Communications Field Engineer for System Performance & Infrastructure

Overview

Join us as a Communications Field Engineer who will be responsible for the design, deployment, troubleshooting, and maintenance of telecommunications infrastructure including optical fiber, microwave, and radio frequency (RF) systems. This role ensures reliable, resilient, and compliant communications networks supporting mission-critical operations across the service territory. This role provides leadership and strategic oversight for all aspects of critical infrastructure including electrical, mechanical, environmental, and IT physical systems. The position ensures operational excellence, resiliency, and compliance while managing internal resources and third-party service providers.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the subject matter expert (SME) Design and engineer optical fiber, microwave, and RF communication systems
• Provide management oversight for the operation, reliability, and performance of optical fiber, microwave, and RF communication systems including UPS, generators, cooling systems, and environmental monitoring systems.
• Manage and oversee vendors that perform daily operations, maintenance, and incident response, ensuring performance aligns with contractual SLAs and company standards.
• Establish governance, performance metrics, and reporting processes for operations, including regular operational, quality assurance/control reviews and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Assist to develop and maintain standards, policies, procedures, configurations, and documentation related to critical facilities design, operation, and maintenance.
• Perform incident response, root cause analysis, and corrective actions for critical system failures or performance issues.
• Perform troubleshooting, fault isolation, and root cause analysis across telecom networks
• Coordinate with engineering, IT, vendors, contractors, and internal stakeholders and project teams to ensure integration of infrastructure requirements into new builds, upgrades, and retrofits for critical sites. Conduct site surveys, path studies, and link budget analysis.
• Maintain and optimize network performance and availability. Support lifecycle upgrades, expansions, and infrastructure modernization.
• Review and approve design specifications, scopes of work, and contractor deliverables to ensure compliance with company standards.
• Conduct site assessments and audits to evaluate facility performance, risks, and ensure compliance with FCC regulatory, environmental, safety, and cybersecurity requirements.
• Collaborate with stakeholders on capacity planning, risk management, and resiliency planning for critical infrastructure environments.
• Assist to manage and forecast operating and capital budgets for data center and critical facility infrastructure, ensuring alignment with reliability, lifecycle, and capacity planning objectives.
• Assist with the design, buildout and commissioning of telecom infrastructure including DWDM, microwave links, and radio systems, cabling, waveguides, antennas, dishes, towers, UPS, power distribution, grounding/bonding, and indoor/outdoor wireless equipment.
• Assist in overseeing financial performance of contracts, including cost controls, invoice validation, and ensure services are delivered within approved budget and contractual obligations.
• Assist to plan and prioritize capital and expense investments for maintenance, upgrades, and risk mitigation, ensuring funding supports operational reliability, regulatory compliance, and long-term infrastructure strategy.
• Requires travel throughout New York City, Westchester county and Orange & Rockland service territory
• Must be available to work off-hours as required to support deployments and respond to corporate emergencies during systems restorations.
• Perform other related tasks and assignments as required

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree and a minimum of (3) years of IT,or Telecommunications Design and Operations or
• Associate's Degree and a minimum of (4) years Telecommunications or
• High School Diploma/GED and a minimum of (5) years of IT,or Telecommunications Operations.

• Bachelor's Degree preferably in Information Technology, Computer Science, or Engineering, or Telecommunications. and a minimum of (3) years of IT,or Telecommunications Design and Operations.

• Experience with fiber optics, splicing, testing, and optical networks (DWDM/OTN), required.
• Experience with microwave and RF systems including antennas and propagation, required.
• Knowledge of IP networking (routing, switching, MPLS), required.
• Practical application of cybersecurity principles for secure IT infrastructure operations, required.
• Experience implementing and maintaining preventive and predictive maintenance programs for critical systems, required.
• Oversight of service contracts, SLAs, KPIs, and performance metrics, required.
• Critical facility electrical systems (power) to include utility service, ATSs/STSs, generator back-up, UPS systems, DC battery plant, distribution to rooms and racks, preferred.
• Design, construction commissioning and decommissioning IT facilities and radio towers, including location assessment, facility layouts, electrical and mechanical tier requirements, private and leased carrier circuit entrances, and physical security, preferred.
• Authoring radio & microwave infrastructure design and constructions standards and operating procedures, preferred.
• Vendor and contractor management, including MSP governance (SLA/KPI oversight), preferred.
• Experience managing day-to-day operations of mission-critical facilities, ensuring uptime, reliability, and compliance with operational standards, preferred.
• Proven ability to perform incident response, troubleshooting, and root cause analysis for critical infrastructure failures, preferred.
• Experience with RFP development, contractor selection, and contract administration, preferred.
• Ability to plan and prioritize capital improvements, lifecycle replacements, and risk mitigation projects, preferred.
• Experience developing and managing operating and capital budgets for infrastructure and facilities, preferred.

• Excellent collaboration and team building skills
• Well organized, detail oriented and flexible to handle multiple assignments
• Effective conflict management skills
• Must be proficient in Microsoft Office including Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint, etc.

• Driver's License Required
• Other: Relevant technical certifications such as FCC radio engineer Preferred
• Other: Project Management Professional (PMP) Preferred
• Other: OEM Certifications for Critical Site equipment, including Power, Cooling, Structured Cabling, etc. Preferred

• Ability to push, pull, and lift up to 40 pounds
• Sit or stand to answer a phone for the duration of the workday
• Sit or stand to use a keyboard, mouse, and computer for the duration of the workday
• Possess manual dexterity and the ability to use hands for the duration of the workday
• Ability to stoop, bend, reach, and kneel throughout the workday
• Ability to read small print and symbols

• The selected candidate will be assigned a System Emergency Assignment (i.e., an emergency response role) and will be expected to work non-business hours during emergencies, which may include nights, weekends, and holidays.
• The selected candidate will be assigned a System Emergency Assignment (i.e., an emergency response role) and will be expected to work non-business hours during emergencies, which may include nights, weekends, and holidays.