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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Wireless Program Analyst

💰 $ - $

TelecommunicationsProgram ManagementWireless

🎯 Role Definition

The Wireless Program Analyst is a program-focused subject matter expert who coordinates cross-functional delivery of wireless network projects and operations. This role drives program schedules, financial tracking, vendor and stakeholder management, and technical oversight for LTE/5G deployments, network optimization, and lifecycle activities. The Analyst synthesizes RF/OSS/BSS data, prepares executive-level reporting, enforces governance and compliance, and ensures programs are delivered on time, within budget, and to technical and business requirements.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Wireless Field Technician or Construction Coordinator transitioning to program-level work.
  • RF Engineer or Network Performance Analyst with hands-on technical background.
  • Program Coordinator or Project Analyst from telecom or IT project environments.

Advancement To:

  • Senior Wireless Program Analyst or Program Manager overseeing multiple programs.
  • Portfolio Manager or Wireless Delivery Manager responsible for broader network initiatives.
  • Head of Network Programs, PMO Lead, or Product Manager for wireless services.

Lateral Moves:

  • Network Optimization Analyst focused on performance and KPI improvements.
  • Vendor/Contract Manager or Sourcing Analyst for telecom suppliers.
  • OSS/BSS Systems Analyst or Capacity Planning Specialist.

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Develop, maintain, and execute program plans and integrated schedules for multi-vendor wireless network deployments (LTE/5G), ensuring alignment with business objectives, vendor milestones, and infrastructure readiness.
  • Lead cross-functional coordination between RF engineering, field operations, construction, backhaul/IP teams, OSS/BSS, legal, and finance to remove blockers and drive program milestones to completion.
  • Manage program-level budgets and forecasts, track spend against baseline, perform variance analysis, and prepare monthly/quarterly financial reports and business cases to support scope changes and executive decision-making.
  • Serve as the primary point of contact for vendors and contractors, owning SOWs, RFP processes, contract change orders, performance monitoring, and vendor escalations to ensure SLAs and contractual obligations are met.
  • Translate technical RF and network performance requirements into actionable project tasks and deliverables; validate vendor deliverables for compliance with technical specifications and acceptance criteria.
  • Produce high-quality, data-driven program reporting (dashboards, executive summaries, status reports) using tools such as Power BI, Tableau, Excel, and SQL to communicate schedule, cost, risk, and quality metrics to stakeholders.
  • Conduct risk identification and mitigation planning for program activities, maintain a risk register, escalate critical risks, and implement corrective actions to keep programs on track.
  • Coordinate site acquisition, permitting, and municipal approvals for wireless infrastructure projects, ensuring compliance with local regulations, zoning, NEPA/SHPO requirements, and environmental permits as applicable.
  • Support RF planning and network design teams by validating site readiness, verifying build parameters, and coordinating field validation and acceptance testing activities including drive tests and KPI verification.
  • Manage change control processes, documenting scope changes, assessing impacts on schedule and budget, securing approvals, and updating program plans and stakeholder communications accordingly.
  • Lead cross-functional readiness reviews and cutover planning for new site activations, service launches, or major network upgrades, ensuring handoffs to operations and support teams are complete.
  • Oversee inventory and logistics coordination for network equipment and materials, ensuring timely delivery to sites, proper tracking of assets, and alignment with construction schedules.
  • Implement program governance frameworks and standard operating procedures for issue management, escalation paths, and quality assurance across wireless projects.
  • Facilitate regular stakeholder meetings, steering committees, and post-implementation reviews to capture lessons learned, tune processes, and communicate program outcomes and business value.
  • Conduct data reconciliation and validation with OSS/BSS systems to confirm network element configurations, inventory accuracy, and billing/order integrity following network changes.
  • Perform vendor performance reviews and KPIs (on-time delivery, quality, safety) and develop continuous improvement initiatives to optimize delivery and reduce rework.
  • Support procurement and sourcing teams by defining technical and commercial requirements in RFPs, evaluating vendor proposals, and participating in selection and negotiation activities.
  • Maintain up-to-date knowledge of wireless standards (3GPP), RF technologies (LTE, NR/5G), and emerging trends to inform program decisions and technical trade-offs.
  • Coordinate with security, compliance, and legal teams to ensure program activities meet corporate policies, privacy regulations, and industry requirements (e.g., FCC or local telecom authorities).
  • Provide hands-on analytical support for capacity planning, performance trending, and KPI-based recommendations to optimize network resource allocation and prioritize future program investment.
  • Drive continuous process improvements across program delivery including automation of status reporting, schedule health checks, and adoption of agile methods where appropriate to increase throughput and predictability.
  • Lead incident postmortems and root cause analysis for major outages or project failures, ensuring corrective actions are implemented and tracked to closure.
  • Mentor and coach junior analysts, project coordinators, and cross-functional contributors on program tools, best practices, and stakeholder engagement techniques.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
  • Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
  • Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
  • Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Wireless network domain expertise including LTE, NR (5G), RF fundamentals, cell site architecture, and backhaul technologies.
  • Program and project management tools: Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, Primavera, JIRA, Confluence, Monday.com, or equivalent.
  • Strong data analysis and visualization skills using Excel (advanced functions), Power BI, Tableau, or Looker and ability to query datasets with SQL.
  • Familiarity with OSS/BSS concepts, network inventory systems, fault/performance management tools, and activation orchestration platforms.
  • Experience with GIS tools (ArcGIS, QGIS) and mapping workflows for site plotting, propagation analysis, and geographical reporting.
  • Contract and vendor management skills: RFP/SOW development, PO/contract change monitoring, vendor KPIs, and dispute resolution.
  • Financial tracking and budget management, including cost-to-complete analysis, variance reporting, and chargeback reconciliation.
  • Knowledge of regulatory and permitting processes for wireless infrastructure, zoning rules, and environmental compliance (e.g., NEPA).
  • Basic understanding of IP networking, routing, and backhaul design relevant to mobile transport infrastructure.
  • Familiarity with drive test results interpretation, KPI measurement (e.g., RSRP, RSRQ, SINR, throughput), and validation of optimization deliverables.
  • Automation and scripting familiarity (Python, Bash) for data processing and reporting is a plus.
  • Experience with Agile delivery frameworks and ability to support sprint-based program work where applicable.

