Dir, Wireline Access & Fiber Systems (HFC, PON, Fiber)

About the role

The Dir, Wireline Access & Fiber Systems will lead the technical direction and governance for GCI's broadband access and fiber systems portfolio, including DOCSIS HFC broadband platforms, PON/FTTx access platforms, and supporting fiber systems.

Responsibilities

• Own the mission, goals, technical direction, and governance outcomes of the team and assigned engineering domain.
• Provide strong leadership to span of control (direct and indirect reports); demonstrate effective leadership in all interactions companywide.
• Establish the vision and tone for the department, consistent with company culture and mission.
• Establish clear, measurable, and achievable goals and performance expectations and follow up appropriately.
• Hire individuals who can accomplish those goals and meet those expectations; provide them the open communication, training, tools, and mentoring needed to be successful and develop professionally; establish a development path commensurate with capabilities and potential.
• Provide clear and accurate feedback to individuals and teams on a timely and consistent basis.
• Identify and address performance problems early and effectively before they damage GCI’s interests and demoralize other employees.
• Effectively manage processes including annual performance reviews, compensation adjustments, promotions, demotions, transfers, and disciplinary actions up to and including termination in an unbiased and consistent manner.
• Establish, approve, and maintain domain standards, technical policies, reference architectures, and engineering governance requirements.
• Define and oversee the Board of Design (BoD) framework, including design review criteria, documentation requirements, and evidence necessary to demonstrate design readiness.
• Approve technical designs and solutions prior to execution, ensuring alignment with architectural standards, strategic objectives, operational requirements, and regulatory obligations.
• Exercise authority to reject, defer, or require modification of proposed solutions that do not meet established standards or governance requirements, unless an approved exception has been granted through the formal governance process.
• Serve as the final technical authority for major architectural decisions, documenting key design choices, risks, assumptions, and trade-offs within the technical decision log.
• Govern technical exceptions and waivers, ensuring appropriate review, approval, mitigation planning, and retirement of deviations from approved standards.
• Provide technical guidance and decision-making support for complex initiatives, cross-functional programs, and strategic infrastructure investments.
• Partner with Operations and Delivery leaders to resolve design, readiness, and performance issues identified during implementation or run-state operations.
• Own technical standards and design acceptance criteria; operational teams own run-state execution and incident response unless otherwise assigned.

Qualifications

• Proven leadership experience in a technical or engineering role.
• Strong understanding of DOCSIS HFC broadband platforms, PON/FTTx access platforms, and fiber systems.
• Experience in defining and enforcing engineering standards and architectural governance.
• Ability to translate business objectives into clear technical direction and drive technical direction, scalability, lifecycle management, and engineering governance.
• Excellent communication skills to partner with operations and delivery teams.
• Experience in managing and resolving performance problems and providing feedback.
• Knowledge of regulatory obligations and ability to ensure alignment with strategic objectives.
• Experience in managing and approving technical designs and solutions.
• Ability to establish and maintain domain standards, technical policies, reference architectures, and engineering governance requirements.
• Experience in defining and overseeing the Board of Design (BoD) framework.
• Experience in governing technical exceptions and waivers.
• Experience in providing technical guidance and decision-making support for complex initiatives.
• Experience in partnering with Operations and Delivery leaders to resolve design, readiness, and performance issues.
• Experience in owning technical standards and design acceptance criteria.