Anthropic
AI
StaffFiberNetworkEngineer
Neural analysis suggests this role is
optimal for Staff candidates.
“Staff Fiber Network Engineer at Anthropic. Skills: Physical layer network ownership, End-to-end fiber network delivery, Dark fiber backbone construction. Own the physical layer of the network end-to-end. Define where the fiber goes”
What You'll Achieve.
Ensure the physical layer of the network is lit and carrying traffic
Industry & Context.
Drive root-cause analysis with vendors
Travel Required, Occasional travel for site surveys, CLS/ILA walks, and vendor meetings, Expect all staff to be in one of our offices at least 25% of the time
What They're Looking For.
Must Have
Experience in OSP/fiber planning or network delivery at a carrier, hyperscaler, dark-fiber provider, or large enterprise backbone, Demonstrated experience taking long-haul or metro dark-fiber routes from design through acceptance, Solid working knowledge of the vendor landscape: who has conduit where, how IRU vs. lease vs. wavelength pricing behaves, and what's negotiable in an MSA, Proficiency with GIS/KMZ tooling for route design and comfort maintaining structured inventory data, Sufficient understanding of optical transport (DWDM, amplifier spacing, loss, CD/PMD) to design fiber that line-system engineers can use, Ability to serve as the single accountable owner for physical delivery across many concurrent builds
Nice to Have
8+ years of OSP/fiber planning or network delivery experience, Experience standing up a fiber program from near-zero — building the inventory system, acceptance standards, and vendor bench from scratch, Familiarity with permitting, ROW, and make-ready processes in US metro markets, Scripting or light tooling experience (Python, Go, SQL, or similar) for inventory and reporting workflows, Comfort with occasional travel for site surveys, CLS/ILA walks, and vendor meetings
What You'll Do.
Own the physical layer of the network end-to-end
Define where the fiber goes
Ensure fiber shows up
Define the inventory system
Set acceptance standards
Establish the vendor bench
Plan terrestrial fiber routes between Anternet PoPs and data centers
Evaluate diversity (SRLG
landing-station separation)
and OSNR/loss budgets
and as-built documentation
Source and qualify dark fiber
and wavelength options from carriers and infrastructure providers
and drive contracts to signature
Own the build from PO to acceptance: track splicing
meet-me-room cross-connects
Hold vendors to schedule and serve as the escalation point
Define and enforce fiber acceptance criteria (OTDR bi-directional
CD/PMD where relevant)
Maintain the source-of-truth fiber inventory (strands
IRU terms and renewals)
Forecast fiber needs against our PoP and capacity roadmap
Monitor degradation and quality over time
Partner with NOC and field-ops on fiber cuts
Drive root-cause analysis with vendors
How You'll Work.
Team & Collaboration
Work closely with our optical/transport engineers (who design the line systems on top of your fiber); Work closely with our backbone routing team; Work closely with our data center and capacity planning teams; Partner with NOC and field-ops on fiber cuts, locates, and repairs
Communication Scope
Greatly value communication skills
Process & Methodology
Field-delivery program management, Own the build from PO to acceptance, Hold vendors to schedule, Serve as the escalation point when a is late or fails OTDR, Drive contracts to signature
Full Job Description
About Anthropic Anthropic’s mission is to create reliable, interpretable, and steerable AI systems. We want AI to be safe and beneficial for our users and for society as a whole. Our team is a quickly growing group of committed researchers, engineers, policy experts, and business leaders working together to build beneficial AI systems. About the role Anthropic is building Anternet — a private, global dark-fiber backbone connecting our data centers, cloud regions, and partners. We light our own glass: long-haul and metro DWDM over leased dark fiber and IRU pairs terminating on our own optical line systems and routers. We're looking for a Staff Fiber Network Engineer to own the physical layer of this network end-to-end. You'll be the person who decides where the fiber goes and then makes sure it actually shows up, splices clean, and tests to spec. This is equal parts route engineering, vendor management, and field-delivery program management — the connective tissue between "we need N×Tbps between these two metros" and "the span is lit and carrying traffic." This is a foundational role building Anternet's fiber program from the ground up. You'll define the inventory system, set acceptance standards, and establish the vendor bench yourself. You'll work closely with our optical/transport engineers (who design the line systems on top of your fiber), our backbone routing team, and our data center and capacity planning teams. Key responsibilities Route engineering and design — Plan terrestrial fiber routes between Anternet PoPs and data centers. Evaluate diversity (SRLG, conduit, ROW, landing-station separation), latency, and OSNR/loss budgets. Produce route KMZs, splice diagrams, and as-built documentation Fiber acquisition — Source and qualify dark fiber, IRU, and wavelength options from carriers and infrastructure providers. Run RFPs, compare bids on cost, route quality, diversity, and MTTR, and drive contracts to signature alongside legal and procurement Vendor and deli
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