JOB SUMMARY
The Senior Designer is responsible for the design, planning, and documentation of wired telecommunications infrastructure, including outside plant (OSP) and inside plant (ISP) copper and fibre optic systems. This role develops scalable, standards-compliant network designs and produces construction-ready documentation to support installation, testing, and commissioning activities. The Sr. Designer also provides technical mentorship and quality oversight across design projects, working closely with Sales, Service, Project Management, and clients.
We are looking for candidates with substantial hands-on experience designing and delivering telecommunications infrastructure projects. Demonstrated career experience and a strong project track record are valued more than formal certifications or professional designations — no professional licensing or registration is required for this role.
RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES
- Develop telecommunications design concepts and objectives, including route planning, pathway design, fibre allocation, strand management, splicing schematics, and loss budgets for both OSP (aerial and underground) and ISP structured cabling infrastructure.
- Perform technical planning, system integration, verification, and validation for telecommunications systems and subsystems.
- Prepare project plans, including required resources, development timelines, cost estimates, and link budgets.
- Establish design specifications and construction requirements by applying telecommunications engineering principles and industry standards.
- Develop and evaluate multiple system design alternatives and recommend the optimal solution.
- Provide cost-effective design solutions to complex telecommunications infrastructure challenges.
- Investigate and determine appropriate design factors, including equipment availability, material requirements, contractual specifications, and cost considerations.
- Identify potential technical risks, operational challenges, and design limitations, and recommend mitigation strategies.
- Perform site surveys to support telecommunications design work.
- Design and engineer ISP and OSP copper and fibre optic networks, including aerial and underground infrastructure.
- Develop fibre splicing, termination, and interconnection designs, including panels, closures, and cross-connects.
- Design GPON, XGS-PON, and FTTH architectures for access networks, including detailed design from the central office/hub to the customer's point of entry, terminal boundary mapping, and fibre count allocation across commercial, single-family, and multi-dwelling classifications.
- Assess and incorporate Right of Way (ROW), municipal, regional, and third-party requirements to compile permit documents based on specification sheets, joint-use agreements, utility maps, survey files, and as-built drawings.
- Produce structured cabling system designs for commercial, industrial, and institutional environments.
- Design LAN and WAN network architectures, including redundancy, resiliency, and segmentation strategies, and develop Layer 2/Layer 3 topology and traffic-flow considerations (no device-level configuration).
- Perform network capacity planning and infrastructure scaling analysis.
- Design data centre cabling systems and interconnect architectures, and develop carrier interconnection and demarcation designs, including entrance facilities and handoff points.
- Design grounding and bonding systems for telecommunications infrastructure in accordance with applicable standards.
- Coordinate with civil, structural, and electrical disciplines for overhead and underground infrastructure design.
- Define fibre testing and acceptance criteria, including certification methodologies (e.g., OTDR, loss testing).
- Prepare maps, schematics, system documentation, engineering drawings, bills of materials, and construction work packages to support installation, testing, and commissioning.
- Create Engineering Work Packages (EWP), Construction Work Packages (CWP), Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) reports, detailed Scope of Work (SOW), and Bills of Materials (BOM), including cabinet details, installation details, floor plans, cable routing layouts, and splicing and termination diagrams.
- Prepare Site Acceptance Test (SAT), Factory Acceptance Test (FAT), Inspection and Test Plans (ITP), construction work packages, and other technical documentation as needed.
- Develop Issued For Review (IFR) and Issued For Construction (IFC) work packages, and conduct constructability reviews prior to issuance to ensure successful project execution.
- Analyze Optical Time Domain Reflectometer (OTDR) traces and evaluate fibre optic cable characteristics against acceptance criteria.
- Respond to Requests for Information (RFIs) during the construction phase and review redline drawings and as-built documentation.
- Define system testing requirements and acceptance criteria, and provide technical direction for performance validation of deployed systems.
- Ensure designs conform to applicable codes and standards, including the Canadian Electrical Code (CEC) and Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) standards; familiarity with Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) requirements is an asset.
- Maintain accurate engineering documentation for project tracking and system lifecycle management.
- Prepare requests for proposals (RFPs), technical specifications, quotes, and vendor and technical bid evaluations.
