Job Details

About Us: Blackfoot Communications reliably connects business of all sizes across the nation using the latest telecommunication technology in voice, network, and managed services. With focus on strong connections, we also provide dedicated account management with a goal to get to know our clients so we can help advise on the best solution.

What We Offer: We offer opportunities in the telecommunications and technology sectors with positions in Western Montana and Eastern Idaho. Blackfoot is proud to offer a competitive salary and a fantastic benefits package that includes; comprehensive medical benefits plan, LTD, life insurance, an outstanding retirement pension plan plus a 401k plan that includes employer match, along with other employer paid benefits. We are proud to have received awards and recognition that highlight our strong company culture. These include "Employer of Choice" from the Missoula Job Service Employer's Council, "Top Tech Employer" from the Montana High Tech Business Alliance, and the "Heart Award" from the United Way of Missoula County in recognition of our ongoing community efforts.

Job Summary: This position is responsible for the engineering of all types of network equipment and supporting transport infrastructure, including planning and design of fiber and radio frequency facilities. The Network Equipment Engineers fill a vital gap between the logical design of the network and all of the underlying infrastructure.

Essential Job Duties and Responsibilities:

• Provide engineering, estimating, planning, budgeting and ordering of switching, toll, power, other communications platforms, data network equipment, subscriber carrier equipment, fiber optic transport and may include designing of special circuits and radio frequency equipment (RF).
• Engineer AC and DC power distribution including (but not limited to) circuit breaker/fuse panels, generators, batteries, rectifiers, inverters, etc., specifically as related to communications and data environments.
• Conduct load audits for existing power generation and battery backup systems.
• Ensure electrical distribution systems and workplace practices comply with current National Electrical Code (NEC) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations.
• Plan, design, and implement IP, Course Wave Division Multiplexing (CWDM), Dense Wave Division Multiplexing (DWDM) transport networks.
• Create work orders for conduit, cable/wire racking, raceway, and equipment placement within Telecom and data environments.
• Create work orders for the installation of equipment, fiber/cable management, AC/DC power distribution, and rack placement. Oversee short term and long term planning for space, power, and cooling utilization in network infrastructure locations including placement of future racks, power needs, fiber management, etc.
• Create and maintain accurate records of facilities and infrastructure for all network equipment locations, including the use of CAD software to create schematics.
• Provide budgeting information, cost estimating, and planning for overall infrastructure needs.
• Find, qualify, and work with outside contractors, as well as procure permits and licenses for projects.

Additional Job Duties and Responsibilities:

• Perform other duties and responsibilities as required to fulfill job function or as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

Knowledge of:

• company policies, procedures, products and services.
• general office practices and procedures.
• Telecommunications industry and data network equipment and systems.
• Time management and organizational skills.
• telecom infrastructure and ISP network design, including cable counts, plant records, cable makeup, fiber connectivity, etc.
• telecom transport equipment and the services/protocols utilized for each (i.e., DWDM, SONET, Ethernet, TDM, etc.).
• telecom access equipment and the services/protocols utilized for each (i.e., POTS, ADSL, VDSL, GPON, Ethernet, etc.).
• local and national regulations (i.e., NFPA 70e and OSHA).

• conductor sizing and power load design.
• grounding and bonding concepts and the ability to implement them.

Skill to:

• provide strong analytical abilities.
• write original material, edit, proofread, and finalize written material.
• gather and report numerical data and produce statistical reports.
• operate various office equipment such as a computer, copy machine, fax machine and multi-line telephone.

Ability to:

• work independently.
• think analytically and be a problem solver.
• communicate effectively, both in writing and in speaking, with customers, co-workers, and various business contacts in a courteous and professional manner.
• work completely and accurately under time constraints and deadlines.
• read, analyze, and interpret reports.
• provide excellent customer service.
• work in a safe and effective manner.
• maintain confidentiality of Company and customer records when required.
• obtain and maintain a valid Montana driver's license, have a good driving record and be insured under the Company insurance policy.
• be proficient in writing and maintaining records for circuits and builds.

Education and Experience:

Required:

• Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering or related field.
• 3 years of experience with datacenter, commercial, or other high availability AC and DC power systems.

Preferred:

• Telecommunications experience.
• Experience implementing optical transport systems
• Experience utilizing -48VDC power systems

Any combination equivalent to the following education and experience that would provide the required knowledge, skills and abilities would qualify. A typical way to obtain knowledge, skills and abilities would be:

Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering or related field; 5 years of experience in an engineering related field, working on telecommunications networks, including work on switching, transmission, and toll equipment.

Any noted minimum or maximum years of experience should not be construed as a requirement for consideration; this information is meant to be used as a suggested guideline.