Optical Engineer Visa Sponsorship Jobs in Washington
Optical engineer visa sponsorship jobs in Washington are concentrated in the Seattle metro area, home to companies like Microsoft, Amazon, and L3Harris Technologies, as well as aerospace and defense contractors along the Puget Sound corridor. Universities such as the University of Washington supply strong research pipelines into photonics, laser systems, and imaging optics roles across the state.
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AWS Infrastructure Services owns the design, planning, delivery, and operation of all AWS global infrastructure. In other words, we’re the people who keep the cloud running. We support all AWS data centers and all of the servers, storage, networking, power, and cooling equipment that ensure our customers have continual access to the innovation they rely on. We work on the most challenging problems, with thousands of variables impacting the supply chain — and we’re looking for talented people who want to help.
You’ll join a diverse team of software, hardware, and network engineers, supply chain specialists, security experts, operations managers, and other vital roles. You’ll collaborate with people across AWS to help us deliver the highest standards for safety and security while providing seemingly infinite capacity at the lowest possible cost for our customers. And you’ll experience an inclusive culture that welcomes bold ideas and empowers you to own them to completion.
Do you like to use network and Unix systems engineering to deliver simple, sustainable, and repeatable solutions? Would you like to play a key role in driving the stability and sustainability of next-generation IP networks?
The Networking team is looking for an Optical Network Development Engineer to join our team. As an Optical Network Development Engineer, you will be responsible for building, deploying and scaling the Amazon networks that support AWS, customers, and other business units, across multiple global data centers.
AWS Core Networking is focused on building Data Centers and the network that allows Data Centers to function efficiently. They own the solutions that allow racks to be aggregated and Data Centers to be interconnected. Core Networking’s goal is to balance efficiency, performance and reliability to allow customers access to their applications and data.
Key job responsibilities
Optical Network Development Engineers perform high quality network and/or systems operations, deployments, scaling, technology refresh, sustaining engineering, best practices application, optimization, internal/external customer interactions, and produce appropriate technical documentation.
- Collaborate with vendors/manufacturers to evaluate new hardware and software features. Create implementations plans for incorporating them into the network.
- Automate optical test plans and qualify optical modules.
- Collaborate with vendors/manufactures in defining and developing test plans for Optical Modules.
- Create processes that help operate and build our DWDM network. Drive scaling current DWDM designs to meet the demand of our customers.
- Drive operational excellence projects to deliver improvements in our DWDM network quality and reliability.
A day in the life
Engineers in the InterDC Optical services team have a wide range of responsibilities. In terms of product development and delivery, it covers all activities related to hardware and software development, cross-platforms and software integration, and transition to production for both inhouse commodity and OEM optical platforms. From the lifecycle support perspective, includes day to day operations on-call, sustaining engineering, operational load automation and reduction, product and network security, network data integrity and authoritativeness, availability assurance (SRLG monitoring) and improvement (OLP, RFTS) and fiber infrastructure and vendor performance management.
Our engineers not only make decisions on day-to-day work but they also own the long-term strategic view, they build strong partnership with customers to understand their immediate and future needs, their use cases and the things that we/they are not even thinking about so we make sure our solutions will fit into their needs. They bring perspective and context to influence the way we make technology and design choices, how we develop and deliver products that are right sized, fungible and future proof at the optimum cost per bit. They understand the business impact of their recommendations and show good judgment in decision making as we consider technical trade-offs between the immediate short-term technology solutions, operational needs and the long-term business needs.
The InterDC Optical Services team is responsible for the development, delivery and lifecycle support of the optical products used to interconnect AWS Data Centers and PoPs (Point of presence), ensuring diversity of supply and continually lowering data transfer cost for customers. This product portfolio serves a broad customer base and is primarily used to transport Core (EC2 & Prod) and Border (Internet) traffic in and across all but a few AWS commercial and ADC regions globally. Our current network size is >10Pbps of inter data center traffic over >30k devices worldwide and our team is structured to create and evolve these products and solutions while providing highly available, secure and scalable transport for multiple customer fabrics globally.