- Evaluate current technical and design processes and procedures, and develop or improve standard procedures for design.
- Propose alternate design approaches and recommend the best alternative.
- Assist in the development and continuous improvement of the company quality system.
- Enhance engineering and organizational reputation by taking ownership of new and varied requests and identifying opportunities to add value.
- Work collaboratively with Sales, Service, and Project Management teams to support system design, sales support, and implementation.
- Provide technical expertise and engineering guidance during project planning and execution.
- Support commissioning activities and assist with troubleshooting, optimization, and performance improvement of deployed systems.
- Select and recommend equipment, and support vendor and contractor selection through technical evaluation of equipment and solutions.
- Mentor and provide technical guidance to junior designers and engineering staff.
- Other duties as required.
RELATIONSHIPS
The Senior Designer reports directly to the Engineering Manager (or General Manager of Engineering).
This role works closely with:
- Project Manager(s) / Project Coordinator(s)
- Sales Department
- Service Department
- Inventory Department
- Third-party contractors and vendors
- Clients and customers
AUTHORITY
The Senior Designer has authority to:
- Perform design activities and analysis applicable to their field of practice.
- Recommend equipment and system specifications.
- Provide technical recommendations to internal teams and project stakeholders.
- Ensure designs comply with applicable industry standards and regulatory requirements.
WORKING CONDITIONS AND PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT
This role primarily operates in an office environment, with occasional travel to project sites or customer locations. During site visits, the Senior Designer may be exposed to outdoor weather conditions and construction environments. Required personal protective equipment may include safety boots, safety glasses, a hard hat, and a high-visibility vest.
QUALIFICATIONS
Education
No professional licensing, registration, or designation is required for this role. We welcome candidates whose qualification is primarily hands-on industry experience.
- High School Diploma required.
- Diploma or Certificate in Electronics Engineering Technology/Technician, Electronics and Communications Engineering, or a related field is preferred, but an equivalent combination of education and substantial hands-on industry experience will be considered in place of formal education.
- Extensive, demonstrated career experience (typically 10+ years) in the design, engineering, and project implementation of fibre optic and copper cable networks and OSP infrastructure — this track record is weighted more heavily than formal credentials.
- Experience designing and detailing OSP fibre and copper infrastructure in collaboration with clients, project managers, and engineering contractors.
- Knowledge of, and experience in, structured cabling and fibre optic design, including FTTH/PON detailed design.
- Networking experience including network design, operational support, and hands-on implementation and configuration of network infrastructure is an asset.
- Experience with design and documentation tools such as Patch Manager and Bluebeam.
- Experience with engineering document control systems such as Synergis Adept is an asset.
- Ability to understand and produce schematics, drawings, and redlines.
- Experience working with multiple telecom vendors, service providers, and EPC (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction) companies is an asset.
- Valid Construction and Safety Training System (CSTS) certificate, including generic WHMIS.
- Valid Class 5 Operator's License or equivalent; a recent driver's abstract may be required as a condition of employment.
- Experience with RF and wireless communications systems, including two-way radio theory, base stations, repeaters, multicouplers, duplexers, and cellular/SMR BDAs would be considered as an asset.
- Experience designing or supporting RF microwave transport or backbone networks would be considered as an asset.
- Experience integrating RF systems with underlying fibre/copper infrastructure, such as backhaul for cellular and radio systems or DAS connectivity would be considered as an asset.
- Experience in specialized radio programming software would be considered as an asset.
Skills
- Strong system design knowledge across RF and wired telecommunications infrastructure.
- Proficiency with relevant engineering tools and software applications.
- Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Strong written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills.
- High attention to detail and accuracy in engineering documentation.
- Strong organizational and multitasking capabilities.
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively within project teams.
- Ability to grasp new techniques and adapt to rapidly changing priorities.
- Ability to work safely in hazardous environments.
- Continuous process improvement mindset.
Physical Demands
The Senior Designer will work in an office environment and travel to client sites and must be able to spend approximately 98% of the day sitting and 2% standing. The incumbent will also be required to look at a computer screen for extended periods. There is a possibility of eye and/or joint strain related to operating computer equipment.
