Optical Engineer, Release to Production (RTP) — Test Software & Transceiver NPI

Responsibilities

• Architect, build, and maintain Python-based test software infrastructure and frameworks for automated qualification of optical transceivers and subsystems (EVT/DVT/PVT/characterization), spanning instrument drivers, switch/host abstractions, and results pipelines
• Lead optics NPI programs end to end, working closely with optics vendors and ODMs from RFI/RFP through EVT/DVT/PVT to mass production (MP) ramp and sustaining
• Find, debug, and remediate optical hardware failure modes before certifying modules for mass production
• Drive root-cause analysis and corrective action with vendors and ODMs
• Stand up and own NPI test stations in Meta's lab regions: integrate modules, switches, and instruments, and debug at-scale, lights-out test execution
• Define test and measurement methodologies for high-speed optical technologies, and translate them into reusable, well-tested automation
• Develop instruments, automation, and integration (BERT, OSA, optical power/wavelength meters, scopes) and CMIS register-level module control
• Ensure new optical platforms are supported by production and fleet-health tooling, and contribute to production-readiness documentation (PRD), Best Known Configuration (BKC), and Design-for-Test (DFT)
• Drive data integrity and analysis: build robust data capture, storage, and visualization (e.g., interactive data exploration tools, data visualization and analytics platforms) so that test and fleet results are trustworthy, queryable, and actionable
• Provide sustaining support after deployment — validate stability, security, and performance under production workloads, and refine understanding of failure characteristics at scale
• Set engineering standards for the test software stack — code review, CI, version control, type checking, and documentation — and mentor engineers and technicians
• Collaborate across SW, Thermal, Mechanical, EE, Signal Integrity, FPGA, TPM, and Production Engineering teams to integrate optics into systems
• Interface with the industry, contribute to the RFI/RFP process, and shape product requirements, test plans, and data sheets

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, relevant technical field, or equivalent practical experience
• Master's degree in Optical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics, Computer Science, or a related field
• 10+ years in development roles for optical networking hardware, with a proven track record of taking new products into volume production
• Demonstrated experience in designing and building production-quality test software (not just scripts) in Python, including modular, reusable test frameworks
• Hands-on experience with high-speed optical and electrical test, test automation, and lab instrumentation
• Experience leading optical transceiver NPI programs with vendors and/or ODMs

Preferred Qualifications

• Data engineering for test and fleet health: schema design, database/warehouse persistence, dashboards, and statistical analysis of measurement data (e.g., NumPy, pandas, SQL)
• Ability to set technical direction across a multi-quarter NPI program, define scope and priorities when requirements are incomplete, and align cross-functional and external partners (vendors, ODMs, TPM, Production Engineering)
• Experience driving NPI milestones (EVT/DVT/PVT/MTF), production-readiness reviews, and transferring test infrastructure to contract manufacturers / ODM factory lines (including dual-ODM strategies)
• Familiarity with additional languages is useful: C/C++, MATLAB, or Rust
• Willingness to work hands-on in the lab and to travel to vendor, ODM, and manufacturing sites as needed to support NPI builds
• Software & Test Infrastructure: experience creating or influencing product requirements documents (PRDs), test plans, and data sheets
• Optical & NPI Domain: leadership and scope proficiency in Python software engineering: object-oriented design, abstraction layers, type hints, unit/integration testing, code review, and CI/CD discipline
• Experience with advanced modulation formats and direct-detect and coherent systems (e.g., OOK, PAM-4, QPSK, 8-QAM, 16-QAM) and related concepts
• Deep knowledge of pluggable optical transceivers and form factors (QSFP-DD, OSFP, QSFP112) and the CMIS management interface
• Experience with optical integration including InP PICs, silicon-photonic PICs, PIC-IC integration, and 3D optical packaging technologies
• Experience building instrument-control and test-automation frameworks (e.g., SCPI/VISA, PyVISA, vendor APIs) and abstracting heterogeneous instruments behind clean interfaces
• Familiarity with data center network architecture, fleet health/sustaining concepts, and high-volume manufacturing test flows
• Track record of mentoring engineers, raising the engineering bar, and influencing without direct authority
• Expertise in optical test and measurement: BER/FEC, pre-FEC/post-FEC analysis, eye diagrams, TDECQ, OSNR, optical spectrum, and link budgets
• Experience with version control (Git/Mercurial), large monorepo workflows, and collaborative/distributed software development environments