Director, Outside Plant & Engineering

The Director of Outside Plant & Engineering leads teams responsible for designing and building scalable, cost‑effective fiber networks, ensuring all designs meet technical and regulatory standards.

This role oversees the entire engineering design process, manages internal teams and external partners, and drives innovation and operational excellence.

Either Kirkland, Washington or Everett, Washington.

$/yr - $/yr

Annual Bonus

Director, Outside Plant & Engineering

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• 401(k)
• Flexible spending account
• Paid sick leave and paid time off
• Parental leave
• Quarterly performance bonus
• Training, career growth, and education reimbursement programs

Ziply Fiber is a local internet service provider dedicated to elevating the connected lives of the communities we serve. We offer the fastest home internet in the nation, a refreshingly great customer experience, and affordable plans that put customers in charge.

• Genuinely Caring: We treat customers and colleagues like neighbors, with empathy and full attention.
• Empowering You: We help customers choose what is best for them, and we support employees in implementing new ideas and solutions.
• Innovation and Improvement: We constantly seek ways to improve how we serve customers and each other.
• Earning Your Trust: We build trust through clear, honest, human communication.

The Director of Outside Plant & Engineering leads teams responsible for designing and building scalable, cost‑effective fiber networks, ensuring all designs meet technical and regulatory standards. This role oversees the entire engineering design process, manages internal teams and external partners, and drives innovation and operational excellence.

• Provide end‑to‑end program direction to organize, develop, and execute a program build across multiple functional teams.
• Develop and execute the fiber engineering design strategy in alignment with business expansion and network deployment goals.
• Provide input into long‑term network strategy, capacity planning, and emerging technology adoption.
• Support market analysis diligence required for expansion initiatives.
• Oversee end‑to‑end design processes, including route planning, permitting, and compliance with federal, state, and local regulations.
• Ensure designs are optimized for scalability, cost efficiency, constructability, and long‑term maintainability.
• Establish and enforce engineering design standards, documentation practices, and quality control measures, and oversee adherence to industry best practices and evolving standards in fiber network engineering.
• Ensure engineering work orders are designed in compliance with all company standards, NESC, Utility Pole Agreements, and municipal requirements, as well as public ROW or utility easements, and ensure compliance with permitting requirements, safety standards, and environmental regulations.
• Lead and mentor a team of engineering managers, designers, and support staff to deliver high‑quality network designs on schedule.
• Manage relationships with external engineering vendors, contractors, and consultants, ensuring alignment with company standards and project timelines.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement within the engineering organization.
• Partner with construction, operations, product, and finance teams to align engineering design with deployment readiness and business objectives.
• Drive innovation in design methodologies, leveraging automation, GIS platforms, and advanced engineering tools, and implement best‑in‑class workflows to improve speed, accuracy, and efficiency of design deliverables.
• Stay ahead of industry trends, technologies, and regulatory developments to maintain competitive advantage.

• Occasional travel for activities such as out‑of‑town meetings, training, or outreach activities up to 10% of the time.

• Performs other duties as required to support the business and evolving organization.

• Bachelor’s degree in…