Working at AWS in the Core Networking Team
- Meet Matt, Director, Core Networking - https://youtu.be/DqTStjRtjX4
- Meet Kensie, Network Development Engineer - https://youtu.be/ezF3kpUAhWU
About the team
About AWS
Diverse Experiences
Amazon values diverse experiences. Even if you do not meet all of the preferred qualifications and skills listed in the job description, we encourage candidates to apply. If your career is just starting, hasn’t followed a traditional path, or includes alternative experiences, don’t let it stop you from applying.
Why AWS
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud platform. We pioneered cloud computing and never stopped innovating — that’s why customers from the most successful startups to Global 500 companies trust our robust suite of products and services to power their businesses.
Work/Life Balance
We value work-life harmony. Achieving success at work should never come at the expense of sacrifices at home, which is why we strive for flexibility as part of our working culture. When we feel supported in the workplace and at home, there’s nothing we can’t achieve.
Inclusive Team Culture
AWS values curiosity and connection. Our employee-led and company-sponsored affinity groups promote inclusion and empower our people to take pride in what makes us unique. Our inclusion events foster stronger, more collaborative teams. Our continual innovation is fueled by the bold ideas, fresh perspectives, and passionate voices our teams bring to everything we do.
Mentorship and Career Growth
We’re continuously raising our performance bar as we strive to become Earth’s Best Employer. That’s why you’ll find endless knowledge-sharing, mentorship and other career-advancing resources here to help you develop into a better-rounded professional.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor's degree
- Knowledge of network analysis fundamentals and robust troubleshooting
- 1+ years of work experience on optical communication systems, networking planning and optimization.
- 1+ years of work experience on operating and maintaining optical (DWDM) networks
- 1+ years of professional development experience with Python or a similar scripting language for automation scripting.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Experience with Unix and scripting in Perl, shell, C or C++
- Experience working with customers to diagnose a problem and work towards resolution
- Experience working in a fast-paced, rapidly changing operations environment
- Thorough understanding of deploying and operating high capacity DWDM and Optical network systems
- Good automation scripting using Python, Bash, Shell and/or Perl experience
Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected veteran status, disability, or other legally protected status.
Our inclusive culture empowers Amazonians to deliver the best results for our customers. If you have a disability and need a workplace accommodation or adjustment during the application and hiring process, including support for the interview or onboarding process, please visit https://amazon.jobs/content/en/how-we-hire/accommodations for more information. If the country/region you’re applying in isn’t listed, please contact your Recruiting Partner.
The base salary range for this position is listed below. Your Amazon package will include sign-on payments and restricted stock units (RSUs). Final compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, qualifications, and location. Amazon also offers comprehensive benefits including health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D insurance and option for Supplemental life plans, EAP, Mental Health Support, Medical Advice Line, Flexible Spending Accounts, Adoption and Surrogacy Reimbursement coverage), 401(k) matching, paid time off, and parental leave. Learn more about our benefits at https://amazon.jobs/en/benefits.
LOCATION
USA, WA, Seattle - 114,100.00 - 160,000.00 USD annually
DESCRIPTION
AWS Infrastructure Services owns the design, planning, delivery, and operation of all AWS global infrastructure. In other words, we’re the people who keep the cloud running. We support all AWS data centers and all of the servers, storage, networking, power, and cooling equipment that ensure our customers have continual access to the innovation they rely on. We work on the most challenging problems, with thousands of variables impacting the supply chain — and we’re looking for talented people who want to help.
You’ll join a diverse team of software, hardware, and network engineers, supply chain specialists, security experts, operations managers, and other vital roles. You’ll collaborate with people across AWS to help us deliver the highest standards for safety and security while providing seemingly infinite capacity at the lowest possible cost for our customers. And you’ll experience an inclusive culture that welcomes bold ideas and empowers you to own them to completion.
Do you like to use network and Unix systems engineering to deliver simple, sustainable, and repeatable solutions? Would you like to play a key role in driving the stability and sustainability of next-generation IP networks?
The Networking team is looking for an Optical Network Development Engineer to join our team. As an Optical Network Development Engineer, you will be responsible for building, deploying and scaling the Amazon networks that support AWS, customers, and other business units, across multiple global data centers.
AWS Core Networking is focused on building Data Centers and the network that allows Data Centers to function efficiently. They own the solutions that allow racks to be aggregated and Data Centers to be interconnected. Core Networking’s goal is to balance efficiency, performance and reliability to allow customers access to their applications and data.