Soft Skills

  • Clear, concise communicator able to present technical and financial information to executive and technical audiences.
  • Strong stakeholder management and the ability to influence across multiple functions and third-party vendors.
  • Analytical mindset with a bias for data-driven decision making and attention to detail.
  • Problem-solving orientation with the ability to triage issues, identify root causes, and implement corrective actions.
  • Excellent organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple concurrent projects and priorities under tight deadlines.
  • Leadership presence and the ability to facilitate meetings, drive consensus, and escalate appropriately.
  • Negotiation skills for vendor contracts, scope changes, and dispute resolution.
  • Adaptability and resilience in a fast-paced, changing telecommunications environment.
  • Collaborative team player who can work effectively across distributed and cross-functional teams.
  • Customer-focused attitude, ensuring technical delivery aligns with business and end-customer needs.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Telecommunications, Computer Science, Information Systems, Business Administration, or related discipline.

Preferred Education:

  • Master's degree in Telecommunications, Engineering Management, MBA, or equivalent professional certifications (PMP, PgMP, Scrum Master, or vendor certifications).

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Electrical Engineering
  • Telecommunications Engineering
  • Computer Science / Information Systems
  • Business Administration / Project Management
  • Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 3–7 years of progressive experience in telecommunications program or project delivery roles.

Preferred: 5+ years of direct experience managing wireless programs, RF-related projects, vendor management, financial/program controls, and hands-on familiarity with LTE/5G network elements and OSS/BSS systems.

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