Staff Optical Validation Engineer, Platforms Infrastructure Engineering
Confirmed on the employer's own hiring board on Nov 7, 2026. First seen by Alion on Nov 6, 2026. Google scores B on the Alion truth index.
About the job
The Optical Validation Team is responsible for supporting the development, new product introduction (NPI), and post-production testing of optical transceivers, switches, and technologies that power Google Cloud Platforms. We test new optical transceiver designs, unit, environmental, and system qualification of transceivers in a wide array of host networking and compute platforms, optical circuit switches (OCS), and transceiver component design at the wafer level.
As a Staff Optical Hardware Validation Engineer, you'll play a key role in the development of Google Cloud network infrastructures. You’ll have leadership roles in driving the planning and test execution for novel and complex configurations of networking hardware. You will collaborate closely with hardware and software teams to configure lab networks and test infrastructure that evaluate and characterize the performance of cloud computing and networking products. You will provide technical leadership to the optical validation team, improving test methodologies and practices, and ensuring clean and state-of-the-art lab capabilities to support the development and productization of optical solutions in Google data centers.
Our Platforms Infrastructure Engineering team designs and builds the
hardware and software technologies that power all of Google's services. Our computational challenges are complex and unique, enabled by cutting-edge custom hardware designed and made in-house. As a hardware engineer, you will design and build the systems that are the heart of the world's largest and most powerful computing infrastructure. You will see those systems from concept all the way through to high-volume manufacturing. Your work has the potential to shape the machinery that goes into our cutting-edge data centers, affecting millions of Google users.
Individual pay is determined by factors including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.
US: $188000 - $274000 (USD) + 20% bonus target + equity + benefits
Learn more about benefits at Google.
Responsibilities
- Drive test development for new and existing optical product designs. Create and execute comprehensive validation plans, ensuring full coverage and quality adherence. Collaborate with optics leads.
- Provide technical leadership to the team, optimizing validation methodologies, improving lab and testing processes, and ensuring alignment and leadership with the industry.
- Develop automated test scripts, debug hardware/software issues for switch/router/transport platforms. Analyze, troubleshoot, root cause field failures of optical transceiver modules. Drive issues to closure and implement preventive measures.
- Install, test, repair, and validate new and existing hardware and fiber connections. Maintain lab infrastructure, manage equipment, and troubleshoot field failures, ensuring a functional (R&D) environment. Organize data to maintain and improve validation process.
- Communicate status updates to cross-functional teams and leadership. Report bugs and drive corrective action with external suppliers and internal development teams.
Qualifications
Minimum qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Physics, or a specialized field (e.g., Optics, Sensors, Audio/DSP, etc.), or equivalent practical experience.
- 6 years of experience in hardware engineering working on optical transceiver components.
- 3 years of experience in technical leadership.
Experience testing, debugging, and troubleshooting hardware.
Preferred qualifications:
- PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Physics, a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
- 12 years of experience in hardware engineering working on optical transceiver components.
- Experience with Linux/Unix and lab test automation frameworks.
- Experience with data center optical transceiver standards.
- Experience providing technical leadership to large cross-functional teams on complex optical technologies.
Understanding of wafer-level or chip-level probe testing or optical lab automation and scripting (e.g., Python, MATLAB, or LabVIEW).