Fiber Optical Repair Technician

EOS•Montgomery, AL

About The Position

The Fiber Optical Repair Technician is responsible for repairing, restoring, and maintaining fiber optic infrastructure, including splicing, testing, and troubleshooting single-mode and ribbon fiber cables. The role supports rapid restoration of network services and operational excellence in high-availability environments. The technician is expected to demonstrate strong technical competency and situational awareness in live network environments and to lead or coordinate complex restoration efforts under pressure. The position involves emergency restorations and planned maintenance, fault isolation, cable preparation and splicing, post-repair testing, root cause analysis, documentation, and compliance with industry standards and safety regulations. The technician collaborates with field operations, network engineers, project managers, clients, and junior team members, participates in on-call rotations, and contributes to training and continuous improvement of restoration processes.

Requirements

At least 5 years of experience in fiber optic repair, splicing, testing, and restoration, including live-network work.
Proficiency with OTDR, OLTS, power meters, fusion splicers, fiber identifiers, and inspection scopes.
Ability to interpret OTDR traces, event tables, and loss readings for fault localization.
Knowledge of fiber types, LC, SC, MPO, and MTP connector standards, and splice protection methods.
Experience with single-mode OS1/OS2 and multimode OM3/OM4/OM5 fibers.
Familiarity with high-count and ribbon fiber systems, including 864+ and 1728+ fibers, and mass fusion techniques.
Ability to work in outside plant (OSP) and inside plant (ISP) conditions.
Awareness of data center physical infrastructure, structured cabling systems, and routing standards.
Understanding of Layer 1 principles, optical signal flow, and basic network architecture for troubleshooting.
Experience restoring and maintaining backbone, metro, or enterprise optical networks.
Ability to perform detailed fault isolation under time pressure and conduct root cause analysis.
Ability to identify environmental and mechanical stress factors that affect fiber reliability.
Understanding of laser safety, confined-space procedures, lockout/tagout (LOTO), and PPE use.
Commitment to safety-first practices, quality workmanship, cleanliness, and proper fiber-material handling.
Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills under pressure.
Clear, professional communication skills for incident coordination and client interaction.
Ability to collaborate with or lead multidisciplinary field teams.
Strong organizational skills and accurate, consistent documentation practices.
Ability to work independently and adapt to challenging environments.
Proficiency with digital reporting systems and fiber management databases.
Comfort with network mapping, GIS, or ticketing platforms for incident tracking.
Competence with Microsoft Office Suite, Google Workspace, and documentation software.

Nice To Haves

FOA CFOT, CFOS/T, BICSI Technician, or equivalent industry certification.
OEM training, such as Corning, AFL, or Sumitomo fusion splicer certification.
Experience in data center, metro network, or hyperscale infrastructure environments.
Prior project leadership, team supervision, or field coordination experience.
Valid driver’s license and flexibility to travel or work in variable field conditions.

Responsibilities

Perform fault isolation and repair of fiber optic cables and connectors from initial fault detection through full service restoration.
Conduct emergency restorations and planned maintenance while adhering to SLAs.
Splice single and ribbon fiber in Meet-Me Vaults (MMVs), splice cases, and central Optical Distribution Frames (ODFs).
Prepare cables by stripping jackets, accessing buffer tubes, cleaning and cleaving fibers, splicing, and applying protection.
Use precision repair tools and follow live-traffic handling procedures to minimize service disruption.
Operate fiber testing instruments and conduct post-repair verification, including loss testing, reflectance analysis, and trace review.
Interpret OTDR traces to locate break points, microbends, and connector faults.
Conduct root cause analysis of recurring or systemic network issues and implement corrective and preventive measures.
Maintain accurate records of repair activities, test results, and maintenance logs.
Comply with applicable industry standards and local safety regulations and support audits and quality assurance processes.
Coordinate repair activities with field operations, network engineers, and project managers.
Guide, mentor, and provide on-the-job training to junior team members.
Participate in on-call rotations and respond to outages within defined SLAs, including a stated four-hour response for emergencies.
Provide internal teams and clients with real-time incident updates and restoration progress reports.
Stay current with fiber technologies, repair techniques, and industry practices; participate in training and workshops.
Contribute to standard operating procedures and restoration workflow improvements.