Electrical Principal Engineer - Cables & OpticsJoin us as a Electrical Principal Engineer on our Cables & Optics team onsite in
Santa Clara, CA to do the best work of your career and make a profound social impact.
What you'll achieveAs an Electrical Principal Engineer in Cables & Optics, you will be responsible for driving the qualification, deployment, and technology strategy of high-speed optical and copper interconnect solutions for Dell's next-generation Network L11 platforms. As part of the Cables & Optics team, you will work closely with C&O technologists, system architects, hardware and software engineering teams, suppliers, and operations organizations to develop and deploy rack-scale connectivity solutions that enable AI, cloud, and high-performance networking infrastructure. You will lead the qualification and interoperability of optical transceivers, DACs, AECs, and AOCs across server-to-switch, switch-to-switch, and rack-to-rack deployments, collaborate with suppliers and internal teams to resolve complex system-level connectivity challenges, and help define technology roadmaps, qualification methodologies, and deployment best practices to ensure reliable and scalable network solutions.
ResponsibilitiesYou will:- Drive L11-level qualification and interoperability of optical transceivers, DACs, AECs, ACCs, and AOCs across server-to-switch, switch-to-switch, and rack-to-rack networking deployments
- Work closely with the Cables & Optics development team to validate new products, resolve technical issues, and ensure successful integration into Network L11 solutions
- Perform system-level testing, troubleshooting, and root cause analysis of connectivity issues involving cables, optics, NICs, switches, and AI networking infrastructure
- Collaborate with architecture, hardware, software, manufacturing, and supplier teams to ensure connectivity solutions meet performance, reliability, scalability, and deployment requirements
- Define and drive L11 qualification methodologies, interoperability standards, and deployment best practices while influencing future connectivity technology adoption and roadmaps
QualificationsTake the first step towards your dream careerEvery Dell Technologies team member brings something unique to the table. Here's what we are looking for with this role:Essential Requirements - 8+ years of experience in high-speed networking, optical transceivers, cable technologies, and datacenter infrastructure, with expertise in rack-scale and system-level connectivity solutions
- Deep understanding of optical and copper interconnect technologies, including DAC, AEC, AOC, OSFP, QSFP-DD, co-packaged optics, and emerging technologies supporting AI and high-performance computing (HPC) networks
- Proven experience defining qualification strategies, interoperability requirements, and deployment guidelines for server-to-switch, switch-to-switch, and rack-to-rack connectivity in large-scale datacenter environments
- Strong technical leadership skills with experience driving cross-functional alignment across hardware, software, system architecture, suppliers, and operations teams, while influencing product and technology roadmaps
- Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot and resolve complex system-level issues involving cables, optics, NICs, switches, and AI networking infrastructure, working closely with ODMs, silicon providers, and connectivity suppliers
Desirable Requirements - BS in Electrical Engineering or a related field; MS or PhD preferred
- Experience with AI, HPC, InfiniBand, Ethernet fabrics, and L11 rack-scale networking architectures, including liquid-cooled and high-density deployments
- Established relationships and working knowledge of the datacenter connectivity ecosystem, including major optics, cable, switch, silicon, and NIC suppliers
CompensationDell is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. The salary range for this position is
Benefits and Perks of working at Dell TechnologiesYour life. Your health. Supported by your benefits. You can explore the overall benefits experience that awaits you as a Dell Technologies team member - right now at MyWellatDell.com