Principal Field Applications Engineer - Optical - Remote Position located in Bay Area California

TE Connectivity Corporation; San Francisco (CA); Remote; USD 188,000 - 235,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading technology company seeks a Principal Field Applications Engineer in Optical to provide technical leadership and customer engagement for high-speed optical solutions in San Francisco. Suitable candidates will possess extensive experience in fiber optics and enjoy collaboration with engineering teams to optimize product offerings. Key responsibilities encompass driving customer adoption of specialized optical products and ensuring successful integration in data center environments.

Benefits

Comprehensive benefits package including health insurance

401(k)

Employee stock purchase plan

Paid time off

Qualifications

• 12+ years of experience in fiber optics and optical transceivers.
• Strong expertise in signal integrity and optical system architectures.
• Experience engaging with senior engineering levels in data center environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead technical engagement with customers and define high-speed optical solutions.
• Own technical relationships and drive customer design-in and qualification efforts.
• Collaborate with R&D to optimize optical offerings based on feedback.

Skills

Leadership

Problem-solving

Communication

Customer relationship management

Education

Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Physics

Tools

HFSS

Pro E

SolidWorks

MATLAB

Job description

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Principal Field Applications Engineer - Optical - Remote Position located in Bay Area California

At TE, you will unleash your potential working with people from diverse backgrounds and industries to create a safer, sustainable and more connected world.

Job Overview

TE Connectivity’s Data & Devices (DDN) Business Unit is a market leader in high-speed, high-bandwidth electrical and optical interconnect solutions for Data Centers, Hyperscaler, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Enterprise, and Switch markets. Our cutting-edge products are key enablers for major Tier 1 OEMs globally. As a Principal Field Applications Engineer (FAE) , Optics, you will take on a technical leadership role, driving customer adoption of optical solutions including Active Optical Cables (AOC), optical transceivers, and Co-Packaged Optics (CPOs). This role requires deep expertise in fiber optics, strategic problem-solving skills, and the ability to shape both customer engagements and product development roadmaps.

Responsibilities

Technical Leadership & Customer Engagement:

Act as the principal optics champion for fiber optic interconnect solutions in the Data Center and Enterprise markets.
Engage with CTOs, system architects, and senior engineering teams to define high-speed optical networking solutions.
Provide expert technical guidance on optical transceivers (QSFP, OSFP, SFP, etc.), AOC, and CPOs, ensuring successful design wins and integration.
Drive the “Voice of the Customer” (VOC) back to internal R&D, product management, and business units to influence product development

Own the technical relationship with hyperscaler, AI/ML, enterprise, and networking customers, leading advanced design-in and qualification efforts.
Define and refine Product Requirement Documents (PRDs) for next-generation fiber optic solutions.
Deliver high-level technical proposals, competitive analysis, and strategic recommendations for customers and internal stakeholders.
Differentiate TE’s optics portfolio by providing technical marketing support and positioning strategies

Collaborate with engineering, R&D, and product management to optimize optical product offerings based on customer feedback and industry trends.
Lead troubleshooting and failure analysis for complex system-level optical issues.
Actively contribute to industry standard bodies (IEEE, OIF, PCIe, InfiniBand, Ethernet Alliance, etc.), representing TE in technical discussions.
Identify and drive new business opportunities, aligning product roadmaps with emerging market trends in AI/ML, high-performance computing, and cloud infrastructure.

What your background should look like:

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Physics, or a related field.
• 12+ years of experience in fiber optics, optical transceivers, high-speed interconnects, and networking solutions.
• Strong expertise in signal integrity, SerDes, and optical system architectures.
• Proven ability to engage at executive and senior engineering levels within hyperscale, data center, and telecom environments.
• Experience with optical and electrical modeling tools (e.g., HFSS, Pro E, SolidWorks, MATLAB).
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and technical presentation tools.

Skills:

• Exceptional leadership and communication skills, with the ability to influence product roadmaps and technical strategies.
• Advanced problem-solving capabilities, with hands-on experience in optical system debugging and failure analysis.
• Customer-first mindset, with a strong track record of building and maintaining strategic relationships.
• Ability to work cross-functionally with sales, engineering, and business teams to drive revenue growth.
• Willingness to travel as needed to support customer engagements and industry events.

Why Join Us?

• Lead high-impact technical engagements with top-tier hyperscaler, AI/ML, enterprise, and networking customers.
• Influence the next generation of optical networking and high-speed interconnects.
• Work with cutting-edge AOC, transceiver, and CPO solutions shaping the future of networking.
• Competitive compensation, career growth, and technical leadership opportunities.

ABOUTTE CONNECTIVITY
TE Connectivity is a global industrial technology leader creating a safer, sustainable, productive, and connected future. Our broad range of connectivity and sensor solutions enable the distribution of power, signal and data to advance next-generation transportation, renewable energy, automated factories, data centers, medical technology and more. With more than 85,000 employees, including 8,000 engineers, working alongside customers in approximately 140 countries. TE ensures that EVERY CONNECTION COUNTS. Learn more atwww.te.com and onLinkedIn , Facebook , WeChat, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter).

COMPENSATION
• Competitive base salary commensurate with experience: $188,000 - 235,000 (subject to change dependent on physical location)
• Posted salary ranges are made in good faith. TE Connectivity reserves the right to adjust ranges depending on the experience/qualification of the selected candidate as well as internal and external equity.
• Total Compensation = Base Salary + Incentive(s) + Benefits

BENEFITS
• A comprehensive benefits package including health insurance, 401(k), disability, life insurance, employee stock purchase plan, paid time off and voluntary benefits.

EOE, Including Disability/Vets

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING RECRUITMENT FRAUD
TE Connectivity has become aware of fraudulent recruitment activities being conducted by individuals or organizations falsely claiming to represent TE Connectivity. Please be advised that TE Connectivity never requests payment or fees from job applicants at any stage of the recruitment process. All legitimate job openings are posted exclusively on our official careers website at te.com/careers, and all email communications from our recruitment team will come only from actual email addresses ending in @te.com. If you receive any suspicious communications, we strongly advise you not to engage or provide any personal information, and to report the incident to your local authorities.

Location:

San Francisco, CA, US, 94102

State: CA

Country/Region: US

Travel: 10% to 25%

Requisition ID: 134872

Alternative Locations:

Nearest Major Market: San Francisco
Nearest Secondary Market: Oakland
Job Segment: Application Engineering, Optics Engineering, Telecom, Telecommunications, Product Manager, Engineering, Technology, Operations