Career Opportunities: Principal Field Applications Engineer - Optical - Remote Position located in Bay Area California (134872)

Remote: 
Full Remote
Contract: 
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Offer summary

Qualifications:

Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Physics, or a related field., 12+ years of experience in fiber optics, optical transceivers, and high-speed interconnects., Strong expertise in signal integrity and optical system architectures., Exceptional leadership and communication skills with a customer-first mindset..

Key responsibilities:

  • Act as the principal optics champion for fiber optic interconnect solutions.
  • Engage with CTOs and senior engineering teams to define optical networking solutions.
  • Own the technical relationship with customers, leading design-in and qualification efforts.
  • Collaborate with engineering and R&D to optimize optical product offerings based on customer feedback.

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TE Connectivity http://te.com
10001 Employees
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Job description

 

At TE, you will unleash your potential working with people from diverse backgrounds and industries to create a safer, sustainable and more connected world. 

Job Overview

TE Connectivity’s Data & Devices (DDN) Business Unit is a market leader in high-speed, high-bandwidth electrical and optical interconnect solutions for Data Centers, Hyperscaler, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Enterprise, and Switch markets. Our cutting-edge products are key enablers for major Tier 1 OEMs globally. As a Principal Field Applications Engineer (FAE) , Optics, you will take on a technical leadership role, driving customer adoption of optical solutions including Active Optical Cables (AOC), optical transceivers, and Co-Packaged Optics (CPOs). This role requires deep expertise in fiber optics, strategic problem-solving skills, and the ability to shape both customer engagements and product development roadmaps.

Responsibilities

Technical Leadership & Customer Engagement:

Act as the principal optics champion for fiber optic interconnect solutions in the Data Center and Enterprise markets.
Engage with CTOs, system architects, and senior engineering teams to define high-speed optical networking solutions.
Provide expert technical guidance on optical transceivers (QSFP, OSFP, SFP, etc.), AOC, and CPOs, ensuring successful design wins and integration.
Drive the “Voice of the Customer” (VOC) back to internal R&D, product management, and business units to influence product development

 

Pre-Sales & Design-in Support:

Own the technical relationship with hyperscaler, AI/ML, enterprise, and networking customers, leading advanced design-in and qualification efforts.
Define and refine Product Requirement Documents (PRDs) for next-generation fiber optic solutions.
Deliver high-level technical proposals, competitive analysis, and strategic recommendations for customers and internal stakeholders.
Differentiate TE’s optics portfolio by providing technical marketing support and positioning strategies

 

Post-Sales & Product Development Influence:

Collaborate with engineering, R&D, and product management to optimize optical product offerings based on customer feedback and industry trends.
Lead troubleshooting and failure analysis for complex system-level optical issues.
Actively contribute to industry standard bodies (IEEE, OIF, PCIe, InfiniBand, Ethernet Alliance, etc.), representing TE in technical discussions.
Identify and drive new business opportunities, aligning product roadmaps with emerging market trends in AI/ML, high-performance computing, and cloud infrastructure.

What your background should look like:

Qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Physics, or a related field.
  • 12+ years of experience in fiber optics, optical transceivers, high-speed interconnects, and networking solutions.
  • Strong expertise in signal integrity, SerDes, and optical system architectures.
  • Proven ability to engage at executive and senior engineering levels within hyperscale, data center, and telecom environments.
  • Experience with optical and electrical modeling tools (e.g., HFSS, Pro E, SolidWorks, MATLAB).
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and technical presentation tools.

Skills:

  • Exceptional leadership and communication skills, with the ability to influence product roadmaps and technical strategies.
  • Advanced problem-solving capabilities, with hands-on experience in optical system debugging and failure analysis.
  • Customer-first mindset, with a strong track record of building and maintaining strategic relationships.
  • Ability to work cross-functionally with sales, engineering, and business teams to drive revenue growth.
  • Willingness to travel as needed to support customer engagements and industry events.

Why Join Us?

  • Lead high-impact technical engagements with top-tier hyperscaler, AI/ML, enterprise, and networking customers.
  • Influence the next generation of optical networking and high-speed interconnects.
  • Work with cutting-edge AOC, transceiver, and CPO solutions shaping the future of networking.
  • Competitive compensation, career growth, and technical leadership opportunities.
Competencies
Values: Integrity, Accountability, Inclusion, Innovation, Teamwork

ABOUT TE CONNECTIVITY
TE Connectivity is a global industrial technology leader creating a safer, sustainable, productive, and connected future. Our broad range of connectivity and sensor solutions enable the distribution of power, signal and data to advance next-generation transportation, renewable energy, automated factories, data centers, medical technology and more. With more than 85,000 employees, including 8,000 engineers, working alongside customers in approximately 140 countries. TE ensures that EVERY CONNECTION COUNTS. Learn more at www.te.com and on LinkedIn, Facebook, WeChat, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter).

 

COMPENSATION
•    Competitive base salary commensurate with experience: $188,000 - 235,000 (subject to change dependent on physical location)
•    Posted salary ranges are made in good faith. TE Connectivity reserves the right to adjust ranges depending on the experience/qualification of the selected candidate as well as internal and external equity.
•    Total Compensation = Base Salary + Incentive(s) + Benefits


BENEFITS
•    A comprehensive benefits package including health insurance, 401(k), disability, life insurance, employee stock purchase plan, paid time off and voluntary benefits.

 

EOE, Including Disability/Vets

 

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING RECRUITMENT FRAUD
TE Connectivity has become aware of fraudulent recruitment activities being conducted by individuals or organizations falsely claiming to represent TE Connectivity. Please be advised that TE Connectivity never requests payment or fees from job applicants at any stage of the recruitment process. All legitimate job openings are posted exclusively on our official careers website at te.com/careers, and all email communications from our recruitment team will come only from actual email addresses ending in @te.com. If you receive any suspicious communications, we strongly advise you not to engage or provide any personal information, and to report the incident to your local authorities.

 

Required profile

Experience

Spoken language(s):
English
Check out the description to know which languages are mandatory.

Other Skills

  • Problem Solving
  • Microsoft Office
  • Communication
  • Leadership

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