Position Objective:
The DWDM Planner will be responsible for planning, designing, and optimizing DWDM and optical transport network infrastructure across backbone, metro, and inter-site environments. The role ensures efficient wavelength allocation, optical path engineering, transport capacity planning, protection and diversity implementation, and preparation of implementation-ready transport planning documentation aligned with operational, engineering, and business requirements.
Job Description & Responsibilities:
- Prepare DWDM and optical transport network plans for backbone, metro, and inter-site connectivity requirements.
- Translate traffic forecasts, service demands, and IP/MPLS requirements into wavelength, OTN, channel, and transport capacity plans.
- Design and validate optical paths, protection schemes, route diversity, regeneration requirements, ROADM/OADM architectures, including CDC-F ROADM deployments, and optical engineering constraints.
- Perform optical spectrum planning using ITU-T grid standards, Flex Grid technologies, and Super Channels.
- Support multilayer protection strategies, including OLP, ASON, G.8032 (ERPS), and equivalent protection mechanisms.
- Ensure synchronization planning and validation for SyncE and IEEE 1588v2 (PTP) frequency and phase synchronization requirements.
- Review transport inventory, fiber routes, shelf/card/port capacity, wavelength utilization, and as-built network records.
- Coordinate with fiber planners, IP/MPLS planners, operations teams, vendors, and implementation teams to align optical transport designs with physical infrastructure and service requirements.
- Prepare implementation-ready planning outputs, including wavelength allocation records, trail/path assignments, equipment requirements, card and port allocations, migration plans, and engineering documentation.
- Support reconciliation of planned DWDM services against network inventory systems, circuit databases, and NMS/EMS records.
- Identify and mitigate risks related to optical impairments, route diversity limitations, capacity exhaustion, inaccurate records, or incompatible equipment.
- Ensure compliance with vendor engineering standards, Silklink documentation governance, naming conventions, and operational planning procedures.
- Participate in planning workshops, technical reviews, migration discussions, and cross-domain coordination activities throughout the project lifecycle.
- Support operational handover, implementation validation, and planning governance activities as required.
Qualifications & Experience:
- Bachelor’s degree in Telecommunications Engineering, Electronics Engineering, or a related field.
- Minimum 7 years of experience in DWDM, OTN, or optical transport planning and engineering environments.
- Strong technical knowledge of DWDM technologies, wavelengths, OTN, ROADM, CDC-F architectures, transponders, muxponders, optical budgets, fiber impairments, latency, and protection mechanisms.
- Strong understanding of optical spectrum planning, ITU-T grids, Flex Grid technologies, and Super Channel implementations.
- Experience with multilayer protection technologies, including OLP, ASON, ERPS/G.8032, or equivalent transport resiliency solutions.
- Experience with synchronization technologies, including SyncE and IEEE 1588v2 (PTP).
- Experience working with major optical transport vendors and associated NMS/EMS and inventory management platforms.
- Ability to validate transport paths using fiber, shelf, port, card, wavelength, and circuit data.
- Experience preparing implementation-ready DWDM transport planning documentation, migration plans, and engineering deliverables.
- Strong analytical, troubleshooting, documentation, and transport optimization skills.
- Strong coordination and stakeholder management capabilities across planning, operations, engineering, rollout, and vendor teams.
- Experience in telecom backbone, metro, or large-scale transport network environments is highly preferred.
- Fluent in English and Arabic.
Preferred Certifications:
- Vendor Optical Transport Certifications
- MEF / Carrier Ethernet Certifications
- OTN or DWDM Technology Certifications
- ITIL Foundation Certification preferred