Optical Networking Engineer

OPTICAL NETWORKING ENGINEER Mesh Optical Technologies was founded on the belief that optical photons will be at the center of advanced technologies in the coming century. Making advanced technology ubiquitous means building at scale, and that’s exactly what we’re doing at Mesh. We are seeking a Forward Deployed Engineer to serve as Mesh's technical presence on the ground with our customers, supporting installation, integration, commissioning, and troubleshooting of our optical hardware in production network environments. This role requires someone who can diagnose problems in real time across optical, electrical, and firmware domains, navigate complex networking architectures. RESPONSIBILITIES: Lead on-site installation, integration, and commissioning of Mesh optical hardware at customer facilities, including interoperability validation within customer network architectures Serve as the primary technical point of contact for customers during deployment, providing hands-on support through bring-up, link validation, and acceptance testing Diagnose and resolve hardware, firmware, software, and link-level issues in the field, including optical power and signal quality troubleshooting, module register debug, host interface bring-up, and system-level fault isolation—often with limited tooling and incomplete information Support module management interface bring-up and debug, including CMIS configuration, diagnostics page interpretation, firmware update workflows, and host-to-module communication validation Work with customers to validate optical link performance within Ethernet, InfiniBand, and other high-speed interconnect architectures, including switch and NIC interoperability Develop and maintain installation procedures, commissioning checklists, and field service documentation that enable repeatable, high-quality deployments as the customer base scales Capture field issues, failure modes, and customer feedback with sufficient technical detail to enable root-cause investigation by engineering teams back at Mesh Collaborate with electrical, firmware, optical, and manufacturing engineering teams to drive resolution of field-discovered issues and feed lessons learned into product and process improvements Develop field diagnostic tools, scripts, and utilities that accelerate troubleshooting and reduce time-to-resolution on site Support pre-deployment site readiness assessments, including review of customer network topology, infrastructure requirements, and interface specifications Contribute to customer-facing technical documentation, integration guides, and application notes Support product qualification, early field trials, and interoperability testing for new products, acting as the engineering team's eyes and ears at the customer site QUALIFICATIONS: Bachelor's or Master's degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, computer science, or a related discipline 2+ years of experience in a hands-on technical role involving optical networking hardware, system integration, test, or field support Working knowledge of optical networking fundamentals, including optical transceiver operation, link budgets, modulation formats (NRZ, PAM4), and common optical performance metrics (BER, OSNR, OMA, receiver sensitivity) Familiarity with high-speed networking architectures and protocols, including Ethernet and InfiniBand Familiarity with optical module management interfaces and standards, including CMIS and associated diagnostic and configuration workflows Software and scripting proficiency, sufficient to write diagnostic tools, parse logs, automate test sequences, and interface with hardware Strong electrical debugging skills, including comfort with lab instrumentation (oscilloscopes, optical power meters, BERTs, spectrum analyzers) and ability to trace issues across optical, electrical, and firmware boundaries Demonstrated ability to work independently in unstructured environments, triage problems under time pressure, and drive issues to resolution with limited resources Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to document technical issues clearly and communicate effectively with both engineering peers and customer network operations teams Willingness to travel extensively (estimated 40% or more), including extended on-site deployments at customer facilities Willingness to work extended hours and weekends as needed PREFERRED EXPERIENCE: Experience in a field engineering, field applications, or customer-facing technical role supporting optical transceivers, optical interconnects, or networking hardware Deep familiarity with pluggable optical module standards and form factors Experience with CMIS implementation, module firmware development or debug, and diagnostic monitoring (DDM/DOM) Experience validating optical transceiver interoperability across switch, NIC, and host platforms from major vendors Familiarity with data center network topologies, fabric architectures, and high-radix switch deployments Experience with embedded systems debug, including firmware flashing, serial console troubleshooting (JTAG, UART, I2C, SPI), and boot-level fault isolation Experience with optical test equipment and methods, including OTDRs, tunable lasers, optical spectrum analyzers, and receiver sensitivity testing Familiarity with relevant IEEE and OIF standards (e.g., 802.3, OIF CEI, CAUI) Experience with Linux system administration, command-line troubleshooting, and network configuration and diagnostics Experience developing field service tools, diagnostic scripts, or automated validation utilities Experience working with customer operations or site engineering teams in data center or telecom environments COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS: Pay range: Forward Deployed Engineer, Optical Networking: $110,000.00 - $140,000.00/per year Title and base salary are determined on a case by case basis commensurate with experience and merit. In addition to base salary, compensation for this role includes: Eligibility for long-term incentives including company stock options and discretionary bonuses awarded for exceptional achievements. Comprehensive medical, vision, and dental insurance with significant cost covered by the company for yourself and dependents. Paid parental leave and flexible PTO (3 weeks accrued vacation and 10 company holidays per year). 401(k) retirement plan access. Relocation assistance to sunny Los Angeles.