Engineering Manager - Joint Use

Description

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, and an employee assistance program. We offer very generous vacation, sick, and holiday time off, a 401k program with a generous employer match, 529 college savings match, and bonus opportunities.

Job Summary

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.

Key Responsibilities

Joint Use & Compliance

• 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.
  
  

Permitting & Right-of-Way

• 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 other joint use interfaces.
  
  

Team Leadership & Operations

• Lead and supervise a team of engineers, coordinators, inspectors, contractors, and vendors by setting expectations, performance metrics, and accountability; conduct meetings, reviews, and coaching to drive continuous improvement.
• Manage the full lifecycle of joint use work orders from notification through construction and closeout; implement process improvements to reduce cycle times, eliminate rework, and improve data accuracy.
• Utilize dashboards and reporting tools to monitor KPIs such as permit turnaround time, violation clearance rates, and cost recovery.
• Manage third-party attacher, utility partner, and vendor relationships; negotiate and administer joint use agreements; track contract compliance and vendor performance.
• Effectively partner with Construction and Installation & Maintenance management to ensure adherence to all applicable joint use guidelines and standards; conduct post-construction QA/QC inspections as needed.
• Conduct regular site inspections to monitor progress, quality, and compliance.
• Function as an effective team manager in hiring, coaching, mentoring, and facilitating training programs for employees, partnering with HR as needed.
• Develop and maintain internal standard operating procedures for efficient operational management.
• Represent Hunter Communications with trade groups, associations, and in public forums as needed.
  
  

Requirements

Qualifications:

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field or equivalent work experience in OSP engineering, joint use, or utility coordination.
  
  

Experience

At Hunter Communications, we strive to put all people first, do the right thing, make it easy, go the extra mile, lead the pack, and fight for our customers. We’re looking for someone who can help us be better together, with existing strengths that will be crucial to success in this role.

These Strengths Are

• Minimum of 5–7 years of experience in joint use, OSP engineering and construction management, or utility coordination within the telecommunications industry.
• Minimum of 2 years of experience leading crews, contractors, or small teams.
• Working knowledge of municipal, state, federal, tribal, and railway permitting requirements and processes, with particular focus on Oregon and California.
• Strong understanding of OPUC, OJUA, NESC, and OAR rules and regulations; familiarity with aerial and underground OSP construction and joint use compliance.
• Demonstrated experience as a metric-driven leader with excellent problem-solving skills, balancing performance and quality while clearly communicating expectations to the team and management.
• Proficiency in OSP design tools, project management software, and GIS applications.
• Proven knowledge of and ability to effectively operate Windows-based computers and Android or iOS mobile devices, including Microsoft Office Suite, Google Earth, and other Google Suite tools; familiarity with dashboards and reporting tools preferred.
• Advanced teamwork and problem-solving skills; demonstrated ability to build and maintain successful working relationships with permitting contacts and other stakeholders.
• Ability to establish priorities, work independently, and proceed with objectives without direct supervision.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills, with comfort representing the company publicly and in stakeholder forums.
• Negotiation skills for contracts and vendor relationships.
• Current Oregon Traffic Control Technician (TCT) or Traffic Control Supervisor (TCS) certification, or the ability to obtain either within 60 days of hire.
• Valid driver’s license and proven ability to safely operate a company-owned and/or personal motor vehicle in accordance with Hunter Communications policy and applicable laws. Drivers of company vehicles are subject to a pre-employment drug screen, MVR check, and random testing.
  
  

EEO Statement

Hunter Communications provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.