Network Engineer II

Akamai; Cambridge (MA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

FlexBase program

Hybrid work options

Job summary

Akamai is seeking a DWDM Network Engineer II to design, deploy, and operate our global optical transport network. You will work with field teams, ISPs, and vendors to expand capacity, improve OSNR, and ensure high availability for Akamai’s platforms.

The role requires 5+ years of hands-on DWDM experience, multi-vendor expertise (Infinera, Nokia, Ciena, Cisco, Coriant), and strong Python scripting to automate tasks and improve efficiency.

Qualifications

• High school or Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or equivalent.
• Deep multi-vendor expertise across DWDM platforms (Infinera, Nokia, Ciena, Cisco, Coriant).
• 5+ years building, operating, and troubleshooting production DWDM networks.
• Strong understanding of DWDM design, amplification, ROADM architectures, and OSNR.
• Proficient in reading OTDR traces and optical testing methodologies.

Responsibilities

• Deploy, commission, and augment DWDM network infrastructure across global sites.
• Review OTDR traces with field teams, scope fiber, test losses, and troubleshoot.
• Collaborate with dark fiber providers and ISPs to evaluate fiber spans and fault resolution.
• Diagnose complex optical issues including OSNR drops and line-card faults.
• Serve as SME and escalation point for production network issues.
• Leverage AI-driven tools and scripting to automate workflows and accelerate root-cause analysis.
• Mentor junior engineers and field personnel on optical testing and vendor platform management.

Skills

DWDM networking

OTDR analysis

Python scripting

OSNR management

Multi-vendor expertise

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or equivalent

Tools

Python

AI tooling

Network management systems

Job description

Do you have a passion for optical network infrastructure and cutting edge DWDM technologies?

Would you enjoy building high use and highly critical global platform infrastructures?

Join our DWDM Network Engineering Team!

Our DWDM network engineering team takes ownership for planning, building, maintaining, and operating our global DWDM network. We design, test, develop, deploy and manage the underlying physical and logical network infrastructure that powers all Akamai products. Our team ensures continuous availability, high capacity, and peak performance for millions of concurrent users worldwide.

Partner with the best

As a DWDM Network Engineer, you will specialize in the optical transport layer, collaborating with technicians, ISPs, and engineering teams. Responsibilities include deploying new DWDM systems, fiber characterization, resolving dark fiber issues, and addressing complex layer-1 faults on the active network.

As a DWDM Network Engineer II, you will be responsible for:

• Deploying, commissioning, and augmenting new and existing DWDM network infrastructure across our global sites.
• Working directly with field teams to review OTDR traces, scope fiber, test insertion loss/ORL, and troubleshoot physical fiber plants
• Collaborating with dark fiber providers, ISPs, and colocation vendors to evaluate new fiber spans and oversee fault resolution processes.
• Diagnosing and resolving complex optical issues, including link degradation, optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) drops, and transponder/line-card faults
• Acting as a subject matter expert and final point of escalation for production network issues.
• Leveraging AI-driven tools and scripting to automate operational workflows, accelerate root-cause analysis, and streamline network deployments.
• Mentoring junior engineers and field personnel on best practices for optical testing, fiber handling, and vendor-specific platform management.

Do what you love

To be successful in this role you will:

• Have a High school /Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or its equivalent experience
• Demonstrate deep, multi-vendor expertise across major optical platforms such as Infinera, Nokia, Ciena, Cisco, and Coriant
• Bring 5+ years of hands-on experience building, operating, and troubleshooting production DWDM networks
• Possess a high-level understanding of DWDM system design, including optical amplification (EDFA/Raman), ROADM architectures, link budgets, and OSNR management
• Be an expert in optical testing methodologies, specifically reading and analyzing OTDR traces
• Demonstrate exceptional attention to detail with a proven track record of flawlessly executing procedures, checklists, and runbooks.
• Take initiative to fully manage complex projects independently while requiring minimal supervision.
• Have hands-on experience using Python and AI-driven tools to automate routine tasks, process data, accelerate root-cause analysis and improve team productivity

About us

At Akamai, we make life better for billions of people, trillions of times a day. Whether you're streaming live events, scrolling social media, watching your favorite series, or managing your savings, we're the engine behind the scenes. We provide the world's most distributed platform from Cloud to Edge to help the giants of the digital world work faster and stay more secure, making the internet a better experience for everyone.

Our focus is simple:

• Cloud and Edge: Running apps closer to users for instant performance.
• Security: Neutralizing threats before they ever reach your data.
• Content Delivery: Scaling the world's biggest moments without a glitch.
• AI: Enabling our customers to build, secure, and scale AI apps on the world's most distributed cloud platform.

At Akamai, we don't just support the internet; we power and protect it, because behind every great digital experience is a massive hidden challenge. And we're the ones who solve it. When millions of people hit play or pay, Akamai ensures it just works.

Benefits at Akamai

We support your health, well-being, finances, and life beyond work. See our benefits.

FlexBase adapts to your job's needs

Akamai's FlexBase program is yet another way we show our commitment to providing employees with an exceptional workplace experience. It's not about telling employees where to work; it's about supporting employees to do their best work.

We trust our incredible employees to work in ways that suit them best: at home, in an office, or a combination of both.

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