How to hire an outside plant engineer

How to hire an outside plant engineer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step outside plant engineer hiring guide:

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your outside plant engineer job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find an outside plant engineer for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   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 outside plant engineer 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.

   This list presents outside plant engineer salaries for various positions.

   Type of Outside Plant Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Outside Plant Engineer	Electrical engineers design, develop, test, and supervise the manufacturing of electrical equipment, such as electric motors, radar and navigation systems, communications systems, and power generation equipment. Electronics engineers design and develop electronic equipment, such as broadcast and communications systems—from portable music players to global positioning systems (GPSs).	$29-56
   Electrical & Instrumentation Designer	An electrical instrumentation designer's main job is to design instruments that can be used in various areas such as laboratories, power plants, or research institutes. They work together with a team or individually to design instruments, create a prototype, and test its functions... Show more	$28-52
   Electrical Designer	An electrical designer designs and develops electrical circuit and system layouts for electric power distribution. The responsibilities of an electrical designer include assembling electrical panels and leading a team of document control personnel in-charged to identify and organize facility maintenance drawings... Show more	$22-42

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • CAD
   • Outside Plant
   • OSP
   • Fiber Optic
   • Plant Engineering
   • GIS
   • Autocad
   • Right-of-Way
   • Google Earth
   • Project Management
   • Broadband
   • Engineering Design
   • Visio
   • Telecommunication

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage many key projects providing DS1, DS3 and SONET facilities for customers.
   • Train new techs on how to pull, repair and manage new and existing copper and fiber cabling systems.
   • Manage and provide training to a multicultural maintenance team using TPM principles and following standards such as AIB and BRC.
   • Determine and upgrade MDF and IDF layout in communications cabinets.
   • Cost estimates, design packages, GIS design, site walks and quality control.
   • Install new copper and fiber optic infrastructure to facilitate network expansion.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your outside plant engineer job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. An outside plant engineer can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, outside plant engineers' average salary in montana is 41% less than in virginia.
   • Seniority. Entry-level outside plant engineers 47% less than senior-level outside plant engineers.
   • Certifications. An outside plant engineer with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in an outside plant engineer's salary.

   Average outside plant engineer salary

   $85,603yearly

   $41.16 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level outside plant engineer salary

   $62,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

4. Writing an outside plant engineer job description

   A good outside plant engineer job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of an outside plant engineer job description:

   Outside plant engineer job description example

   Advantage Tech is searching for an Outside Plant (OSP) Engineer to join their client's team in Lee's Summit, Mo.
   
   Network engineering support for all aspects of outside plant initiatives. Position will be responsible for fiber optic plant and deployments including, staking, costing, permitting, and contractor selection. Candidate will be required to possess project management skills to include timely status reports, route documentation, and network integration plans. All candidates must have knowledge of outside plant construction techniques.
   PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES:
   
   Support the development of outside plant (OSP) initiatives either under consideration or approved for deployment. Take responsibility for the formal development and maintenance of all current OSP records. Provide support to Operations for facility-related maintenance issues.
   Provide timely preliminary route proposals and estimates of project costs to support Business Case development. Perform route staking on routes that are subsequently approved for construction. Evaluate bids for construction and make recommendation on contractor selection.
   Oversee job construction for adherence to route design and plant placement specifications. Ensure that proper permitting and right-of-ways are obtained. Verify construction clean-up. Review contractor invoices/charges for accuracy of billing.
   Create final as-built documentation for permanent records. Coordinate the inclusion of new plant into One-Call databases. Notify OSP Locate Company of additional assets requiring locate support.
   Represent the client for all OSP issues including State Specific Departments of Transportation, One-Call Dig Centers, and facility locate projects/inquiries.
   DIMENSIONS:
   
   This position is responsible for the planning, design, maintenance, documentation, and protection of the client's optical backbone network plant to include all integrated third-party network plant.
   
   This Position works closely with other client employees, Contractors and vendors. Most importantly, this position will work directly with the client's valued Customers and represent the client in the communities it serves. Exceptional professionalism is an essential component under consideration.
   
   SPECIALIZED KNOW HOW AND JOB REQUIREMENTS:
   
   Knowledge, training, and understanding of the following:
   
   Essential
   
   Knowledge of Outside Plant route planning and construction management experience.
   Flexible work schedule. Regular hours are 8:00AM to 5:00 PM M-F; however, hours to be worked are determined by job requirements and work outside of the hours listed may be required.
   Valid state driver's license with a clean driving record.
   Self-motivated and highly productive.
   Strong general PC skills including drafting, mapping, and GIS database administration.
   Strong oral and written communications skills. Able to communicate effectively at all level and under challenging circumstances.
   Highly developed organization and coordination skills.
   
   Desired
   
   College degree - Civil Engineering or equivalent work experience.
   Fiber optics training to include fusion splicing, fiber storage techniques, basic optical designconsiderations, optical physical characteristics, and optical network components.

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5. Post your job

   To find outside plant engineers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any outside plant engineers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level outside plant engineers with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting outside plant engineers 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 outside plant engineer

   Once you've found the outside plant engineer 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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