Field Technician

Job Title: Field Technician / OSP Inspector - Fiber Construction

Job Description

This role focuses on providing on-site oversight of Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) construction in rural markets, ensuring that new fiber routes are built safely, accurately, and in accordance with engineering designs, permits, and industry standards. You serve as the field representative, working side by side with construction contractors to verify that what has been designed is constructible in the real world, documenting any changes and supporting the creation of accurate as-built records for long-term broadband infrastructure.

Responsibilities

• Inspect FTTH construction activities in the field, including aerial, underground, directional boring, trenching, plowing, and fiber placement.

• Monitor contractor performance to ensure adherence to project specifications, safety requirements, permits, and quality standards.

• Review engineering drawings, GIS designs, utility maps, permits, and construction packages before work begins to understand the planned fiber route.

• Walk job sites with construction crews while referencing designs on a tablet to verify constructability and identify discrepancies between plans and actual conditions.

• Verify proper installation of fiber optic facilities, including handholes, pedestals, conduit systems, vaults, aerial attachments, and access point installations.

• Conduct field audits and quality inspections throughout the construction process to confirm compliance with FTTH network construction methods and outside plant infrastructure requirements.

• Ensure restoration of work areas meets local municipality requirements and customer expectations, including backfill, surface restoration, and site clean-up.

• Document daily construction activity, including production quantities, workforce counts, locations of installed facilities, and overall project progress.

• Identify deficiencies, safety concerns, and non-compliant work and clearly communicate required corrective actions to contractors.

• Perform verification of buried and aerial construction practices, including depth checks, grounding, splicing activities, handhole and pedestal placement, and restoration activities.

• Maintain detailed photo documentation, red-line markups, and inspection records using the provided tablet and other tools.

• Update GIS-based designs with real-time field modifications to support accurate as-built documentation for final project records.

• Coordinate regularly with project managers, engineers, utility companies, municipal agencies, and permitting authorities to address field issues and permit requirements.

• Review and verify contractor invoices, production reports, and as-built documentation to confirm quantities and work performed.

• Attend contractor meetings, provide status updates to project stakeholders, and act as the eyes and ears of the engineering and in-house construction teams in the field.

• Visit multiple job sites within your assigned market cluster, typically 3-5 sites per week, to track crew progress and document what has been placed and where.

• Interact professionally with work crews and forepersons, providing oversight of boring, splicing, and other construction activities while maintaining a non-directive, inspection-focused role.

• Support project closeout activities, including final acceptance inspections and confirmation that construction matches approved designs and permits.

Essential Skills

• Minimum 2+ years of experience inspecting telecommunications, utility, or fiber optic construction projects.

• Solid knowledge of Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) network construction methods and outside plant infrastructure.

• Understanding of both aerial and underground fiber deployment practices, including conduit installation and depth requirements.

• Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, GIS-based designs, utility maps, permits, and construction plans.

• Experience working directly with construction contractors and utility customers in a field environment.

• Basic inspection skills, including measuring depths and verifying that installations comply with permits and specifications.

• General construction knowledge related to conduit placement, splicing, grounding, and restoration practices.

• Strong organizational skills to track crew progress, document daily activities, and maintain accurate records.

• Effective written and verbal communication skills to interact with crews, engineers, and project stakeholders.

• Comfort using tablets and digital tools for field red-lining, photo documentation, and GIS updates.

• Ability to interact professionally with work crews and forepersons and serve as an extension of in-house associates who cannot travel.

• Valid driver's license and reliable transportation to travel throughout the project territory.

• Ability and willingness to live within approximately one hour of assigned work sites.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Experience with OSP (Outside Plant) inspection for fiber or telecom projects.

• Hands-on background working for or with telecom construction contractors in the field.

• Familiarity with GIS-based design processes and field red-lining to support accurate as-built records.

• Attention to detail in identifying non-compliant work, incorrect depths, or deviations from permits and engineering designs.

• Ability to function as the eyes and ears of remote engineering and construction teams, providing clear and timely field feedback.

• Comfort attending contractor meetings and providing concise status updates on construction progress.

• Capability to manage multiple job sites within a market cluster and prioritize visits based on project needs.

• Reliability and self-direction to work independently in the field while adhering to project schedules and standards.

Work Environment

This is a full-time, 40-hours-per-week field-based role with no overtime allowed. You work primarily outdoors on active construction sites, accompanying fiber construction crews for roughly eight hours per day as they build new routes. You are assigned to a geographic market cluster and typically visit 3-5 job sites per week, with each market build lasting approximately 6-8 months and clusters often encompassing 3-4 markets, providing at least a year of work per cluster. You must live within about 60 minutes of the designated work areas, which include North Mississippi (Calhoun City area), South Mississippi (Leakesville area), South Alabama (Butler area), North Alabama, and North Georgia (Blue Ridge and Big Canoe areas). Travel is required within the territory, and mileage is reimbursed at the prevailing IRS rate from your home to the job site, with paid time beginning upon arrival at the site. You use a company-provided tablet to access designs and maps, perform red-lining, and maintain photo and inspection records. Personal protective equipment is required, including steel-toe or safety shoes, eye protection, and a safety vest, reflecting the active construction environment. The role offers seven paid holidays and two weeks of paid time off, and you work closely with construction crews, engineers, and project stakeholders in a collaborative, safety-focused culture aimed at expanding high-speed broadband in rural communities.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract position based out of Butler, Alabama.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $28.00 - $35.00/hr.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: - Medical, dental & vision - Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital - 401(k) Retirement Plan - Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available - Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) - Short and long-term disability - Health Spending Account (HSA) - Transportation benefits - Employee Assistance Program - Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Workplace Type

This is a fully onsite position in Butler,Alabama.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Aug 25, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email View email address on click.appcast.io for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.