Cable Placement Manager

Job Description

Job Description

Position Summary

The Cable Placement Manager is responsible for leading Aquila Corporation’s underground fiber and cable-placement operations. This position manages field crews, production, scheduling, safety, equipment readiness, quality control, documentation, and project completion. The manager must possess strong hands-on knowledge of underground fiber placement and be capable of training, troubleshooting, and directing crews in the field.

Advanced working knowledge of Larson cable/fiber placement trailers, Hurricane fiber blowers, and other pneumatic, hydraulic, and mechanical fiber-placement applications is a key requirement of this leadership position.

Leadership & Management Responsibilities

· Direct, supervise, schedule, and support underground cable-placement crews across assigned projects.

· Establish daily and weekly production plans and ensure crews understand routes, footage, assignments, priorities, and completion expectations.

· Conduct morning planning and field coordination to verify manpower, trucks, trailers, equipment, materials, fiber reels, and tooling are ready before deployment.

· Monitor crew productivity and completion rates and address performance issues, delays, or recurring deficiencies.

· Provide hands-on field leadership, technical guidance, coaching, and training to technicians and crew leads.

· Coordinate with project managers, construction managers, customers, subcontractors, splicing teams, drilling crews, and other OSP personnel.

· Maintain professional communication with customers, municipalities, inspectors, property owners, utility representatives, and project stakeholders.

· Ensure crews maintain clean, organized, professional jobsites and protect customer and company assets.

Fiber Placement & Technical Responsibilities

· Oversee underground fiber installation through conduit, innerduct, multi-duct, handholes, vaults, pedestals, cabinets, and splice locations.

· Demonstrate expert-level understanding of Larson cable/fiber placement trailer setup, operation, maintenance, and troubleshooting.

· Demonstrate advanced knowledge of Hurricane fiber blower setup, operation, pressure management, feed speed, pushing force, and troubleshooting.

· Direct the use of other pneumatic fiber blowers, mechanical cable pushers, hydraulic placement equipment, winches, and conventional cable-pulling applications.

· Evaluate conduit size, cable type, route length, elevation, bends, field conditions, and project specifications to determine the proper placement method.

· Ensure cable bend-radius, pulling-tension, pushing-force, air-pressure, and manufacturer requirements are followed.

· Oversee fiber reel handling, staging, payout, reel changes, cable slack, coil management, and cable protection.

· Ensure conduit is properly rodded, proofed, mandreled, cleaned, lubricated, and prepared before placement.

· Diagnose blocked, crushed, flooded, damaged, or otherwise compromised conduit and develop an appropriate field solution or escalation plan.

· Support and coordinate service-drop placement, drop-bury operations, conduit installation, directional drilling, and other underground construction activities when required.

Project Planning, Prints & Documentation

· Read, interpret, and verify OSP construction prints, fiber routes, maps, conduit assignments, fiber counts, reel assignments, and project specifications.

· Plan cable-placement sequences to maximize production while minimizing unnecessary reel handling, mobilization, downtime, and rework.

· Track installed footage, production quantities, completed routes, remaining work, and daily crew performance.

· Ensure accurate field redlines, photographs, reel records, footage documentation, and information required for project as-builts.

· Verify completed work against prints and customer specifications before submitting work as complete.

· Immediately communicate plant issues, blocked conduit, inaccessible structures, incorrect prints, missing infrastructure, equipment failures, or other conditions affecting completion.

Equipment & Fleet Accountability

· Maintain accountability for Larson trailers, Hurricane fiber blowers, compressors, reel trailers, winches, cable pushers, duct-preparation equipment, and associated tooling.

· Ensure pre-use and post-use inspections are completed and equipment deficiencies are reported immediately.

· Coordinate preventative maintenance and repairs to minimize downtime and protect company assets.

· Ensure trucks, trailers, fiber-placement equipment, tools, PPE, and materials are clean, organized, secured, and ready for deployment.

· Train employees on proper equipment operation and prohibit unauthorized or untrained personnel from operating specialized equipment.

· Maintain appropriate inventory levels for fiber-placement consumables, lubricants, pulling materials, tooling, and jobsite supplies.

Safety & Quality Control

· Enforce Aquila Corporation safety policies and all customer/project safety requirements.

· Ensure JSA/JHA documentation, PPE, traffic control, signage, cones, barricades, and work-zone requirements are completed and maintained.

· Verify applicable utility locates before excavation-related activities and maintain awareness of underground and overhead hazards.

· Perform field quality-control inspections and correct deficiencies before crews leave the work area whenever practical.

· Immediately investigate and report utility strikes, fiber damage, equipment damage, injuries, near misses, property damage, and unsafe conditions.

· Hold crews accountable for safe work practices, quality workmanship, equipment care, accurate documentation, and professional conduct.

Required Qualifications

· Substantial experience in underground telecommunications, OSP fiber construction, cable placement, or related utility construction.

· Previous leadership experience managing cable-placement, fiber, underground, or OSP construction crews strongly preferred.

· Hands-on proficiency with Larson cable/fiber placement trailers and Hurricane fiber blowers.

· Strong knowledge of pneumatic fiber blowing, compressors, cable pushers, winches, reel systems, conduit preparation, and conventional pulling methods.

· Strong understanding of fiber handling, bend radius, pulling tension, air pressure, cable feed, and proper installation practices.

· Ability to read and interpret OSP prints and translate construction plans into executable field assignments.

· Strong mechanical troubleshooting and problem-solving skills.

· Ability to manage multiple crews, priorities, schedules, production goals, and changing field conditions.

· Strong communication, leadership, accountability, and documentation skills.

· Valid driver’s license and ability to meet company driving requirements.

· Ability to travel, work outdoors, and work extended hours when project schedules require it.

Preferred Experience

· Long-distance fiber blowing and backbone/distribution fiber placement

· FTTH and service-drop construction

· Directional drilling and conduit installation

· Handhole and vault installation

· Aerial fiber construction

· Fiber splicing and testing

· Restoration and utility coordination

· Field redlines and as-built documentation

· Crew training, production management, scheduling, and quality assurance

Performance & Leadership Expectations

The Cable Placement Manager is expected to lead by example. Success in this position requires ownership of safety, production, quality, crew readiness, equipment accountability, documentation, communication, and project completion. The manager is responsible for identifying obstacles before they become production failures and ensuring crews have the manpower, materials, equipment, information, and technical support necessary to execute assigned work efficiently.

This is a field-driven management position. The successful candidate must be capable of both managing operations and personally demonstrating proper cable-placement and fiber-blowing procedures when training or troubleshooting is required.

Professional Standards

The Cable Placement Manager represents Aquila Corporation in the field and is expected to maintain a high standard of professionalism, accountability, leadership, communication, safety, and workmanship when interacting with employees, customers, subcontractors, municipalities, inspectors, property owners, utilities, and other project stakeholders