Network Connectivity Engineer (Fiber Optic Layout)
xAI · Southaven, United States +1 · 28d ago
SpaceXAI’s mission is to create AI systems that can accurately understand the universe and aid humanity in its pursuit of knowledge. Our team is small, highly motivated, and focused on engineering excellence. This organization is for individuals who appreciate challenging themselves and thrive on curiosity. We operate with a flat organizational structure. All employees are expected to be hands-on and to contribute directly to the company’s mission. Leadership is given to those who show initiative and consistently deliver excellence. Work ethic and strong prioritization skills are important. All employees are expected to have strong communication skills. They should be able to concisely and accurately share knowledge with their teammates.
ABOUT THE ROLE:
The Data Center Engineering team designs training and inference compute clusters from first principles, pushing thermal, electrical, and optical systems to the limit of physics. We operate as a highly cross disciplinary team comprised of mechanical, electrical, optical, and software engineers, all working to maximize the efficiency, reliability, and deployment speed of terrestrial compute to serve rapidly scaling demand.
As a Network Connectivity Engineer, you will design, deploy, and qualify large scale fiber optic networks for hundreds of thousands of coherently connected GPUs. You’ll architect systems for maximum bandwidth and minimum latency, collaborating with optical, mechanical, and software engineers to translate your designs into the largest coherent computing networks in the world.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Design and plan scalable, future-proof data center connectivity for clusters of hundreds of thousands of GPUs, including structured cabling plants that support evolving architectures and speeds beyond 800G.
- Procure fiber, copper, and other connectivity materials for new builds, expansions, and technology refreshes.
- Provide project management and construction oversight for connectivity scope on new data center builds and expansions.
- Plan and implement network upgrades and overhauls for technology refreshes in live data center environments.
- Develop Methods of Procedure (MOPs) and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for connectivity deployments in live environments.
- Audit existing and new connectivity installations and hold vendors accountable for troubleshooting and repairs prior to network deployment turnover.
- Develop and maintain as-built documentation for all data center connectivity.
- Release and troubleshoot ISP circuits across multiple regions; interface with data center providers to drive circuit and cross-connect deployments.
- Collaborate with capacity planning, network engineering, hardware reliability, and construction teams on cluster design and delivery.
- Apply knowledge of applicable building codes and industry standards to connectivity design and installation.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical discipline, or 8 years of equivalent practical experience.
- Minimum of 5 years of experience working in and designing data center connectivity.
- Experience with multimode fiber, singlemode fiber, copper, and other low-voltage telecommunication systems.
- Familiarity with structured cabling and both active and passive cabling elements.
- Ability to travel approximately 40%.
PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:
- RCDD (Registered Communications Distribution Designer) certification.
- Experience performing budget loss, insertion loss, and return loss calculations for structured cable systems.
- Experience deploying network elements such as routing switches, aggregation switches, optical transceivers, and DWDM.
- Ability to interpret fiber test results.
- Experience with network connectivity testing (singlemode duplex, multimode duplex, MPO8, MPO12, MPO16, AOC, DAC, and copper) and troubleshooting using OTDR, light meters, VFLs, loopbacks, and BERT across vendors.
- Experience building and designing scalable fiber and connectivity plants for large-scale data centers across Ethernet, InfiniBand, and RoCE networks.
- Experience designing and deploying connectivity for high-speed / high-bandwidth HPC and ML applications.
- Experience troubleshooting optical transceivers, network switches, fiber, and other Layer 1 hardware.
- Knowledge of basic programming languages such as Python and SQL.
- Experience deploying monitoring and alerting systems for environmental, mechanical, and electrical data center systems.
- Ability to manage multiple projects across different time zones simultaneously.
- Knowledge of relevant building codes and industry cabling standards (TIA, BICSI, NEC).
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
- Physical ability to perform hands-on work in data center environments, including heat, cold, and tight quarters.
- Ability to work extended hours and weekends as needed to support deployments and cutovers.
- Ability to travel approximately 40% as required by project needs.
- Valid driver’s license.
- Ability to lift up to 25 lbs. unassisted.
SpaceXAI is an equal opportunity employer. For details on data processing, view our Recruitment Privacy Notice.