Network Maintenance & Construction Technician Trainee (Anchorage, Alaska)

GCI Communication Corp•Anchorage, AK

About The Position

GCI’s Network Maintenance & Construction Technician Trainee is an entry-level training role focused on outside network maintenance and telecommunications construction. The trainee develops job knowledge and competencies through company certification programs, education, hands-on training, and closely supervised work alongside experienced technicians. The role supports routine preventative and corrective maintenance and repairs to field and network facilities that deliver video, voice, data, and wireless services. Assignments may involve outside plant or inside plant maintenance and repair, outside plant construction, facilities maintenance and repair, or core network maintenance and repair. The trainee assists with construction, installation, testing, troubleshooting, and repair of telecommunications infrastructure and customer services. Work includes supporting aerial and underground projects; cable installation, relocation, splicing, and maintenance; network and power-system maintenance; signal testing; outage response; equipment installation; and customer service. The role may also support submarine cable operations, traffic control, heavy equipment operations, and field engineering. Duties are performed in varied indoor and outdoor environments, including remote Alaskan locations and adverse weather, and may involve working at heights, in trenches, near electrical conductors and gas lines, and outside regular hours. Candidates must reside within 50 miles of Anchorage, Alaska.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent.
At least six months of experience in a telecommunications or related technical field; a combination of relevant work experience and/or education may substitute for required years of experience on a year-for-year basis.
Valid driver’s license, proof of insurance, satisfactory driving record, and successful completion of a Defensive Driving course; must maintain these qualifications while driving for the company.
Must be able to obtain a commercial driver’s license within six months of employment if required.
May be required to successfully complete certifications and training within designated timeframes, including Defensive Driving, Company Online Installer, Pole Climbing, AK DOT Bucket Truck, and AK DOT-approved Flagger Certification.
Must obtain and maintain compliant identification and, when required, eligibility through applicable background checks within 90 days of hire or applicable regulatory changes.
Must be able to work assigned shifts and flexible hours, including overtime, on-call work, evenings, weekends, holidays, and work before or after normal shift hours when needed.
Must be able to travel to other systems throughout Alaska as required and respond to emergency after-hours business needs.
Ability to work safely inside and outside in cold weather, adverse driving conditions, and remote Arctic environments, and to tolerate Alaskan weather and temperature extremes.
Ability to ascend, descend, and work safely on poles, ladders, buckets, and towers; work may involve heights up to 40 feet on poles or ladders and towers up to 250 feet, and trenches up to 10 feet deep.
Ability to work around high-power electrical conductors and gas lines and in cramped, dark, dusty, damp, wet, hot, cold, or otherwise challenging work areas.
Ability to move and position equipment, ladders, and supplies weighing up to 70 pounds occasionally, up to 50 pounds regularly, and up to 20 pounds frequently.
High degree of balance, coordination, strength, dexterity, and physical agility to work on uneven or unstable surfaces and operate tools and equipment safely.
Visual acuity to assess details at near, mid, and far ranges; ability to distinguish colors used for driving, cable and electrical-component identification, and safety signage.
Auditory acuity to operate equipment and distinguish equipment signals and voices amid background noise.
Ability to communicate information and ideas effectively, make sound judgments, work well in a team, and serve a diverse group of people and customers.
Ability to read and interpret technical designs and city street maps and to operate and interpret data from test equipment.
Computer proficiency, including MS Office applications such as Outlook, Teams, Word, and Excel, and the ability to use industry-specific tracking, outage, and network-monitoring programs.
Must participate in drug and alcohol testing when required by contractual or client conditions and may be required to pass a physical or fitness-for-duty examination.
May be required to obtain a commercial driver’s license to meet contract requirements or transport heavy equipment.

Nice To Haves

Telecommunications experience.
Relevant telecommunications-industry or job-specific certifications.
Familiarity with cable modem systems, OTN interfaces, troubleshooting methods, and monitoring processes.

Responsibilities

Support aerial and underground telecommunications construction, cable installation, relocation, maintenance, excavation, and site restoration while following safety protocols and construction standards.
Assist with routine preventative and corrective maintenance, testing, troubleshooting, and repairs of facilities and networks providing video, voice, data, and wireless services.
Assess field conditions and conduct tests and measurements to evaluate signal quality; perform balancing, sweeping, aligning, and other work to maintain network performance.
Support maintenance and repair of RF, microwave, fiber optic, AC/DC, HFC, and other network systems, including responding to alarms and outages and replacing failed equipment.
Perform or assist with copper, fiber optic, and coaxial cable splicing and with underground cable locating, rewiring, facility upgrades, cabling, and impairment mitigation.
Install, service, and troubleshoot telecommunications equipment and analog and digital video, voice, and data services from tap or demarcation points to customer premises.
Assist with network signal processing, headend systems, outside plant infrastructure, field facilities, and core network maintenance and repair.
Support submarine cable operations, including optical safety procedures and OTDR testing, documenting faults, splice loss, and repair results; may board vessels as an on-site operations observer.
Maintain and repair AC/DC power supplies, replace batteries, install power equipment and cabling, respond to power outages, and deploy generators when needed.
Operate heavy equipment and vehicles as assigned; transport tools, materials, and equipment to job sites and perform routine vehicle maintenance.
Trim trees and remove wooden poles as needed to protect aerial lines and network integrity.
Implement traffic-control measures and maintain required flagger certification.
Assist with procurement of construction and repair equipment and materials, including Harmonic Fiber Transport systems.
Communicate with SMC or Dispatch to update and complete repair or trouble tickets; assist with installations, resolve service issues promptly, and escalate complex matters to the appropriate department or management.
Verify work-order accuracy, resolve discrepancies, collect payments and customer signatures, and keep documentation current, including reports, work orders, and route sheets.
Organize daily assignments, tools, and routes; use test equipment, hand tools, heavy machinery, technical designs, maps, and industry-specific programs to complete work efficiently.
Collaborate with senior technicians, vendors, remote support staff, customers, contractors, utility workers, colleagues, and the public; follow detailed instructions and seek guidance on unfamiliar assignments.
Provide professional customer service and explain technical information clearly to customers and other audiences.
Follow company policies, safety protocols, applicable codes and regulations, security requirements, and confidentiality practices; maintain accountability for vehicles, inventory, equipment, documentation, and assigned work.
Complete required company certifications and training within the designated timeframe, and maintain any required driving, flagger, regulatory, or other qualifications.