Network Architect, Optical Transport

Job Description:

Internet2 is a non-profit, member-driven advanced research and education (R&E) technology organization. Founded in 1996, we provide high-performance infrastructure and integrated cloud solutions, a secure trust fabric, and collaborative forums that allow U.S. higher education and research institutions to drive the next generation of scientific and academic discovery through National High-Performance Infrastructure , Seamless Global Access , Community-Powered Cloud Solutions , Advanced Identity & Security and Community-Driven Innovation . Read our 2025 Annual Report and visit our website ( www.internet2.edu ) to learn more about us.

Position Summary:

Internet2 is seeking a highly skilled Network Architect, Optical Transport to provide technical leadership for the optical layer of its national research and education network. This role is responsible for defining the roadmap and long-term direction of the optical transport platform, including line systems, transponders, pluggable coherent optics, ROADM and spectrum architecture, fiber infrastructure, and the automation and telemetry systems that support network operations.

The Network Architect, Optical Transport will translate member and partner demand into capacity plans, network designs, technical specifications, budgets, and implementation strategies, overseeing solutions through testing, deployment, and operational support. Working collaboratively across architecture, engineering, network operations, software, security, and business development teams, this individual serves as a technical authority on optical networking, providing guidance to engineers and NOC staff while representing Internet2 within the community, with vendors, and in standards organizations.

Responsibilities include but not limited to:

Strategic Architecture & Network Planning

• Develop and lead the strategy, roadmap, and architecture for Internet2’s optical transport platform, including optical systems, spectrum and routing design, protocols, supporting software, and long-term infrastructure planning.
• Lead optical network growth and lifecycle planning by forecasting capacity needs, recommending network expansions, managing fiber assets and provider relationships, and providing infrastructure requirements for colocation and hardware refresh initiatives.

Solution Design, Service Development & Documentation

• Produce written specifications, planning documents, project plans, BOMs, and budgets to support decision making; brief the management team and ELT as needed.
• Define and maintain the technical specifications for optical services offered to members and partners (waves, spectrum, alien waves, OTN clients), and work with business development and software on how they are ordered, provisioned, and reported.

Automation, Software Integration & Innovation

• Lead the architecture and evolution of optical automation and telemetry platforms, including performance monitoring, model-driven provisioning, software integration, and collaboration with development teams on prioritization and release validation.
• Drive technology innovation and operational readiness by overseeing laboratory resources, evaluating emerging technologies and vendor solutions, validating network and software changes prior to deployment, and providing technical training and knowledge sharing for engineering teams.

Operations Support & Continuous Improvement

• Manage the technical relationship with optical hardware and software vendors; support build-test, deployment, and NOC teams in escalations and problem resolution.
• Review optical-layer incidents and reasons-for-outage for architectural lessons; feed those back into design, monitoring, and operating procedures.

Technical Leadership & Industry Engagement

• Support the routing/peering architect and other platform leads with optical expertise for integrated designs; mentor transport and NOC engineers.
• Participate in community technical discussions through meetings, webinars, and working groups, and contribute to standards and industry efforts (OIF, OpenROADM, TIP, IETF).

The Ideal Candidate:

• Deep expertise in optical transport architecture, automation, and network operations.
• Proven ability to develop roadmaps, drive capacity planning, and deliver scalable network solutions.
• Strong technical leader who collaborates across teams and mentors engineers.
• Skilled in vendo…