OpenAI

Network Operations Engineer, Network Activation

OpenAI$120K — $150K *
Telecommunications & Hardware
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 3+ years in network operations, carrier activation, or related infrastructure experience preferred.
  • Ability to trace end-to-end circuits across various network components.
  • Proficient in troubleshooting optical faults with specialized tools and test results.
  • Knowledge of fiber types, connectors, and optical performance parameters.
  • Experience collaborating with carriers and cloud service providers in complex environments.
  • Skill in building automation solutions with scripts and APIs, ensuring technician action validation.

Responsibilities

  • Own Layer 1 circuit activation and restoration for various services.
  • Reconcile detailed circuit documentation for accurate service validity.
  • Investigate and troubleshoot optical connection issues across multiple providers.
  • Guide teams through inspections, testing, and repair processes for optical circuits.
  • Verify successful service acceptance and readiness for customer handoff.
  • Manage troubleshooting tickets, ensuring effective resolution and follow-up actions.
  • Safely execute circuit changes and manage risk during intrusive work.
  • Automate the complete lifecycle for circuit bring-up, ensuring data integrity and approval processes.

Benefits

  • Opportunity to lead hands-on and automation tasks within data center networks.
  • Collaborative environment involving multiple stakeholders including carriers and tech teams.
  • Engagement with cutting-edge technologies like cloud interconnects and optical transport.
  • Focus on continuous improvement through automation and enhanced workflows.
  • Possibility to work with advanced tools and participate in innovative problem-solving.
Full Job Description
About the Role

You'll own the hands-on and automation work that brings WAN, fiber, carrier, and cloud-interconnect circuits into service. Partner with network engineers, fiber providers, cloud service providers, colocation teams, and data-center technicians to move each connection from ordered and patched to verified, stable, and ready for handoff.

You'll own Layer 1 troubleshooting and circuit bring-up while building workflows that translate reliable system or model output into precise, approved technician actions, capture field feedback, and drive each connection to a green-port handoff.

The right person combines strong physical-networking judgment with practical automation skills: patch-panel and port mappings, optics and light levels, provider coordination, structured operational data, API or scripting workflows, and human-in-the-loop LLM tooling.

Responsibilities
  • Own Layer 1 activation and restoration for carrier circuits, dark fiber, wavelengths, Ethernet handoffs, and dedicated cloud interconnects across data centers and points of presence.
  • Reconcile complete A-side/Z-side as-builts: circuit IDs, LOAs/CFAs, carrier demarcations, MMR/ODF/MDF and patch-panel positions, fiber pairs, cross-connects, optics, and device ports.
  • Investigate no-light, low-light, wrong-port, link-flap, and error-rate issues across providers and CSPs; isolate continuity, dirty connectors, polarity, incorrect patching, incompatible optics or media, wavelength/power-budget problems, breakout, speed, and FEC/PCS mismatches.
  • Guide remote hands, carrier technicians, CSP operations, and colocation teams through targeted inspection/cleaning, VFL, optical power, OTDR/OLTS, approved loopback, and per-lane DOM/DDM tests.
  • Verify service acceptance on both sides: correct circuit and port, admin/operational state, compatible optics, light levels, speed/FEC, clean counters, stable link, and Layer 2/3 handoff readiness.
  • Own tickets and troubleshooting bridges through resolution; identify the blocker and A-side/Z-side owner, drive follow-ups, escalate with evidence, and prevent premature closure.
  • Execute smart-hands and change work safely: name the exact circuit, port, and fiber pair; protect adjacent live services; get approval before intrusive tests, repatches, shutdowns, or loopbacks; and maintain rollback.
  • Deliver complete production handoffs with verified mappings, provider/CSP references, test results, interface evidence, incident history, risks, and clear ownership; improve runbooks and prevent repeat faults.
  • Automate the full circuit-bring-up lifecycle: structure circuit, port, and patch-panel data; ingest telemetry and provider tickets; generate LLM-assisted diagnostics and technician-ready instructions; track ownership and evidence; and preserve explicit human approval for intrusive work.

Qualifications
  • Have 3+ years of hands-on network operations, carrier activation, data-center network deployment, field engineering, optical transport, or related infrastructure experience; equivalent practical experience is valued.
  • Can trace an end-to-end circuit across cross-connects, fiber pairs, patch panels, carrier demarcations, optics, and both A-side and Z-side device ports.
  • Troubleshoot optical faults using inspection/cleaning tools, optical power meters, VFL, OLTS/OTDR evidence, DOM/DDM, interface status, and provider test results.
  • Understand single-mode/multimode fiber, LC and MPO/MTP connectors, duplex polarity, TX/RX paths, wavelength and power budgets, and 100G/400G/800G optics.
  • Have worked with carriers, colocation providers, remote hands, AWS Direct Connect, Azure ExpressRoute, or Google Cloud Interconnect, and persist through multi-party ownership gaps.
  • Can build practical automation with scripts, APIs, and structured data, and safely translate LLM-generated analysis into validated actions for data-center technicians.

About OpenAI

OpenAI is an artificial intelligence research laboratory consisting of the for-profit corporation OpenAI LP and its parent company, the non-profit OpenAI Inc. The company was founded in 2015 by a group of technology leaders, including Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Greg Brockman, Ilya Sutskever, and John Schulman. OpenAI's mission is to develop and promote friendly AI for the betterment of humanity. The company has developed a number of cutting-edge AI technologies, including GPT-3, a language processing system that can generate human-like text. OpenAI has received funding from a number of high-profile investors, including LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman and venture capitalist Peter Thiel.
Learn more about OpenAI
Size
100 employees
Industry
Founded
2015

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