Job Description

Title: Datacenter Fiber Specialist(With OTDR)

Location: Chicago, IL

Duration: 9+ Months contract with Possibility for extension

Pay Rate Range: $36.76/hr. on W-2.

*** This is a Fully Onsite position. Candidate must work on our W2. No third-party candidates. ***

Reports To: Senior Program Manager

Overview:

The Datacenter Fiber Specialist will be responsible for ensuring the integrity, performance, and security of Microsoft's fiber optic network within datacenter operations. This role will focus on fiber delivery, troubleshooting, maintenance, and testing to support critical deployments, fiber-related break-fix operations, and network expansion.

The specialist will provide up to 40 hours per week of expertise during regular business hours, working collaboratively with Microsoft engineering teams, third-party fiber providers, and internal deployment teams to maintain optimal fiber network operations.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Fiber Management & Maintenance

• Prevent fiber cuts, degradation, and outages by proactively monitoring and maintaining the fiber infrastructure.

• Perform regular fiber inspections, cleaning, and testing to ensure operational integrity.

• Educate and coach Microsoft full-time employees on fiber maintenance and best practices.

• Collaborate with suppliers, partners, technicians, and customers to coordinate fiber delivery and management.

• Oversee leased and Microsoft-owned fiber to ensure defect-free and on-time delivery of customer capacity.

• Plan and manage fiber logistics, infrastructure, and resources required for new data center expansions.

• Manage vendor/partner relationships, contracts, and service level agreements (SLAs) for fiber-related operations.

• Provide root cause analysis (RCA), lessons learned, and best practice recommendations to improve fiber operations.

2. Fiber Deployment & Testing

• Conduct end-to-end fiber testing to validate new installations and troubleshoot existing infrastructure.

• Perform optical loss testing, OTDR analysis, insertion loss measurements, reflectance tests, and return loss evaluations.

• Ensure all fiber test equipment is calibrated and certified within the past 12 months.

• Generate detailed reports of fiber test results in raw and PDF formats for Microsoft engineering teams.

• Conduct fiber splicing activities to support break-fix operations and deployment needs (bulk splicing excluded).

• Serve as a remote hands expert for Microsoft engineering teams and third-party fiber providers.

3. Data Center Hygiene & Compliance

• Inspect fiber paths, patch panels, racks, and ports for proper cleanliness and organization.

• Perform remediation tasks such as cable management, labeling updates, and quality assurance measures.

• Trace optical jumpers along circuit pathways to verify quality and eliminate congestion or potential damage.

• Ensure adherence to industry safety codes, regulations, and best practices for fiber optic installations.

4. Change Management & Troubleshooting

• Support fiber-related change management activities, including testing and validation of network modifications.

• Act as a subject matter expert (SME) for fiber-related changes within carrier hotels, meet-me rooms, and leased facilities.

• Troubleshoot and restore fiber outages, working closely with Microsoft remote engineering teams.

• Implement disaster recovery procedures for fiber-related incidents in enterprise environments.

Required Qualifications:

• High School Diploma or equivalent with 3+ years of experience supporting fiber optic networks or large-scale deployments.

• Ability to pass Microsoft Cloud Background Check upon hire and every two years thereafter.

• Strong knowledge of fiber optics, dark and lit fiber networks, OTDR testing, and fiber maintenance.

• Experience in fiber optic splicing, testing, and documentation in field service environments.

• Understanding of data center infrastructure, including servers, networking, and rack enclosures.

• Proficiency with fiber testing tools, such as fusion splicers, OTDRs, power meters, and fiber identifiers.

• Ability to read and interpret fiber optic maps, schematics, and test results.

• Willingness to travel and respond to fiber-related issues as needed.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Telecommunications, Business Management, or related field.

• 10+ years of experience in mission-critical fiber operations within large-scale environments.

• 10+ years of experience working with dark and lit fiber providers.

• 10+ years of experience in aerial and underground fiber delivery.

• 5+ years of experience in outside plant (OSP) and inside plant (ISP) fiber installation, management, and maintenance.

• Expertise in fiber splicing, troubleshooting, and documentation.

• Background in fiber network design, construction, and best practices.

• Knowledge of fiber supply chain, asset management, and logistics.

• IT service operations experience with ITIL, MOF, SLA/OLA frameworks.

• Familiarity with Microsoft Cloud Services and Platforms (Azure, Office 365, etc.).

About our Client:

• Work with cutting-edge fiber optic technology in a world-class data center environment.

• Be part of a team dedicated to building and maintaining high-performance fiber networks.

• Gain hands-on experience with fiber network deployments, troubleshooting, and testing.

• Collaborate with global engineering teams and industry experts.

• Enjoy a fast-paced and rewarding career with opportunities for skill development.

If you are a highly skilled Fiber Optic Engineer passionate about data center operations and fiber network performance, we encourage you to apply today!

The following benefits are offered for this position: medical, dental, & vision insurance, short-term disability, life and AD&D insurance, and a 401(k) retirement plan.

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