Engineering Manager - Joint Use

Better Careers Start Here! Join a well‑established, rapidly growing company that fosters career growth through formal job training and strategic leadership development programs at Hunter Communications.

All employees are provided a great benefits package including medical, dental, vision, disability coverage, life insurance, an employee assistance program, generous vacation, sick, holiday time off, a 401(k) program with a generous employer match, a 529 college savings match, and bonus opportunities.

Reporting to the Director of Engineering, the Engineering Manager – Joint Use is a critical leadership role responsible for overseeing the safe, compliant, and efficient management of joint use infrastructure across Hunter’s aerial and underground fiber network. This position ensures that all joint use activities align with the National Electrical Safety Code (NESC), OJUA/OPUC/OAR standards, local jurisdictional requirements, and Hunter’s operational standards.

The ideal candidate is a hands‑on leader with deep expertise in OSP joint use processes, permitting, and compliance who can build positive relationships with pole owners, utility partners, and government agencies while driving accountability, safety, and performance excellence across a blended team of internal staff and contractors. This full‑time position is in‑person at a Hunter Communications office five days a week, with travel to locations within our network footprint as needed.

• Oversee the maintenance and development of Hunter’s aerial and underground joint use infrastructure, ensuring all pole attachments, removals, and relocations comply with NESC and local permitting requirements.
• Serve as the NESC and OJUA/OPUC/OAR compliance expert, guiding code interpretation and application; lead annual OJUA training and maintain a proactive compliance program to resolve violations before audits.
• Supervise all pre‑construction joint use related activities, coordinating with design and construction teams to ensure alignment with project goals.
• Review and provide feedback to the Director of Engineering and senior leadership on pole attachment agreements, right‑of‑entry agreements, and joint use contracts.
• Negotiate easements for new and existing fiber optic routes; serve as primary point of contact for joint use escalations with city officials, utility partners, and community stakeholders.
• Own end‑to‑end joint use agreement negotiation and issue resolution, driving the full cycle of permitting, make‑ready, and joint use coordination with an urgency mindset. Proactively identify and clear bottlenecks to ensure joint use activity moves as fast as possible in support of Hunter's deployment goals and construction timelines.
• Collaborate with legal and regulatory teams to ensure alignment with evolving state and federal requirements.
• Coordinate and approve joint use submittals of Hunter infrastructure from other providers.

• Prepare, submit, and monitor the progress of applications, permits, and agreements related to the construction and maintenance of Hunter’s telecommunications network.
• Read, analyze, interpret, and understand drawings, diagrams, and maps – such as blueprints and staking sheets – from internal and external stakeholders involved in the permitting process.
• Serve as subject‑matter expert (SME) regarding permit submittal requirements, including ordinances, codes, laws, and other governing regulations; permit application forms; engineering drawing requirements; insurance, bond, and fee requirements; and contractor registration and training requirements.
• Work with Engineers, GIS, and Operations employees to procure necessary Right‑of‑Way (RoW) permissions, easements, and other permits, and navigate issues as they arise.
• Develop and execute strategies for proactive permitting, bootleg attachment detection, and cost recovery.
• Create traffic control plans in compliance with state and federal regulations.
• Track and ensure permit transactions, milestones, and approval conditions are accurately documented and communicated to relevant stakeholders using NJUNS, Alden One, PGE, and…