GCI's Senior Manager, Construction Management & Engineering (Outside Plant – OSP) wll provide strategic leadership and operational oversight for the organization’s Outside Plant infrastructure programs, including OSP Design Engineering, Construction Management, and Fiber Implementation & Splicing teams.
This role is responsible for the planning, design, construction, and delivery of telecommunications infrastructure supporting fiber optic and Hybrid Fiber-Coaxial (HFC) networks. The position ensures that all projects are executed in accordance with company standards, regulatory requirements, approved budgets, and project schedules.
The Senior Manager serves as the primary OSP design and construction authority throughout the full project lifecycle, providing leadership from concept development and network design through field construction, testing, and final handoff to Operations. This role works closely with engineering, operations, contractors, and executive leadership to ensure scalable, reliable, and high-quality network infrastructure delivery.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: This leadership position requires the following non-delegable responsibilities:
- Fully own the mission, goals, operations, and results of the team and areas of responsibility.
- Provide strong leadership to span of control (direct and indirect reports); demonstrate effective leadership in all interactions companywide. This leadership includes generating enthusiasm and shared commitment; identifying and setting direction; teaching, growing, and empowering; owning outcomes; and leading by example. Specific leadership duties include:
- Establishing the vision and tone for the department, consistent with company culture and mission.
- Establishing clear, measurable, and achievable goals and performance expectations and following up appropriately.
- Hiring individuals who can accomplish those goals and meet those expectations; providing them the open communication, training, tools, and mentoring needed to be successful and develop professionally; establishing a development path commensurate with capabilities and potential.
- Providing clear and accurate feedback to individuals and teams on a timely and consistent basis. Identifying and addressing performance problems early and effectively before they damage GCI’s interests and demoralize other employees.
- Effectively managing processes including annual performance reviews, compensation adjustments, promotions, demotions, transfers, and disciplinary actions up to and including termination in an unbiased and consistent manner.
Strategic Leadership:
- Establish and communicate a clear departmental vision aligned with company strategy, culture, and operational goals.
- Define measurable performance objectives and ensure alignment with organizational priorities.
- Lead and develop high-performing teams by promoting accountability, transparency, and continuous improvement.
- Recruit, hire, and retain technical and leadership talent capable of meeting departmental and operational objectives.
- Provide mentoring, coaching, and professional development opportunities to support leadership growth and succession planning.
- Ensure consistent and equitable administration of performance management processes including reviews, compensation actions, promotions, transfers, and disciplinary actions.
Construction & Design Engineering Leadership:
- Serve as the primary escalation point for complex OSP design, construction, and engineering matters.
- Provide leadership and oversight for the development and execution of fiber and HFC infrastructure projects.
- Ensure engineering designs and field construction activities meet approved specifications, company standards, and regulatory requirements.
- Oversee contractor selection, performance, and compliance with company policies and project expectations.
- Ensure adequate organizational presence at construction sites through field inspections and project reviews.
- Validate contractor capabilities and capacity to support multi-year infrastructure expansion and modernization initiatives.
Process Ownership & Standards Governance:
- Act as the accountable leader for OSP design and construction standards, policies, and procedures.
- Collaborate with technical leadership and field operations to develop, document, and maintain standardized processes.
- Drive operational consistency through process standardization and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Implement best practices to improve safety, quality, efficiency, and regulatory compliance across construction programs.
- Establish governance processes to ensure adherence to design and construction standards.
Budget Management & Resource Allocation:
- Develop and manage departmental operating and capital budgets to ensure effective resource utilization.
- Provide leadership and oversight for project budgeting, cost tracking, and financial forecasting.
- Ensure teams develop accurate cost estimates, schedules, and project resource plans.
- Communicate project risks, delays, and mitigation strategies to executive leadership and stakeholders.
- Monitor project performance against budget and schedule targets and implement corrective actions when necessary.
Quality Assurance & Safety:
- Develop, document, and enforce construction quality assurance and safety standards.
- Ensure projects comply with internal standards, engineering specifications, and regulatory requirements.
