OSP Engineer

Location: Freeport, Illinois

Department: Technical Staffing

Your Impact: 

Pearce is seeking a detail-oriented and experienced OSP Engineer to support telecommunications infrastructure projects. This role focuses on the design, planning, and implementation of outside plant (OSP) projects involving copper and fiber networks. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in engineering, permitting, and construction coordination, along with the ability to manage budgets and ensure compliance with company and industry standards.

Core Responsibilities:

Engineering & Design

• Design and plan outside plant facilities for copper and fiber infrastructure (aerial, buried, conduit).

• Prepare and review engineering drawings, loop loss calculations, and switch serving area designs.

• Conduct field measurements for poles, conduits, and buried facilities to support network design.

• Develop project budgets, monitor actual costs, and conduct job inspections for quality assurance.

Permitting & Compliance

• Prepare, organize, and submit permit packages to relevant agencies (Township, County, State, DNR, Railroad, Pipeline, etc.).

• Ensure designs meet permitting regulations and engineering standards.

Field Coordination

• Meet with municipal and government officials to coordinate around road projects (travel required; mileage reimbursed).

• Collaborate with other utilities to coordinate relocations, minimize conflicts, and avoid project delays.

• Support service orders, subdivision expansions, road relocations, dark fiber MDUs, and more.

• Update FROGS (CAD), Varasset, and SiteTracker tools as required.

Project & Construction Support

• Coordinate with SSP contractors to ensure timely and budget-conscious project completion.

• Assist with make-ready work and joint-use coordination for Frontier-owned poles.

• Conduct site surveys, support PUC complaint investigations, and create capital projects (e.g., for cell towers or plant repairs).

• Address and resolve plant damage requests (DOR/PDR), cable count changes, and other network service needs.

Administrative Support

• Maintain records, update engineering files, and process departmental documentation.

• Draft and type correspondence, reports, and engineering support documents.

Core Experience:

• 3–5+ years of hands-on experience in copper and fiber optic network engineering.

• Minimum 5 years in network engineering or OSP-related work, including permitting and fiber record management.

• Strong project management and organizational skills with the ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously.

• Proficiency in Frontier engineering tools and systems, including FROGS, Varasset, and SiteTracker.

• Skilled in communication and collaboration with municipal officials, utility companies, contractors, and cross-functional teams.

• In-depth knowledge of permitting procedures and OSP construction practices.

• Willingness to travel locally for fieldwork and meetings (mileage reimbursed).

Must reside within 2 hours of Freeport, IL, to support regional field requirements.