Technical Lead, Optical network Engineering

Technical Lead, Optical network Engineering

Job ID: 36715

Job Level: PT1 Core

Job Location: Gurugram / Bangalore

Function: Chief Operations Office (COO)

Employment Type: Full time

Working pattern: Hybrid

Why we need this role

We are seeking a highly skilled optical network engineer in our network planning team who will ensure Colt’s optical network has the right capacity and capability in the right locations at the right time, supporting strategic planning, proactive capacity management, forecasting, and on-time service delivery.

What you will do

• Monitor optical network utilization, performance trends, and capacity thresholds to identify bottlenecks early and avoid service delivery impact.
• Forecast demand using historical trends, run‑rate data, and sales pipeline visibility to plan proactive capacity builds.
• Trigger proactive and reactive capacity expansions, ensuring the right balance between justified investment and delivery timelines.
• Use internal planning tools (e.g., OES) for automated capacity monitoring, hotspot detection, and license tracking.
• Coordinate with Supply Chain, Vendors, Implementation and Field teams to secure timely delivery of fibre, electronics, site infra, and licences.
• Support Sales and Service Delivery at pre‑sales and delivery stages for capacity checks, feasibility assessments, and technical inputs.
• Identify optimisation opportunities to recover unused capacity, reduce costs, and improve network efficiency.
• Maintain planning rules, design inputs, and deployment standards for Ciena and Nokia optical platforms.
• Track end‑to‑end capacity delivery plans, risks, dependencies, and ensure commitments to the business are met on time.
• Define and maintain KPIs, dashboards, and reporting to measure performance, improvements, and alignment with business objectives.

What we're looking for

• Strong hands‑on experience in DWDM/OTN technologies from Ciena, Nokia, Infinera, and ADTRAN. 
• Experience of Optical network designing and planning, well understanding of vendor planning tools – EPT & Planner+
• Experience of optical network configuration, well understanding of MCP and WS NOC
• Strong conceptual and technical understanding of ROADM, photonic nodes, shelves, transponders, and mux/demux systems.
• Experience in network planning and design- Link Engineering, Simulation, HLD/LLD creation, BOM creation, design validation, and building job packs for field teams. 
• Experience in optical capacity management, utilisation analysis, forecasting, and proactive/reactive builds. 
• Practical experience with Colt tools: RTD/RTD+, OES, License Management, Node Exit tools, ARM, Siebel/XTRAC
• Experience in optimisation activities like dormant‑capacity reuse, license optimisation, hardware recovery, and cost‑saving initiatives. 
• Ability to support large expansion or transformation projects (overlays, subsea upgrades, proactive builds, node exits, regulatory projects). 
• Strong stakeholder management with Sales, Service Delivery, Operations, Architecture, Finance, and Leadership.
• Innovation and Optimization: Drive improvements through technology innovation, network optimization, and process enhancement

Might have:

• Exposure to automation and digitalisation of planning processes, including AI‑driven forecasting and automated monitoring.
• Experience improving end‑to‑end capacity delivery processes, reducing lead times, defining SLAs, and standardising deployment guidelines.
• Knowledge of designing customer‑specific optical solutions and bespoke delivery requirements.
• Experience with network functional testing, benchmarking, failure reproduction, and issue validation.