Key job responsibilities
Optical Network Development Engineers perform high quality network and/or systems operations, deployments, scaling, technology refresh, sustaining engineering, best practices application, optimization, internal/external customer interactions, and produce appropriate technical documentation.
- Collaborate with vendors/manufacturers to evaluate new hardware and software features. Create implementations plans for incorporating them into the network.
- Automate optical test plans and qualify optical modules.
- Collaborate with vendors/manufactures in defining and developing test plans for Optical Modules.
- Create processes that help operate and build our DWDM network. Drive scaling current DWDM designs to meet the demand of our customers.
- Drive operational excellence projects to deliver improvements in our DWDM network quality and reliability.
A day in the life
Engineers in the InterDC Optical services team have a wide range of responsibilities. In terms of product development and delivery, it covers all activities related to hardware and software development, cross-platforms and software integration, and transition to production for both inhouse commodity and OEM optical platforms. From the lifecycle support perspective, includes day to day operations on-call, sustaining engineering, operational load automation and reduction, product and network security, network data integrity and authoritativeness, availability assurance (SRLG monitoring) and improvement (OLP, RFTS) and fiber infrastructure and vendor performance management.
Our engineers not only make decisions on day-to-day work but they also own the long-term strategic view, they build strong partnership with customers to understand their immediate and future needs, their use cases and the things that we/they are not even thinking about so we make sure our solutions will fit into their needs. They bring perspective and context to influence the way we make technology and design choices, how we develop and deliver products that are right sized, fungible and future proof at the optimum cost per bit. They understand the business impact of their recommendations and show good judgment in decision making as we consider technical trade-offs between the immediate short-term technology solutions, operational needs and the long-term business needs.
The InterDC Optical Services team is responsible for the development, delivery and lifecycle support of the optical products used to interconnect AWS Data Centers and PoPs (Point of presence), ensuring diversity of supply and continually lowering data transfer cost for customers. This product portfolio serves a broad customer base and is primarily used to transport Core (EC2 & Prod) and Border (Internet) traffic in and across all but a few AWS commercial and ADC regions globally. Our current network size is >10Pbps of inter data center traffic over >30k devices worldwide and our team is structured to create and evolve these products and solutions while providing highly available, secure and scalable transport for multiple customer fabrics globally.
Working at AWS in the Core Networking Team
- Meet Matt, Director, Core Networking - https://youtu.be/DqTStjRtjX4
- Meet Kensie, Network Development Engineer - https://youtu.be/ezF3kpUAhWU
About the team
About AWS
Diverse Experiences
Amazon values diverse experiences. Even if you do not meet all of the preferred qualifications and skills listed in the job description, we encourage candidates to apply. If your career is just starting, hasn’t followed a traditional path, or includes alternative experiences, don’t let it stop you from applying.
Why AWS
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud platform. We pioneered cloud computing and never stopped innovating — that’s why customers from the most successful startups to Global 500 companies trust our robust suite of products and services to power their businesses.
Work/Life Balance
We value work-life harmony. Achieving success at work should never come at the expense of sacrifices at home, which is why we strive for flexibility as part of our working culture. When we feel supported in the workplace and at home, there’s nothing we can’t achieve.
Inclusive Team Culture
AWS values curiosity and connection. Our employee-led and company-sponsored affinity groups promote inclusion and empower our people to take pride in what makes us unique. Our inclusion events foster stronger, more collaborative teams. Our continual innovation is fueled by the bold ideas, fresh perspectives, and passionate voices our teams bring to everything we do.
Mentorship and Career Growth
We’re continuously raising our performance bar as we strive to become Earth’s Best Employer. That’s why you’ll find endless knowledge-sharing, mentorship and other career-advancing resources here to help you develop into a better-rounded professional.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor's degree
- Knowledge of network analysis fundamentals and robust troubleshooting
- 1+ years of work experience on optical communication systems, networking planning and optimization.
