Summary:
VIAVI (NASDAQ: VIAV) is a global provider of network test, monitoring and assurance solutions for telecommunications, cloud, enterprises, first responders, military, aerospace, and railway. VIAVI is also a leader in light management technologies for 3D sensing, anti-counterfeiting, consumer electronics, industrial, automotive, government and aerospace applications.
We are the people behind the products that help keep the world connected at home, school, work, at play, and everywhere in between. VIAVI employees are passionate about supporting customer success and we welcome people who bring their best every day to the company – to question, to collaborate and to push for solutions that will delight our customers.
Duties & Responsibilities:
Senior Test Engineer
VIAVI Solutions — Fiber Instruments NPI | Indianapolis, IN
Summary
Join the founding members of a new Operations Engineering NPI team in Indianapolis, chartered with bringing VIAVI's next generation of fiber optic test instruments — OTDR modules, handheld fiber testers, optical power meters and sources, and automated fiber certification systems — from R&D into volume manufacturing. This is a hands-on NPI and manufacturing test engineering role focused on optical instrument automation, rack-and-stack system design, and code development, working in close partnership with R&D in Indianapolis and VIAVI's prime fiber optic design center in St. Etienne, France.
Note to Applicants: This is a factory automation and manufacturing test engineering role. It is NOT a field service, customer-facing applications engineering, or product management position.
Professional Growth and Tooling
We're building this team from the ground up and investing in the right engineer to help shape it:
- Averna Launch Certification: We provide full training on our standard test executive wrapper.
- Unlimited NI Training: Access to National Instruments modules to elevate your TestStand skills to Architect level.
- Advanced Photonics Lab Access: Direct access to tunable laser sources, high-precision OTDR reference modules, and optical spectrum analysis instrumentation.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
- Architect Production Test Systems: Design, build, and deploy automated test racks for New Product Introduction (NPI) and legacy fiber instrument manufacturing (OTDR modules, handheld testers, optical power meters and sources).
- Instrument Control: Write robust drivers and test sequences in Python, C++, or NI TestStand to control optical power meters, tunable laser sources, optical switches, variable optical attenuators (VOAs), and reference-grade OTDR modules.
- Complex Optical Analysis: Develop algorithms to measure optical parameters (insertion loss, return loss, dynamic range, dead zone, pulse width, wavelength accuracy, linearity) for fiber optic test instruments.
- Statistical Quality Control: Implement Gauge R&R, Cpk, and Measurement Uncertainty analysis.
- Design for Test (DfT): Partner with R&D in Indianapolis and the prime fiber optic design center in St. Etienne, France to ensure new products are designed for automated test access.
- Project Planning: Drive detailed planning to ensure all test solutions are developed, documented, debugged, deployed, and validated prior to production pilot run.
- Fixture Development: Partner with R&D and the Senior Manufacturing Engineer to develop contract manufacturing-ready test systems, fixtures, and optical launch/connectorization jigs.
- Process Optimization: Optimize calibration and test processes for coverage, cycle time, and test stand capacity.
- System Deployment: Install and validate production systems at the Indianapolis facility and contract manufacturing sites.
- Lifecycle Maintenance: Maintain and update existing production test processes throughout the product lifecycle.
- Documentation: Produce written documentation including test specifications, procedures, installation instructions, interconnect diagrams, and preventive maintenance guides.
- Cross-Functional Communication: Communicate effectively with stakeholders including R&D (Indianapolis and St. Etienne), Product Line Management (PLM), Program Management, Manufacturing Engineering, and contract manufacturing partners — including comfortable collaboration across time zones with the France design team.
- Team Leadership: As a founding member of a new team, help establish team norms and practices in addition to individual technical delivery; actively engage with the team and management by reporting status against commitments and demonstrating self-directed initiative and leadership.
Required Qualifications
Education
- Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Physics, Optics, or a related technical field.
Experience and Technical Skills
- 5+ Years in Automated Test Engineering: Experience developing hardware/software test solutions for manufacturing.
- Bench Instrumentation Proficiency: Expert ability to remotely control optical test instrumentation (optical power meters, tunable laser sources, optical spectrum analyzers, optical switches, reference-grade OTDR modules) via code (GPIB, USB, LAN, SCPI).
- Coding Proficiency: Strong skills in Python, C++, or C# for instrument control and data parsing.
- Fiber Optic Fundamentals: Deep understanding of fiber optic principles — insertion loss, return loss, OTDR trace interpretation (events, reflections, dead zones), single-mode vs. multimode behavior, and connector types and end-face geometry.
- Statistical Analysis: Experience applying Measurement Uncertainty and Process Capability (Cpk).
- Demonstrated leadership and self-motivation; effective cross-functional collaborator who can fully represent test engineering on a distributed, multi-site product development team.
Preferred Qualifications
- NI TestStand Development: Experience creating custom steps or process models.
- Averna Launch Experience: Familiarity with the Averna test executive wrapper (training provided).
- Fiber Connector Inspection & Cleaning: Familiarity with industry standard pass/fail criteria and related inspection practices.
- Laser Safety: Familiarity with Class 1M/3B laser safety practices in a manufacturing environment.
- WDM Test Exposure: Background with CWDM/DWDM fiber test or multiplexed optical systems.
- SQL database programming for test record storage, retrieval, and data management.
- Use of AI tools for test code development, optimization, or data analysis.
- Experience collaborating with an international R&D team across time zones.
How Success Is Measured
- Test coverage, capability, and cycle time meet or exceed targets established during NPI.
- All production test systems delivered on schedule for pilot run and volume production launch.
- Gauge R&R and Measurement Uncertainty analyses confirm compliant, stable test systems at production deployment.
- Minimal test escapes reaching the field.
- Test systems require no manual touch labor beyond product connect/disconnect operations.
If you have what it takes to push boundaries and seize opportunities, apply to join our team today.
VIAVI Solutions is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer — minorities/females/veterans/persons with disabilities.
Pre-Requisites / Skills / Experience Requirements:
