Manager, Inside Plant (ISP) Engineering

Job Responsibilities

• Directly lead, manage, and develop a small team of three specialists — the Senior Inside Plant Engineer (structured cabling, IDF/MDF, rack-and-stack), the Signal Systems Engineer (ERRCS/BDA, indoor DAS, 5G boosters), and the Safety Systems Specialist (lone-worker, mass notification, duress, BMS).
• 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 and decision-maker when sub-specialties intersect (e.g., where cabling, in-building RF coverage, and life-safety systems must be reconciled in the same space).
• Coach and grow each team member's technical and professional skills, building bench strength and cross-coverage so the small team can support multiple concurrent campuses without single points of failure.
• Own the Inside Plant engineering function end-to-end — structured cabling (fiber and copper), MDF/IDF and distribution areas, racks and passive infrastructure, cable trays and pathways, cross-connects, and intra-/inter-building fiber — from pre-construction design through construction, commissioning, and as-built turnover.
• Guide structured-cabling design (rack elevations, cable schedules, pathway/fill and separation, labeling, firestopping) and establish Inside Plant design standards and QA/QC criteria for consistent, repeatable campus builds.
• Oversee in-building signal, life-safety, and safety-systems deliverables — ERRCS/BDA, indoor DAS, 5G boosters, lone-worker devices, mass notification/PA, duress, and BMS integration — ensuring fire-marshal/AHJ compliance and relying on the Signal Systems Engineer and Safety Systems Specialist for specialist depth.
• Review and validate engineering and contractor deliverables (drawings, BOMs, redlines, as-builts) for accuracy, constructability, and code/standards compliance (e.g., TIA-942, ANSI/TIA-568/569/606, BICSI 002, NEC, Division 27/28, NFPA/IFC for ERRCS).
• Drive cabling and low-voltage 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 and copper certification, fusion splicing, ERRCS signal-level testing) meet standards, and that as-built records are captured in the appropriate documentation/asset systems.
• Drive clean commissioning handover to the Daily Operations / Network Operations and Safety Systems Operations teams, and partner cross-functionally with Outside Plant (OSP) 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, Information Technology, Construction Management, or a related technical discipline, or equivalent practical experience.
• 10+ years in inside-plant / structured-cabling engineering, data center physical-layer infrastructure, or low-voltage/communications 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 communications or low-voltage infrastructure.
• Experience leading a small team whose members hold different sub-specialties; you do not need to have personally managed structured cabling, in-building RF/life-safety, and safety systems all at once — the ability to direct and coordinate specialists is what matters.
• Strong, hands-on working knowledge of low voltage structured cabling design and build — fiber and copper, redundant (HA) MDF/IDF rooms, racks and pathways, cross-connects, raceways, risers and high-density/MPO concepts (this is the role's anchor discipline).
• Familiarity with one or more adjacent inside-plant areas — in-building signal/life-safety systems (ERRCS/BDA, indoor DAS) and cabling testing/commissioning (OTDR, OLTS/power meter, copper certification) — with the ability to come up to speed on the others and set acceptance criteria.
• Strong vendor/contractor management and clear communication with internal stakeholders and external authorities.
• Proficiency with common design and documentation tools (e.g., AutoCAD or Revit, Bluebeam, Visio) and inventory management design.
• Valid driver's license (role requires periodic field/site work and inspections).

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience delivering inside-plant and structured-cabling 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 high-density and AI/GPU fabric cabling, MPO/MTP breakout and shuffle harnesses, and hot/cold-aisle containment pathway design.
• Experience with ERRCS/BDA design and AHJ approval, indoor DAS, and in-building 5G/CBRS coverage.
• Familiarity with code and standards frameworks including TIA-942, ANSI/TIA-568/569/606/607, ISO/IEC 11801, BICSI 002, NEC, and Division 27/28.
• Experience establishing cabling design standards, SOPs, QA/QC programs, and as-built/asset-management governance in a fast-growth organization.
• BICSI RCDD (or the DCDC Data Center Design Consultant credential), or progress toward it, is a plus.
• PMP, OSHA 30, FOA fiber certifications, or manufacturer cabling certifications (e.g., Corning, CommScope, Panduit, Leviton) are also a plus.