, customer escalations, release milestones, and planned maintenance windows.

Adtran is a leading global provider of fiber-based networking solutions and SaaS applications, focused on the broadband access market. Our comprehensive portfolio spans from the metro core to the customer premises, enabling network providers to deliver Gigabit broadband to every home and business. Our vision is to enable a fully connected world where the power to communicate is available to everyone, everywhere.

At Adtran, we believe in our people. With a diverse and inclusive team spread across the globe, our culture embraces creativity and seeks innovation and quality in everything we do. Built on a foundation of communication, trust, collaboration, and an entrepreneurial spirit enables us to be a global technology leader and a strong customer advocate.

Adtran began operations in January 1986. Headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama, Adtran is located in Cummings Research Park - the second-largest research park in the U.S. and fourth-largest in the world. Our mailing address is 901 Explorer Boulevard, Huntsville, Alabama, 35806. Adtran, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Adtran Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADTN and FSE: QH9). Find out more at adtran.com, or follow our story on LinkedIn and Twitter.