Posted 1mo ago

Director of Engineering & Planning

@ Aureon
West Des Moines, Iowa, United States
OnsiteFull Time
Responsibilities:leading teams, managing budgets, overseeing design
Requirements Summary:Lead large technical teams; 10+ years telecom network management; strong IP routing, OSPF/BGP/MPLS; cloud/DevOps; financial acumen.
Technical Tools Mentioned:IP/MPLS, BGP, OSPF, MPLS, VoIP, SIP, Cloud (AWS/Azure/GCP), Automation/DevOps, ELK, Prometheus, Networking hardware and CAD/Visio tools
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Job Description

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Strategic Leadership & Architecture

  • Executive Vision: Provide strategic vision for network architecture and long-term planning across voice, transport, routing, OSP, and managed services.
  • Infrastructure Evolution: Oversee the design and evolution of core elements, including IP/MPLS routing, optical transport (DWDM/OTN), voice platforms (VoIP, SIP), and fiber-optic OSP infrastructure.
  • Innovation & Automation: Champion automation initiatives and SDN/NFV-based virtualization to enable efficient provisioning and management of the network.
  • Cloud Strategy: Direct cloud engineering and operations, including infrastructure provisioning, monitoring, cost optimization, and disaster recovery.

Network Operations & Engineering

  • Performance Optimization: Develop and implement strategies to optimize the performance, scalability, and reliability of the network infrastructure.
  • Deployment & Maintenance: Oversee the timely design, deployment, and maintenance of network equipment while adhering to industry best practices.
  • Monitoring & Incident Response: Implement proactive monitoring tools and lead troubleshooting efforts for outages, performing root cause analysis to prevent recurrence.
  • Security & Compliance: Enforce network security policies and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements (e.g., CALEA, FCC, SOC 2).

Team & Business Management

  • Direct Supervision: Manage and mentor cross-functional teams, including department managers for Fiber Operations, Switching, Digital Video, and Packet Networks.
  • Financial Oversight: Develop and manage network operations and capital budgets (CAPEX/OPEX), ensuring cost optimization and alignment with business growth.
  • Vendor & Partner Relations: Evaluate vendor proposals, negotiate contracts, and collaborate with affiliated companies and consultants to ensure network compatibility.
  • Client Engagement: Partner with sales and product teams to define managed services offerings, contribute to RFPs, and ensure service delivery meets client expectations.

EDUCATION, TRAINING, AND EXPERIENCE:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Electrical, Electronic, or Communications Engineering, Computer Science, or Business Management. (Master’s or MBA preferred).
  • At least 10 years of experience in telecommunications network management, with a minimum of 5 years leading large groups of technical professionals.
  • Comprehensive knowledge of transmission network design (copper and fiber) and traffic engineering (TDM and Packet).
  • Proven expertise in IP routing (BGP, OSPF, MPLS), voice services, and OSP infrastructure.
  • Hands-on experience with cloud engineering (AWS, Azure, or GCP) and automation/DevOps practices.
  • Strong financial and business acumen with experience in economic analysis and budget management.
  • Excellent interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills; ability to build relationships with senior leaders and customers

Preferred

  • Certificate of Professional Engineering (PE), or advanced credentials such as CCIE, AWS/Azure Professional, or MEF SDN/NFV.
  • Advanced accounting and financial analysis skills.
  • Experience with managed services (EDR/MDR), optical transport planning tools, and monitoring platforms (e.g., ELK, Prometheus).

REQUIRED SKILLS:

  • Excellent interpersonal skills to establish and maintain effective relationships with customers, employees, superiors and business contacts in a professional, timely and courteous manner
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills
  • Strong relationship builder and communicator with experience leading diverse work teams
  • Ability to perform a variety of tasks, often changing assignments on short notice
  • Must be able to work independently with little or no direct supervision and contribute to a team environment.
  • Ability to make sound decisions using the information at hand
  • Strong trouble resolution and problem solving skills
  • Able to think at a strategic level by viewing things from a broader perspective than day-to-day operations
  • Deals effectively with unexpected situations and issues and is able to be an effective change agent within the company
  • Must possess a strong financial and business acumen
  • Required to have very strong work ethic
  • Ability to develop absolute trust and respect of their staff and other senior leaders
  • Strong attention to detail and accuracy

TOOLS, EQUIPMENT, AND SOFTWARE:

  • Demonstrated knowledge of personal computer applications Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office, including Microsoft Outlook.
  • Experience and proficiency with CAD programs, Visio, PowerPoint, and mapping software

WORKING CONDITIONS AND PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

  • Primarily indoor work primarily in office environment
  • Frequent utilization of manual dexterity and visualizing of computer screen
  • No unusual physical requirements
  • Frequent travel by vehicle and some by air, with some overnights (if applicable).
  • Frequent extended hours required in order to meet deadlines and respond to issues. Includes availability after normal business hours and on weekends
  • Work environment will be unstructured and with little, if any, direct supervision