- Conduct site inspections and audits to verify adherence to design, safety, and quality standards.
- Facilitate training on quality control procedures, safety practices, and regulatory compliance.
- Analyze inspection and audit results to identify trends and drive continuous improvement.
Team Development & Organizational Leadership:
- Provide leadership oversight for three functional teams:
- OSP Design Engineering
- OSP Construction Management
- Statewide Implementations / Fiber Implementation & Splicing
- Mentor managers and technical leaders in construction management, engineering practices, and leadership development.
- Promote professional development through training, certifications, and technical skill advancement.
- Conduct performance evaluations and provide constructive feedback to support employee growth and organizational effectiveness.
COMPETENCIES: - ACCOUNTABILITY- Takes ownership for actions, decisions, and results; openly accepts feedback and demonstrates a willingness to improve.
- Demonstrated ability to lead organizations to high levels of performance while maintaining employee engagement and morale.
- Proactively identifies opportunities for improvement and drives results with minimal supervision.
- BASIC PRINCIPLES - Interacts with people in a way that builds mutual trust, confidence, and respect; adheres to GCI’s Code of Conduct for Employees – the Basic Principles.
- COLLABORATION - Works effectively with others to accomplish common goals and objectives; maintains positive relationships even under difficult circumstances.
- Works effectively across engineering, operations, finance, and leadership teams.
- Maintains productive relationships even in complex or high-pressure environments.
- COMMUNICATION- Conveys thoughts and expresses ideas appropriately and professionally.
- Ability to communicate effectively through written, verbal, and virtual channels.
- Capable of translating complex technical information into understandable business language.
- Comfortable presenting to leadership, contractors, regulators, and cross-functional teams.
- Ability to interpret and communicate information from drawings, blueprints, specifications, spreadsheets, and technical documentation.
- COMPLIANCE - Follows internal controls; protects confidential information; abides by GCI’s Code of Business Conduct & Ethics.
- Demonstrated knowledge of applicable state, federal, and local regulations governing telecommunications infrastructure design and construction.
- Protect confidential and sensitive information in accordance with company policies.
- CUSTOMER FOCUS - Demonstrates commitment to service excellence gives high priority to customer satisfaction.
- RELIABILITY - Consistently follows through on assigned tasks as expected; demonstrates timely attendance at meetings, training, and other work obligations.
- RESULTS - Uses a combination of job knowledge, initiative, sound decision making, innovation, adaptability, and problem solving.
- Demonstrated ability to manage the growth, operation, maintenance, and reliability of network infrastructure assets.
- Strong understanding of telecommunications network architectures, deployment strategies, and operational requirements.
- Experience with fiber and coax network systems including network powering design.
- Ability to evaluate system performance specifications and infrastructure requirements.
- Strong knowledge of outside plant construction methods and engineering standards.
- Ability to read and interpret system design maps, plats, and technical documentation.
- SAFETY & SECURITY - Supports a safe work environment by following all workplace safety rules and guidelines; complies with applicable Security policies and procedures.
- CHANGE MANAGEMENT: champions and supports department and company change.
- DECISION MAKING: uses sound, logical judgment based on data, research, and experience to choose an appropriate course of action.
- Demonstrated ability to analyze complex challenging problems and situations leading to optimal solutions.
- PLANNING & IMPLEMENTATION: analyzes workload and establishes appropriate priorities; sets measurable and achievable goals and objectives for the team.
- Strong project management and contract administration skills.
- Ability to coordinate with property owners, contractors, utilities, regulatory agencies, and internal stakeholders.
- MENTORING & DEVELOPMENT: utilizes interpersonal skills to guide, direct, and influence others to achieve results.
- PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT: sets clear performance expectations for team.
- Demonstrated ability to lead diverse technical teams and drive performance improvements.
- Strong stakeholder engagement across operational and executive leadership levels.
- Proven experience leading organizations through technology and process transformation initiatives.