- 1+ years of work experience on operating and maintaining optical (DWDM) networks
- 1+ years of professional development experience with Python or a similar scripting language for automation scripting.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Experience with Unix and scripting in Perl, shell, C or C++
- Experience working with customers to diagnose a problem and work towards resolution
- Experience working in a fast-paced, rapidly changing operations environment
- Thorough understanding of deploying and operating high capacity DWDM and Optical network systems
- Good automation scripting using Python, Bash, Shell and/or Perl experience
Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected veteran status, disability, or other legally protected status.
Our inclusive culture empowers Amazonians to deliver the best results for our customers. If you have a disability and need a workplace accommodation or adjustment during the application and hiring process, including support for the interview or onboarding process, please visit https://amazon.jobs/content/en/how-we-hire/accommodations for more information. If the country/region you’re applying in isn’t listed, please contact your Recruiting Partner.
The base salary range for this position is listed below. Your Amazon package will include sign-on payments and restricted stock units (RSUs). Final compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, qualifications, and location. Amazon also offers comprehensive benefits including health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D insurance and option for Supplemental life plans, EAP, Mental Health Support, Medical Advice Line, Flexible Spending Accounts, Adoption and Surrogacy Reimbursement coverage), 401(k) matching, paid time off, and parental leave. Learn more about our benefits at https://amazon.jobs/en/benefits.
LOCATION
USA, WA, Seattle - 114,100.00 - 160,000.00 USD annually
Optical Engineer Job Roles in Washington
See all Optical Engineer Jobs in Washington
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Search Optical Engineer Jobs in WashingtonOptical Engineer Jobs in Washington: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies in Washington sponsor visas for optical engineers?
Washington's aerospace and defense sector includes active sponsors such as Boeing, L3Harris Technologies, and Raytheon, which regularly file for optical and electro-optical engineering roles. Technology firms in the Seattle area, including Microsoft and Amazon Lab126, also sponsor optical engineers working on imaging, sensing, and display systems. Research institutions such as the University of Washington and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory sponsor positions in photonics and optics research.
Which visa types realistically apply to optical engineer roles in Washington?
Optical engineering is a specialty occupation requiring a bachelor's degree in a directly related field, so H-1B visa, E-3 visa (Australian nationals), H-1B1 visa (Chilean and Singaporean nationals), and TN visa (Canadian and Mexican nationals, as optical engineering falls under the USMCA Engineer profession) are all viable paths. Employer-sponsored EB-2 or EB-3 green cards are also common for long-term hires. F-1 OPT and STEM OPT can bridge candidates into full sponsorship if their degree is STEM-designated.
How to find optical engineer visa sponsorship jobs in Washington?
Migrate Mate lists optical engineer roles in Washington filtered to employers with verified visa sponsorship history, covering the Seattle metro, Redmond, and Bellevue corridors where most hiring is concentrated. Searching by role and state on Migrate Mate surfaces active sponsors in photonics, defense optics, and imaging systems, so you can focus applications on companies already familiar with LCA filings and H-1B or E-3 sponsorship processes.
Which cities in Washington have the most optical engineer sponsorship jobs?
Seattle and its eastern suburbs, Redmond and Bellevue, account for the highest concentration of optical engineer sponsorship activity in Washington, driven by technology and aerospace employers. Everett is a secondary hub due to Boeing's commercial aircraft manufacturing operations, where electro-optical systems work is common. The Tri-Cities area in eastern Washington, near Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, sees sponsorship for research-focused optics and photonics positions.
Are there state-specific factors that affect optical engineer sponsorship in Washington?
Washington's lack of a state income tax can influence employer compensation structures, which matters for prevailing wage compliance under H-1B and E-3 LCA requirements. The state's strong aerospace cluster, anchored by Boeing and its supplier network, creates sustained demand for electro-optical and laser systems engineers. The University of Washington's optics and photonics research programs also generate a consistent pipeline of candidates and employer relationships, keeping sponsorship activity relatively active year-round.
What is the prevailing wage for sponsored optical engineer jobs in Washington?
U.S. employers sponsoring a visa must pay at least the prevailing wage, which is what workers in the same role, area, and experience level typically earn. The Department of Labor sets this rate to make sure companies aren't hiring foreign workers simply because they'd accept lower pay than a U.S. worker. It varies by job title, location, and experience. You can look up current prevailing wage rates for any occupation and location using the OFLC Wage Search page.