OSP Fiber - Design Manager

Essential Functions

• Lead the development and growth of Nextlink's internal fiber design and engineering team.
• Establish and maintain design workflows, engineering standards, and best practices.
• Partner with leadership to identify staffing needs, skill gaps, and team structure requirements.
• Manage, mentor, and develop in-house designers and field engineers while establishing clear expectations, accountability, and career development opportunities.
• Foster collaboration between design, field engineering, construction, network engineering, and operations teams.
• Review and approve concept and final fiber designs before submission for permitting.
• Ensure design packages are accurate, consistent, constructible, and compliant with applicable safety, regulatory, and Nextlink engineering standards.
• Identify design issues early to minimize rework, redesigns, project delays, and cost overruns.
• Manage third-party engineering and design vendors, including reviewing deliverables for accuracy, compliance, quality, and constructability.
• Address vendor performance concerns and resolve escalations related to engineering quality and deliverables.
• Coordinate with county, state, and municipal jurisdictions regarding permitting, right-of-way (ROW), and local regulatory requirements.
• Establish and maintain relationships with permitting authorities to support efficient approvals and reduce late-stage design changes.
• Collaborate with leadership on fiber route planning, network expansion strategy, and long-term infrastructure development.
• Coordinate design handoffs with construction, network engineering, and operations teams to support efficient field execution.
• Support network reliability, timely service delivery, and scalable infrastructure growth.
• Develop team capabilities and repeatable processes that support long-term network expansion and reduce reliance on external engineering resources.

Required Qualifications

• Strong working knowledge of AutoCAD Civil 3D and ArcGIS.
• Demonstrated experience in outside plant (OSP) engineering and OSP fiber design.
• Experience building, scaling, or restructuring technical teams.
• Experience managing both contracted engineering resources and in-house teams.
• Strong leadership, communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and deliver quality results in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with leadership, technical teams, vendors, and external stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience managing in-house engineering or fiber design teams.
• Experience developing and maintaining OSP engineering workflows, design standards, and quality-control processes.
• Experience designing aerial and underground fiber infrastructure within public and private rights-of-way.
• Familiarity with permitting processes, ROW requirements, and jurisdictional coordination.
• Experience supporting large-scale fiber or infrastructure buildouts.
• Nokia XGS-PON experience is highly preferred.
• Familiarity with GIS-based design and network inventory tools, including ArcGIS.
• Experience supporting fiber deployments funded through grant programs such as RDOF, CAF, BEAD, or similar initiatives.

Core Competencies

• Technical leadership
• Team development and coaching
• Strategic planning
• Engineering quality and attention to detail
• Process improvement
• Project coordination and execution
• Vendor and stakeholder management
• Regulatory and permitting coordination
• Cross-functional collaboration
• Problem-solving and decision-making

Measure of Success

• Development of a capable, self-sufficient in-house fiber design and engineering team.
• Improved consistency, accuracy, and constructability of fiber design packages.
• Reduced design errors, rework, redesigns, and avoidable project costs.
• Improved vendor performance, deliverable quality, and accountability.
• Timely completion of design and permitting requirements to support network construction schedules.
• Stronger collaboration between design, field engineering, construction, network engineering, and operations.
• Established workflows, standards, and repeatable processes that support long-term network growth.

Job Classification

• Engineering
• Exempt

Work Environment/Hazards

• Work may be performed in an office environment and in the field, depending on business needs.
• Field activities may involve exposure to outdoor weather conditions, construction sites, uneven terrain, and other hazards associated with fiber infrastructure projects.
• The noise level may vary depending on the work environment.

Physical Demands

• Ability to perform computer-based work for extended periods.
• Repetitive motions that may include the wrists, hands, and/or fingers.
• Visual acuity, speech and hearing, hand-eye coordination, and manual dexterity necessary to operate a computer keyboard and basic office equipment.
• Ability to travel to field locations, construction sites, and jurisdictional meetings as needed.
• Additional physical requirements may apply based on field responsibilities.

Working Hours/Days

• Full time
• 40 hours
• Occasional overtime as needed

Travel Requirements

Travel may be required to support field operations, project reviews, vendor coordination, permitting activities, and network expansion initiatives.