TECHNICAL COMPETENCIES:
- Fiber Optic Infrastructure:
- Experience with single-mode and multi-mode fiber systems
- FTTH / FTTB network deployments
- Optical splicing and testing methodologies
- HFC Network Infrastructure:
- Coaxial distribution systems
- Amplifier cascades and node segmentation
- Signal performance optimization
- Engineering & Construction Management:
- Network architecture and capacity planning
- Project planning, contractor oversight, and construction scheduling
- Technical specification development and infrastructure deployment
- Proficient computer skills and MS Office knowledge (e.g., Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel) to complete job duties effectively.
Minimum Qualifications:
Required: *A combination of relevant work experience and/or education sufficient to perform the duties of the job may substitute to meet the total years required on a year-for-year basis
- High School diploma or equivalent.
- Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Business, Telecommunications, or a related field. *
- Minimum of ten (10) years of progressive experience in telecommunications Outside Plant (OSP) operations, construction management, engineering, project management, or related fields. * Extensive hands-on experience with fiber optics and HFC plant technologies.
- Including a minimum of three (3) years of demonstrated experience managing construction, engineering, and technical teams simultaneously in a supervisory or management position
Preferred:
- Master’s degree in related discipline
- Industry certifications such as:
- PMP (Project Management Professional)
- BICSI
- CCM (Certified Construction Manager)
- SCTE (Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers)
- NECA
- Regulatory experience involving utility commission proceedings or municipal franchise agreements.
- Experience with large-scale telecommunications infrastructure deployment projects.
- Exposure to emerging technologies such as:
- Network automation
- AI-driven network maintenance
- IoT-enabled infrastructure management.
DRIVING REQUIREMENTS:
- This position requires driving a company-owned vehicle, company provided vehicle, or a personal vehicle on behalf of the company. Must possess and maintain a valid driver’s license, proof of insurance, a satisfactory driving record, and successfully complete Defensive Driving course.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS and WORKING CONDITIONS: - Work can be intense and stressful due to time and resource limitations when scheduling multiple tasks with inflexible deadlines.
- May have to deal with upset customers, vendors, and contractors.
- Position requires occasional travel for business and training purposes, sometimes on short notice.
- Extensive travel to worksites during construction season may be required.
- Work performed at offices, remote offices, and client sites.
- Work is primarily sedentary, requiring daily routine computer usage.
- Ability to work shifts as assigned, work in standard office/home office setting, and operate standard office equipment.
- Ability to accurately communicate information and ideas to others effectively.
- Physical agility and effort sufficiently to perform job duties safely and effectively.
- Ability to make valid judgments and decisions.
- Available to work additional time on weekends, holidays, before or after normal work hours when necessary.
- Must work well in a team environment and be able to work with a diverse group of people and customers.
- Virtual workers must comply with remote work policies and agreements.
- This position may require field visits to construction sites and collaboration with various teams in an office setting. Flexibility in work hours may be necessary to accommodate project timelines and client needs.
- * This position is eligible for remote work with geographic restrictions. The employee must be based in Alaska to support operational collaboration and business needs. Anchorage is the preferred location, though candidates residing in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley (Palmer or Wasilla), Kenai/Soldotna, Homer, Fairbanks, or other locations within Alaska may be considered.
The company and its subsidiaries operate in a 24/7 environment providing critical services to Alaskans and may need to respond to public health and safety matters or other business emergencies. Due to business needs, employees may be contacted outside of the core business hours to respond to the immediate emergency. As such, you will be requested to provide emergency after-hour contact numbers, to include your home and cell phone numbers if you have those services.
Culture, Engagement, and Connection: At GCI, we foster an environment where the unique perspectives of our employees, customers, and fellow Alaskans are celebrated. We add value to our community by nurturing and empowering each member of our workforce, ensuring equal opportunities for every Trailblazer.
EEO: GCI is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability, veteran status, or any other status or classification protected under applicable state or federal law.
DISCLAIMER: The above information on this description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job.
All employees of GCI work in support of the GCI Mission Statement and Declaration of Principles which are located on the GCI Career page and Employee portal.
