Telecommunications Design Engineer

Work Environment & Conditions: This position is a contract/consultant role working on-site and remotely in coordination with client’s teams. The OSP Design Engineer will be embedded within Telecommunications Engineering group, working closely with full-time engineers and project managers. The work typically involves a mix of office-based engineering design and field work. You will attend design meetings, planning sessions, and project reviews with internal stakeholders, and also conduct field visits to sites such as substations, telecom tower locations, generation plants, and control centers for surveys, inspections, and support of project implementation.

A moderate amount of travel within client’s multi-state service territory may be required to visit company facilities and job sites.

Role Summary: Client, a leading electric power utility, is seeking an experienced Telecommunications Outside Plant (OSP) Design Engineer for a contractor/consultant role. In this position, you will support internal Telecommunications Engineering team in designing and implementing outside plant components of the company’s communications network. This network underpins critical utility operations – including electric transmission and distribution communications, substation and power plant connectivity, SCADA and protection & control systems, and enterprise data/voice networks – requiring high reliability and safety standards.

The OSP Design Engineer (Contractor) will be responsible for planning and engineering fiber optic cable routes and microwave radio systems, designing telecom site infrastructure (towers, shelters, backup power), and coordinating with cross-functional utility teams to enable robust and secure telecommunications across client’s multi-state service territory. This role works closely with internal engineers and field personnel to ensure that telecom projects are executed safely, on time, and in compliance with standards and regulatory requirements.

Required Qualifications:

• Education & Experience: Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Electronics/Telecommunications Engineering, or a related field. Equivalent work experience combined with relevant technical training/certifications will be considered. Demonstrated experience in telecommunications engineering, with a strong focus on outside plant fiber optic network design and/or microwave system engineering. (A track record of several years in telecom OSP engineering or network design in a utility or similar industry is expected for this contractor role.)
• Technical Proficiency in Telecom Systems: Extensive knowledge of fiber optic communication systems (including fiber cable types, splicing techniques, connectors, and outside plant construction practices for aerial and underground installations). Proficiency in microwave radio system design and RF engineering principles (path loss calculations, antenna propagation, frequency coordination). Familiarity with packet-based transport networks (such as MPLS or Carrier Ethernet) and traditional time-division multiplexing (TDM) systems (e.g., SONET/SDH, DCS, channel banks) used in utility telecommunications.
  
  Solid understanding of IP networking fundamentals and how telecom transport networks interface with IP-based systems.
• Tools & Software Skills: Proficient in using engineering and mapping tools common to telecom and utility design. This includes experience with GIS software (such as ESRI ArcGIS or GE Small world) for route planning and asset tracking, and computer-aided design (CAD) tools (e.g., AutoCAD or Micro Station) to develop construction drawings. Experience using telecom network inventory and database tools, especially Connect Master or similar Operational Support Systems (OSS), to document network elements and manage telecom assets, fiber routes, and circuit records.
  
  Comfortable with productivity and documentation software (Microsoft Office suite, Visio) and collaboration platforms (e.g., Microsoft Teams).
• Knowledge of Standards & Regulations: Working…