OSP Fiber - Field Operations Supervisor

NextLink•Sulphur Springs, TX

About The Position

The OSP Fiber - Field Operations Supervisor provides hands-on leadership and operational oversight for outside plant fiber construction, installation support, preventive maintenance, emergency restoration, and network reliability across assigned service territories. The supervisor directs field technicians, splicers, contractors, and maintenance crews; coordinates with the NOC, engineering, construction, permitting, and other network providers; and is accountable for safety, workmanship, documentation, schedules, outage communications, and customer-impact mitigation. The role establishes priorities, develops employees, identifies network risks, and leads planned projects and time-critical restoration, including after-hours work. The supervisor oversees aerial and underground fiber activities, field safety and regulatory compliance, crew staffing and training, OSP construction and maintenance, testing and restoration, and coordination of controlled outages. The position maintains detailed operational records and reports, monitors field performance and contractor workmanship, and provides updates to management, the NOC, and other stakeholders. Work includes outdoor field assignments, splicing, operation of vehicles and equipment, and significant travel across service territories.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED equivalent.
Working knowledge of fiber splicing, OTDR interpretation, optical loss testing, PON/GPON systems, construction prints, and aerial and underground plant practices.
Ability to splice any type of fiber-optic cable in varied conditions.
Ability to safely operate a bucket truck and mini excavator.
Previous experience maintaining live optical/PON networks.
Understanding of low-voltage AC and DC polarity and AC-to-DC rectifying principles.
Ability to troubleshoot PON/GPON outages and use an OTDR to troubleshoot fiber from the network to the end user.
Ability to document field data for management and engineering, including work records, outage details, and as-built maps.
Understanding of backbone, feeder, and access-point principles in FTTX practices.
Ability to provide team leadership, directions, and training; experience conducting and providing team training.
Experience with DOT regulations.
Ability to orchestrate controlled outages and repairs in coordination with the NOC and required paperwork and channels.
Ability to work extended hours, nights, unscheduled days, and holidays as required; take calls at all hours and support field teams remotely.
Ability to communicate in person and by telephone, including at unusual hours.
Ability to use equipment safely in accordance with company, industry, and regulatory standards.
Skill using a Windows-based computer and computer programs for activation and verification of electronic equipment installs.
Ability to read and repair from blueprints, construction prints, wire diagrams, and splice documents.
Ability to perform mechanical tasks including splicing, reading voltage and fiber meters, testing, and troubleshooting.
Ability to prioritize and organize effectively, plan team tasks weeks in advance, and manage unplanned maintenance and outages.
Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment with changing priorities and multiple projects.
Ability to work outdoors in all weather conditions and in a splicing trailer.
Ability to work at varying heights from a bucket truck and at ground level in underground vaults.
Ability to reach, push, pull, hold, grasp, and perform fine manipulation tasks on cable and electronic equipment.
Good communication, organizational, and time-management skills; proven punctuality and ability to multitask.
Ability to maintain a clean and presentable company vehicle.
Must pass a drug screening test and criminal background check.
Must be able to work at least 40 hours per week, with overtime as needed.
Must be able to travel 70–100% of the time.

Nice To Haves

Demonstrated supervisory or lead experience in OSP fiber construction, maintenance, and emergency restoration.
Experience leading safety briefings, coaching crews, coordinating contractors, and managing field incident response.

Responsibilities

Set field safety expectations; conduct tailboard briefings and job hazard analyses; verify crews understand hazards, emergency procedures, and stop-work authority.
Enforce OSHA, company, DOT, utility-owner, and local work-zone requirements; coordinate training, inspections, corrective actions, and incident reporting.
Oversee safe aerial and underground operations, including bucket truck setup, fall protection, utility locates, excavation, vault entry, traffic control, and use of PPE.
Inspect fleet, trailers, fiber and testing equipment, locating equipment, tools, and heavy equipment; remove defective equipment from service and confirm operators are trained and authorized.
Lead incident response and investigations, document root causes and lessons learned, and track corrective actions to completion.
Assign and deploy crews across planned construction, emergency tickets, preventive maintenance, and customer-impacting work.
Coach employees, develop onboarding and cross-training plans, validate competency, conduct meetings and performance reviews, and address performance or safety concerns.
Coordinate staffing, on-call coverage, overtime, travel, contractor support, and escalation paths for operational readiness during nights, weekends, holidays, and outages.
Communicate status, risks, schedule changes, and decisions to technicians, management, engineering, NOC, customer-facing teams, and third parties.
Oversee the field lifecycle of OSP fiber assets, including route walkouts, aerial and underground construction, cable placement, handholes, vaults, enclosures, cabinets, and site restoration.
Plan and supervise installation, relocation, repair, and maintenance of backbone, feeder, distribution, and access/drop fiber networks, including PON/GPON systems.
Ensure cable identification, fiber counts and color codes, splice documentation, enclosure preparation, fusion splicing, connector inspection, and fiber-management standards.
Direct OTDR, optical power, light source, and continuity testing; review traces, loss budgets, event locations, and acceptance results.
Lead restoration of fiber cuts, high-loss events, damaged cabinets, water intrusion, failed splices, and other OSP incidents, prioritizing safety and customer and service impact.
Coordinate planned maintenance windows and controlled outages with the NOC, engineering, affected departments, and other carriers, including approvals, rollback plans, notifications, and service validation.
Coordinate with utility owners, municipalities, contractors, and other providers on permits, right-of-way access, locates, make-ready, damage prevention, turn-ups, upgrades, relocations, and decommissions.
Perform plant inspections and preventive maintenance, identify network risks, and ensure sites are cleaned up and restored safely and professionally.
Maintain work orders, splice records, fiber assignments, OTDR results, photographs, map redlines, as-built drawings, asset inventories, and maintenance histories.
Track and report outage timing, affected-customer counts, root causes, restoration intervals, repeat failures, safety observations, and project completion status.
Validate crew and contractor workmanship against prints, engineering specifications, test criteria, and closeout requirements; resolve deficiencies before acceptance.
Monitor productivity, rework, material usage, fleet readiness, and backlog; recommend process improvements and preventive actions.
Provide timely incident updates to management and the NOC and conduct post-incident reviews for significant outages.
Operate and safely use fiber equipment, a bucket truck, a mini excavator, and other equipment as required; perform splicing, testing, troubleshooting, and maintenance tasks.
Complete production reports, mark up maps, track work hours, and maintain detailed records, including after-hours work and customer outage information.
Lead meetings related to maintenance activities and take calls from field teams as needed, regardless of day or time.