Manager, Outside Plant (OSP) Engineering

Position Overview

The Manager, OSP Engineering leads the Outside Plant engineering discipline within Tract Capital's Site Communications & Network Infrastructure organization, owning the pre-construction design and construction-phase delivery of all physical outside-plant connectivity that links the company's data center campuses to carriers, to each other, and to the outdoor coverage environment. This role is accountable for the engineering and field delivery of campus fiber pathways, conduit and duct-bank systems, aerial and underground routes, outdoor distributed antenna systems (DAS), CBRS/Private 5G outdoor coverage, site survey and permitting, and the as-built record of record across every campus.

Reporting to the VP, Site Communications & Network Infrastructure, this leader manages a team that includes the Senior OSP Engineer, the RF & DAS Engineer and the Site Survey & Permitting Lead. The Manager translates campus design intent into constructible, code-compliant, schedule-certain OSP packages, drives external engineering firms and construction contractors to deliver against Tract Capital standards, and ensures clean commissioning handover to the Daily Operations chain.

This is a player-coach leadership role: the Manager sets direction and standards, makes sound engineering judgment calls, and holds vendors accountable for quality and schedule — while leaning on the team's specialists for deep technical work in fiber, RF/DAS, and permitting.

Job Responsibilities

The successful candidate will have practical experience across many of the following:

• Directly lead, manage, and develop a small team of three specialists — the Senior OSP Engineer (fiber pathways, conduit/pole and underground design, as-builts), the RF & DAS Engineer (outdoor DAS and CBRS RF), and the Site Survey & Permitting Lead (surveys, ROW/AHJ coordination, permits) — owning hiring, onboarding, goal-setting, and performance management for the group.
• Allocate work across the team, balance workloads against the campus build schedule, and serve as the technical escalation point when specialties intersect (e.g., route design, RF coverage, and permitting) — while coaching each member and building cross-coverage so the small team can support multiple concurrent campuses without single points of failure.
• Own the Outside Plant engineering function end-to-end — fiber pathways, conduit/duct-bank, aerial and underground routes, entrance facilities, outdoor DAS, and CBRS/Private 5G coverage — from pre-construction design through construction, commissioning, and as-built turnover.
• Guide OSP fiber route design and construction-method selection (trenching, directional boring, aerial and underground placement), and establish OSP design standards and QA/QC criteria for consistent, repeatable campus builds.
• Manage permitting, right-of-way/easement, and AHJ/utility coordination on the critical path, treating jurisdictional approvals, pole attachment, and make-ready as key schedule risks.
• Oversee outdoor DAS and CBRS RF deliverables (coverage modeling, RF propagation, link budgets), relying on the RF & DAS Engineer for specialist depth.
• Review and validate engineering and contractor deliverables (drawings, BOMs, redlines, as-builts) for accuracy, constructability, and code compliance (e.g., NESC, NEC, TIA-942, BICSI, Division 27/28).
• Drive external engineering firms and construction/splicing/test contractors to deliver on time and to quality, managing scope, schedules, budgets, and vendor performance.
• Ensure acceptance testing and commissioning (e.g., OTDR, OLTS/power meter, fusion splicing) meet standards, and that as-built records are captured in GIS/asset-management systems.
• Drive clean commissioning handover to the Daily Operations / Network Operations team, coordinate carrier entrance/turn-up, and partner cross-functionally with Inside Plant (ISP) Engineering, Network Engineering, Carrier & Vendor Relations, Delivery Management, Construction, Design & Engineering, and Operations — ensuring work meets safety, security, and compliance standards.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Telecommunications, Construction Management, Civil Engineering, or a related technical discipline, or equivalent practical experience.
• 10+ years in Outside Plant (OSP) fiber engineering, telecom/network infrastructure design, or fiber construction delivery — or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 3+ years directly managing and developing a small technical team (engineers and/or specialists), in addition to leading contractors and projects delivering physical network or construction infrastructure.
• Demonstrated ability to lead a small, multi-disciplinary team across distinct specialties — fiber/OSP design, outdoor RF/DAS, and site survey/permitting — coordinating individual contributors into integrated, schedule-certain deliverables.
• Solid working knowledge of OSP fiber design and construction — aerial, underground, fiber vaults and buried routes; conduit/duct-bank; and MPOE & DEMARC entrance facilities.
• Experience coordinating permitting, right-of-way/easements, and AHJ/utility approvals on the critical path.
• Familiarity with fiber testing and commissioning (e.g., OTDR, OLTS/power meter, fusion splicing) sufficient to set acceptance criteria and validate contractor results.
• Strong vendor/contractor management and clear communication with internal stakeholders and external authorities.
• Proficiency with common design and documentation tools (e.g., AutoCAD or MicroStation, GIS/ArcGIS, Visio).
• Valid driver's license (role requires periodic field/site work and inspections).

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience delivering OSP and connectivity infrastructure for data centers, mission-critical facilities, hyperscale/cloud campuses, or large capital projects.
• Experience supporting builds at scale across multiple concurrent sites or campuses, including greenfield and live/retrofit environments.
• Familiarity with optical transport concepts (DWDM/CWDM, span loss, CD/PMD) and carrier/dark-fiber economics (IRU vs. lease vs. wavelength).
• Experience with outdoor DAS, CBRS spectrum coordination, and Private 5G outdoor coverage in campus environments.
• Familiarity with code and standards frameworks including NESC, NEC, GO-95, TIA-942, BICSI, and Division 27/28.
• Experience establishing OSP design standards, SOPs, QA/QC programs, and as-built/asset-management governance in a fast-growth organization.
• BICSI RCDD (or the Outside Plant/OSP specialty), or progress toward it, is a plus  
• PMP, PE license, or FOA Certified Fiber Optic credentials and OSHA 30.

 
Required Traits and Skills

• Leadership and Team Management: Inspire, guide, and develop a small, multi-disciplinary engineering team, enhancing performance, managing disputes, and fostering a collaborative environment across fiber/OSP, RF/DAS, and survey/permitting specialties.
• Effective Communication: Clearly convey expectations and requirements to vendors, contractors, and permitting authorities while understanding their needs and constraints, and comfortably deliver written and verbal updates to internal leadership.
• Critical Thinking Skills: Find innovative, constructible solutions and remain flexible in addressing unexpected field, permitting, and right-of-way challenges.
• Relationship Management: Cultivate trust, collaboration, and long-term partnerships across contractors, carriers, and jurisdictions, while building a network that provides benchmarking and alternative delivery options.
• Proactive Risk Management: Anticipate risks, identify vulnerabilities in routes, permits, and field execution, and proactively implement mechanisms to safeguard safety, availability, and schedule certainty.

Expected Salary Range

Base Salary: $175,000 – 200,000 + Discretionary Bonus

Tract employees enjoy competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits, including 100% employer-covered medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401K program, standard paid holidays, and unlimited PTO.

NOTE: This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. Employees may perform other related duties as assigned to meet the organization's ongoing needs.

Tract Capital is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants are considered for employment regardless of age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or veteran status. If you need assistance applying for any of our open positions, please contact us at info@tractcapital.com.