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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Wireless Program Consultant

💰 $ - $

TelecommunicationsProgram ManagementWirelessRF Engineering

🎯 Role Definition

The Wireless Program Consultant is a senior, client-facing technical program manager who leads end-to-end wireless network programs — from site acquisition and RF design through construction, integration, testing and acceptance. This role is optimized for wireless rollouts, capacity expansions, and technology migrations (4G→5G), with a focus on vendor and budget management, regulatory compliance (FCC/EHS/permits), and operational readiness (cutovers, SLA/KPI verification). Ideal candidates combine RF engineering knowledge, project/program management discipline, and hands-on experience with multi-site deployments (macro, small cell, DAS, fiber/backhaul).

Core SEO keywords: wireless program consultant, wireless program management, RF planning, 5G deployment, DAS, small cell, site acquisition, backhaul, vendor management, network optimization.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • RF Engineer / Wireless Design Engineer
  • Project Manager in Telecom or Construction
  • Site Acquisition Specialist / Construction Coordinator

Advancement To:

  • Senior Program Manager / Principal Consultant (Wireless)
  • Director of Network Programs or Deployment
  • Portfolio Manager, Wireless Networks

Lateral Moves:

  • Solutions Architect (Wireless/RAN/Core)
  • Vendor/Partner Management Lead
  • Product Manager (Network Services)

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Lead full lifecycle wireless programs (planning, design, procurement, construction, integration, testing, and acceptance) for multi-site LTE/5G macro, small cell and DAS deployments, ensuring schedule, scope and budget adherence across all stages.
  • Develop and maintain program schedules, master timelines, resource plans and critical path analyses; proactively re-sequence tasks and escalate risks to keep multi-vendor rollouts on track.
  • Create and manage detailed program budgets, forecasts, cost-to-complete models and variance reports; approve and reconcile invoices and change orders in collaboration with finance.
  • Serve as the single point of contact for cross-functional stakeholders (network engineering, field operations, vendor PMs, legal, real estate, local authorities and customers) to coordinate program objectives and delivery milestones.
  • Oversee site acquisition and leasing processes: manage site surveys, negotiate lease terms, secure easements and rights-of-way, and shepherd permits and zoning approvals with municipalities and property owners.
  • Direct RF site design activities, review RF designs and propagation studies, approve antenna/antenna pattern selection, and ensure designs meet coverage, capacity and KPI targets for voice and data services.
  • Coordinate backhaul and transport delivery (fiber, microwave, leased circuits): establish handover requirements, manage service provider onboarding, and validate performance and SLAs for backhaul connectivity.
  • Define technical scope of work (SOW), prepare RFP/RFQ packages, evaluate vendor proposals, lead vendor selection and negotiate commercial terms, SLAs and performance guarantees.
  • Manage and coordinate construction and installation activities: construction scheduling, tower/site crew coordination, power and grounding work, civil/site improvements, and safety/EHS compliance on site.
  • Implement change control and configuration management processes to track scope changes, technical variations, and as-built documentation; ensure traceable approvals and audit-ready records.
  • Drive integration, system turn-up and acceptance testing (I&T, drive testing, throughput/latency/KPI verification); develop and execute test plans, coordinate test windows and produce acceptance reports.
  • Lead vendor performance management and governance: define KPIs, implement scorecards, conduct regular performance reviews, and remediate vendor issues to meet program SLAs and timelines.
  • Perform spectrum coordination and regulatory compliance reviews, including FCC filings, NEPA/SHPO coordination (where applicable), local permit conditions and environmental/EHS requirements.
  • Manage risk and issue registers; develop mitigation plans, contingency budgets and recovery schedules; escalate critical risks to executive sponsors with recommended corrective actions.
  • Oversee cutover planning and execution for site enablement and network migrations, including stakeholder communications, rollback plans, traffic management and post-cutover verification.
  • Prepare program-level status reports, executive dashboards, and stakeholder communications summarizing schedule health, financial status, risk profile and open actions; present to internal and external leadership.
  • Lead multi-disciplinary meetings (design reviews, construction stand-ups, CABs) and ensure cross-team alignment on deliverables, dependencies and milestones.
  • Ensure accurate provisioning and coordination with OSS/BSS/Core teams for service activation, subscriber migration planning and billing impacts during new site enablement or technology upgrades.
  • Manage assets and inventory: maintain as-built records, site BOMs, equipment tagging, warranties and asset transfers into the inventory management system.
  • Support contract administration and legal handoffs: ensure SOW compliance, manage contract amendments, and coordinate with procurement and legal on disputes or claims.
  • Lead quality assurance and acceptance criteria definition for handback to operations, ensuring that performance metrics, documentation and training are completed ahead of operational turnover.
  • Conduct lessons-learned, post-implementation reviews and process improvement initiatives to increase delivery efficiency and reduce future program risk and costs.

