Microsoft · 13 hours ago
Principal Optical Engineer
United States, California, Mountain View
Full-time
Hybrid
Senior Level, Lead/Staff
$140K/yr - $275K/yr
7+ years expMicrosoft is a leader in cloud infrastructure and is seeking a Principal Optical Engineer to join their System Design team. This role involves acting as a subject matter expert in rack-scale fiber-optic infrastructure and cabling, driving planning, architecture, and development to optimize Microsoft's cloud offerings.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)Enterprise SoftwareCloud ComputingCyber SecuritySoftwareProfessional ServicesInformation TechnologyAgentic AIApplication Performance ManagementBusiness DevelopmentDevOpsInformation ServicesManagement Information SystemsNetwork Security
Responsibilities
Develop comprehensive rack-scale fiber-optic management solutions and standards, including but not limited to fiber connectors, patch panels, fiber shuffle, and cable assemblies
Actively involve in all emerging state-of-the-art AI systems/platforms with optical contents inside racks
Own most of internal dev lifecycle documentation across proof of concept, product requirements, statement of works, EV/DV/PV, L10/L11 installation & build manual, and operational guidelines
Partner with internal cross-functional teams, fiber optics suppliers and system integrators to ensure efficient, and reliable integration of fiber-optic infrastructure into compute and switch racks
Manage and drive the suppliers to develop new fiber-optic building blocks to enable sustainable scaling of fiber-optic infrastructure for AI platforms
Assist data center operation team on troubleshooting and remediation recommendations issues after production
Drive the technology roadmap, technology/product readiness criteria, and intercept plans in the context of rack-scale fiber-optic infrastructure
Fill the domain knowledge gaps in fiber optics across cross-functional teams
Qualification
Required
Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field AND 7+ years technical engineering experience
OR Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field AND 8+ years technical engineering experience
OR equivalent experience
Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include but are not limited to the following specialized security screenings: Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud Background Check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter
Preferred
Doctorate Degree in Electrical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field AND 6+ years of technical engineering experience OR Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field AND 8+ years of technical engineering experience OR Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field AND 12+ years of technical engineering experience OR equivalent experience
Proven experience in architecture, design, and/or implementation of high-density fiber-optic components and/or the passive fiber infrastructure for hyper-scale data centers, such as structural fiber cabling, advanced fiber connectors, cable assemblies, fiber shuffles, SMF/MMF
Experience working directly with hyperscalers or rack-level system integrators is highly valued
Proven understanding and insight of both active and passive optical interconnect technologies and associated supplier landscapes for hyper-scale cloud/AI infrastructure
Hands-on testing and validation experience in active and passive fiber optic components and end-to-end fiber links
The ability to conduct a systematic Failure Analysis to evaluate the cause of failures and define approaches for corrective actions, including knowledge of root cause analysis methodology
Knowledge of optical interconnects and L0-L2 data center networking, in particular for leading AI infrastructure
Demonstrated cross‑functional leadership and communication skills—able to drive architecture decisions and tradeoffs with senior technical leaders
Proven analytical and problem-solving skills with a focus on performance optimization
Proven intellectual curiosity and a passion for challenging the status quo and driving disruptive innovation
Knowledge and experience of Fiber Optics including related tools, devices, processes, design, operations, or manufacturing, etc
Knowledge of Optical Engineering and Optical Engineering concepts, testing procedures, standards, tools and appropriate analysis methods
Company
Microsoft
Microsoft is a software corporation that develops, manufactures, licenses, supports, and sells a range of software products and services.
10001+ employees
H1B Sponsorship
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Funding
Current Stage
Public CompanyTotal Funding
$1MKey Investors
Technology Venture Investors
2022-12-09Post Ipo Equity
1986-03-13IPO
1981-09-01Series Unknown· $1M
Leadership Team
Satya Nadella
Chairman and CEO
Vukani Mngxati
Chief Executive Officer - Microsft South Africa
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