How to hire a headend technician

How to hire a headend technician, step by step

Here's a step-by-step headend technician hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a headend technician job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new headend technician
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The headend technician hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect headend technician also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   Here's a comparison of headend technician salaries for various roles:

   Type of Headend Technician	Description	Hourly rate
   Headend Technician	Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, also known as telecom technicians, set up and maintain devices or equipment that carry communications signals, connect to telephone lines, and access the Internet.	$15-25
   Cable Installer	A cable installer installs and maintains telecommunication systems and equipment such as telephone lines, cable television, or internet services at homes or commercial areas. In some companies, a cable installer may also handle complaints and concerns, conduct inspections, troubleshoot problems, and fix or replace components when necessary... Show more	$16-23
   Tower Hand	A tower hand is a professional who climbs towers or poles to install, repair, and perform routine maintenance on electrical equipment. Tower hands are required to climb up very tall structures to perform maintenance on equipment such as power lines, cell tower components, or radio antenna equipment... Show more	$12-28

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • RF
   • Troubleshoot
   • IP
   • Digital Video
   • FCC
   • Fiber Optic
   • Broadband
   • TV
   • Hand Tools
   • VOD
   • Telephony
   • OTN
   • Headend Equipment
   • NOC

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Project complete while simultaneously managing VoIP project.
   • Assist the NOC and other technical support departments in isolating and repairing video and data services.
   • Home and apartment CATV installation.
   • Experience with various vendor telephony i.e.
   • Perform security audits on each CMTS.
   • Add new service groups and transmitters.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your headend technician job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A headend technician salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, headend technicians' average salary in montana is 37% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level headend technicians earn 40% less than senior-level headend technicians.
   • Certifications. A headend technician with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a headend technician's salary.

   Average headend technician salary

   $41,700yearly

   $20.05 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level headend technician salary

   $32,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

4. Writing a headend technician job description

   A job description for a headend technician role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a headend technician job description:

   Headend technician job description example

   Comcast brings together the best in media and technology. We drive innovation to create the world's best entertainment and online experiences. As a Fortune 50 leader, we set the pace in a variety of innovative and fascinating businesses and create career opportunities across a wide range of locations and disciplines. We are at the forefront of change and move at an amazing pace, thanks to our remarkable people, who bring cutting-edge products and services to life for millions of customers every day. If you share in our passion for teamwork, our vision to revolutionize industries and our goal to lead the future in media and technology, we want you to fast-forward your career at Comcast.
   
   Responsible for installing, testing, operating, maintaining and repairing headend equipment. Periodically tests all equipment and the quality of signals throughout the cable network. Maintains required logs, records and other documentation pertaining to headend operations. Installs new technology as projects and department goals require. Conducts quality control tests and measurements on new installations.
   Job Description
   Core Responsibilities
   Performs advanced headend maintenance and troubleshooting to ensure minimal system outages.Assists in the fault resolution of RF, IP and Digital Video networks.Maintains an inventory of required parts for headend and OTN projects.Works within manufacturer's rated weight capacity for all equipment, including but not limited to ladders and aerial lifts.Regular, consistent and punctual attendance. Must be able to work nights and weekends, variable schedule(s) and overtime as necessary.Other duties and responsibilities as assigned.
   
   Employees at all levels are expected to:
   
   Understand our Operating Principles; make them the guidelines for how you do your job.Own the customer experience - think and act in ways that put our customers first, give them seamless digital options at every touchpoint, and make them promoters of our products and services.Know your stuff - be enthusiastic learners, users and advocates of our game-changing technology, products and services, especially our digital tools and experiences.Win as a team - make big things happen by working together and being open to new ideas.Be an active part of the Net Promoter System - a way of working that brings more employee and customer feedback into the company - by joining huddles, making call backs and helping us elevate opportunities to do better for our customers.Drive results and growth.Respect and promote inclusion & diversity.Do what's right for each other, our customers, investors and our communities.
   
   Disclaimer:
   
   This information has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees in this role. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications.
   
   Comcast is an EOE/Veterans/Disabled/LGBT employer.
   
   We believe that benefits should connect you to the support you need when it matters most, and should help you care for those who matter most. That's why we provide an array of options, expert guidance and always-on tools that are personalized to meet the needs of your reality-to help support you physically, financially and emotionally through the big milestones and in your everyday life.
   Please visit the benefits summary on our careers site for more details.
   
   Education
   High School Diploma / GED
   
   Certifications (if applicable)
   
   Relative Work Experience
   0-2 Years
   
   Comcast is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. We will consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable law.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right headend technician for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your headend technician job on Zippia to find and recruit headend technician candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting headend technicians requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new headend technician

   Once you've found the headend technician candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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