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.
  • Maintain and update program playbooks, templates, and best-practice guides for wireless deployments.
  • Provide technical guidance and mentorship to junior PMs, field engineers and site coordinators.
  • Assist in pre-sales and proposal efforts by preparing implementation plans, cost estimates and resource requirements for new wireless programs.
  • Facilitate vendor audits, safety reviews, and site readiness assessments prior to procurement and construction mobilization.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • RF network planning and design experience for LTE and 5G (including coverage, capacity and link budget analysis).
  • Hands-on experience with propagation tools and RF planning software (e.g., ATOLL, Planet, Mentum, iBwave).
  • Strong understanding of RAN technologies (gNodeB/eNodeB, small cells, DAS), antenna systems, MIMO and beamforming fundamentals.
  • Backhaul and transport knowledge (fiber design, microwave links, DWDM, leased circuits) and experience coordinating with telcos and ISPs.
  • Experience defining and executing integration & acceptance testing (I&T), drive testing (TEMS/Accuver, Keysight), KPI verification and optimization.
  • Program and project management competence (schedule management, Earned Value, MS Project, Primavera P6).
  • Vendor management and commercial negotiation experience for multi-million-dollar contracts and multi-vendor ecosystems.
  • Site acquisition, permitting and zoning processes knowledge, including municipal permitting, ROW, easement agreements and local authority coordination.
  • Familiarity with regulatory frameworks (FCC, NEPA, environmental and EHS compliance) and safety protocols (OSHA).
  • Proficiency with program reporting tools and dashboards (Power BI, Tableau, Excel advanced modeling).
  • Strong document control and configuration management skills; familiar with as-built documentation, BOMs and change logs.
  • Experience with OSS/BSS handoffs, provisioning flows and understanding of core network impacts during cutovers.
  • Technical writing skills for SOWs, RF design reviews, test plans, and executive program summaries.
  • Familiarity with asset management systems and inventory tools (CMDB, Maximo, ServiceNow).
  • Cloud and virtualization awareness for modern RAN/core integrations (optional but increasingly relevant: AWS/Azure/GCP for network services).

Soft Skills

  • Excellent stakeholder management and executive communication; able to present complex technical topics clearly.
  • Strong negotiation and conflict-resolution skills when managing vendors, landlords and municipal stakeholders.
  • Analytical mindset with attention to detail and the ability to synthesize technical and commercial data into actionable decisions.
  • Leadership and team-building skills; proven ability to lead cross-functional and distributed teams.
  • Problem-solving under pressure with experience executing recovery plans during critical cutovers or outages.
  • Time management and prioritization skills for concurrent multi-site, multi-vendor programs.
  • Customer-oriented mindset with the ability to drive operational readiness and high-quality service delivery.
  • Adaptability in fast-changing technical environments and evolving regulatory landscapes.
  • Coaching and mentoring ability to develop junior staff and share best practices.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Telecommunications, Computer Science, Construction Management, Business or related field.

Preferred Education:

  • Master’s degree in Telecommunications, Engineering Management or an MBA is a plus.
  • Certifications: PMP or PgMP (preferred), Certified Wireless Network Professional (CWNP), DAS certification, or vendor-specific certifications (Nokia, Ericsson, Samsung, Huawei) beneficial.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Electrical Engineering
  • Telecommunications Engineering
  • Computer Science
  • Construction/Project Management
  • Business Administration (with telecom concentration)

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 5–12+ years in wireless/network deployments, RF design or telecom program management.

Preferred: 8+ years of progressive experience delivering large-scale wireless programs (5G/LTE), with demonstrated success managing multi-vendor construction, RF design, site acquisition, permitting and acceptance testing across multiple regions or countries.

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