Optical Network Development Engineer

Optical Network Development Engineer — Global Infrastructure — 12–18 Month Contract — Remote (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. Includes participation in a 24/7 on-call rotation — this must be factored in before applying.

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.

Remote — with periodic attendance at Dublin offices and data centres as required

You must be based in Ireland with valid working rights in Ireland to be considered.

Interested or want a confidential conversation first? Send your CV to or call .

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