Telecommunications and Radio Frequency Engineer

Noblis•UNAVAILABLE, UNAVAILABLE

24d

About The Position

The Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 established the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) as an independent authority within NTIA under the Department of Commerce, charging it with building, deploying, and operating a Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network (NPSBN). FirstNet provides emergency responders with a dedicated nationwide high-speed broadband network to increase collaboration between emergency responders, helping to save lives, solve crimes, and keep communities safer. The network fulfills a fundamental need of the public safety community and a key recommendation of the 9/11 Commission, enabling local, state, territory, tribal, and federal emergency responders to communicate during natural disasters, security threats, or other emergencies. Position Overview This position requires telecommunications engineering and radio frequency expertise to support FirstNet Authority's oversight of the development, deployment, and operation of the NPSBN, a nationwide mobile broadband network comprised of 4G/LTE, and 5G technologies. This includes providing Radio Frequency Engineering Studies and Technical Analysis of Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network related data and deliverables; engineering support to the FirstNet Authority laboratory in Boulder, CO through live network measurement test log analysis and engineering data investigations and assessments; and providing technical subject matter expertise for the highly technical verification and validation process specific to the evolution of the Network Core and Radio Access Network (RAN) from Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology to 5G New Radio and the enhancement and expansion of Network Coverage through targeted coverage enhancements.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in relevant field (telecommunications, computer science, cybersecurity, or related discipline)
Minimum 9 years experience in telecommunications engineering or related field.
Associate's degree and 11 years experience
Master's degree and 7 years experience
Ph.D. and 5 years experience
Expert in telecommunication field which historically included a detailed understanding of project management best practices and current understanding of the build, operations, and management of an interoperable nationwide wireless network. This includes knowledge of 4G and 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) as well as understanding of coverage and capacity planning for a wireless network, Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) management, and Operational Support System (OSS)/Business Support System (BSS).
Extensive technician level experience in the telecommunication field which includes knowledge of best practices and current understanding of the build, operations, and management of an interoperable nationwide wireless network.
Familiarity with the interconnection of wireless telecommunications network equipment such as cellular 4G and 5G Remote Radio Units (RRU), Base Band Units (BBU), and Cell site routers.
Familiarity with Telecommunications Industry Associations (TIA) grounding and bonding standards TIA-607-B.
Familiarity with and will be responsible for installing telecommunications test equipment in accordance plans, specifications, and detailed instructions, or re-installing repaired or modified systems.
Familiarity with industry standard software and systems such as: InfoVista’s Planet tool, MapInfo, ESRI Arc-GIS, Tableau, Microsoft Power Automate, Sharepoint and PowerApps and telecommunication drive test postprocessing tools such as Accuver’s XCAL, and Rohde and Schwarz QualiPoc tools
Strong professional, interpersonal, and organizational skills
Strong written and verbal communication skills with ability to create technical documents for various audiences
Ability to work independently and as part of a team in a fast-paced environment
Ability to obtain and maintain a federal government FirstNet Suitability clearance.
US Citizenship

Nice To Haves

Experience with mobile wireless network architecture critical design reviews
Knowledge of wireless network coverage and capacity planning, and network build, operations, and management
Experience supporting federal agencies with telecommunications oversight
Experience with nationwide public safety communications programs or projects
Certifications such as Project Management Professional (PMP)

Responsibilities

Review mobile telecommunication coverage maps, and other related documentation/statistics provided by the FirstNet Authority or its vendor to determine accuracy of coverage provided.
Perform engineering assessments of NPSBN coverage and capacity data against established coverage baselines using on-air coverage reports.
Assess drive test data collected from the field and perform statistical assessments against predicted design On-Air Coverage plots using state-of-the-art geographic information systems and tools.
Review wireless technology and network metrics data and provide recommendations for project and program improvement.
Analyze and provide feedback on industry standard software and systems to include, but not limited to: InfoVista’s Planet tool, MapInfo, ESRI Arc-GIS, Tableau, Microsoft Power Automate, Sharepoint and PowerApps and telecommunication drive test postprocessing tools such as Accuver’s XCAL, and Rohde and Schwarz QualiPoc tools.
Conduct various types of analyses and support development of network measurement reports on 4G LTE and 5G data including analyses on network deployment, performance, adoption, and usage data.
Support the remediation of existing MS Applications, and the development, and creation of multiple MS applications such as but not limited to: SharePoint, Lists, and Forms, MS Teams Integration, and Power Platform (i.e. Power BI, Power Apps, and Power Automate).
Provide SME expertise in the telecommunication field, which historically includes a detailed understanding of project management best practices and current understanding of the build, operations, and management of an interoperable nationwide wireless network. This includes knowledge of 4G and 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) as well as understanding of coverage and capacity planning for a wireless network, Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) management, and Operational Support System (OSS)/Business Support System (BSS).
Create white papers and technical papers to support informed decision making.
Review and comment on program documents to support informed decision making.
Engage with stakeholders at all levels across the organization which has historically included subject matter experts, business partners, vendors, and task managers.
Review the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network (NPSBN) data to identify trends within the NPSBN's various ecosystems. This includes the review NPSBN cellular data coverage maps and report findings to the FirstNet Subject Matter Expert (SME).
Assist with the development, review, and summarization of projects, project reports, and program data.
Review product integration and service activation test data and make recommendations for project and program and process improvements
This position requires successful completion of a federal government suitability determination conducted by the US Federal Government's FirstNet Security Office. Candidates must be eligible to obtain and maintain a government-granted suitability clearance. This will include, though may not be limited to, identity verification, fingerprinting, background investigation.