Manager RF Engineering

Cricket Communications is a leading provider of innovative and value-driven wireless communications services. Headquartered in San Diego, with a commitment to predictability, simplicity and value as the foundation of our business, Leap pioneered Cricket? service, a simple and affordable wireless alternative to traditional landline service.

 

Manager RF Engineering

 

This is a job for someone who wants to be in the thick of things. Within the innovative Cricket Communications subsidiary at Leap Wireless International?s headquarters, a Staff-level Radio Frequency (RF) Engineer develops a big-picture view that comes from working side by side with Leap?s visionary leaders.  The person in this job contributes ideas to create the foundation for the organization?s operations. In this position, the Mgr. RF Engineering has the opportunity to gain insight into why things are done instead of just how.

 

The primary responsibilities of the Manager RF Engineering are:


?Infrastructure Vendor management- The person in this job will manage the vendor relationship and drive the technology roadmap.  Negotiation skills must be sharp and a deep technical understanding of CDMA and network infrastructure is a requirement.


?CDMA Systems Engineering- the Mgr. RF Engineering will develop test plans, tools, and reports for advanced CDMA optimization and utilization techniques.  Further he or she will implement new wireless technologies from vendor selection to final rollout.  This person must have strong engineering skills as well as good software development skills.


?New Technology Technical Training- This person will develop and provide technical training to regional RF Engineering and Network Operations on new technologies, equipment, and techniques.  A long history of experience on CDMA design and optimization is absolutely required.


?Special Engineering Studies- He or she will provide in-depth presentations to GMs, VPs, and other decision-making bodies on justifications for Capital Expense, market feasibility, new technology decisions, cost-savings initiatives, and other significant business opportunities. Presentation skills and the ability to persuade others are key factors in this person?s success.

 

This job spotlights three qualities in an employee that are highly valued:

 

?Communicating Effectively With the Executive Team ? In this job, the Mgr. RF Engineering gets a bird?s-eye perspective of the business, working with the people at the top, including vice presidents, CTO, and CEO. The job gives this engineer a chance to showcase a special knack for anticipating the boss?s questions, finding answers and presenting solutions ? all without being asked.  In this job at Cricket Communications, the Mgr. RF Engineer?s ideas often make it into policy. Because Cricket is a small, new subsidiary of a major corporation, at times it can feel as if one is working for a start-up company. On top of that, the organization?s business is to work with technology that changes every day.  The Mgr. RF Engineering acts as a strategic consultant, updating supervisors on network performance and pitching in ideas about design, costs and procedure.

 

?Persuading and Influencing Others ? This position challenges a whole set of skills a Mgr. RF Engineering doesn?t get to use in jobs at other organizations: relationship building, negotiation, diplomacy, and consensus building. The Mgr. RF Engineering works closely with outside vendors, regional employees and upper management to make sure all bases are covered, and sometimes that means assigning tasks to people who do not report to him or her. At Cricket, the Mgr. RF Engineering powers of persuasion help build respect from others, increasing this employee?s circle of influence.  At the same time, the Mgr. RF Engineering is dealing with the corporate headquarters environment. This employee has to persuade other workers, such as those in the regional offices, to communicate better among themselves, and persuade management to adopt and fund his or her ideas.  Additionally, Cricket relies on outside vendors and contractors to get certain jobs done ? and done well, fast, and cost-effectively. It?s up to the RF Engineer to persuade each vendor to do a better job, to fix a problem or to change a procedure.

 

?Handling Changes in Job Responsibilities ? This is a job for someone who enjoys learning constantly. Because Cricket deals in emerging technologies, the Mgr. RF Engineering works with projections that are highly likely to change at any time. People in this job need to be willing to redefine not only their work but also their role in the process, and continue moving forward without hesitation. At other organizations, the Mgr. RF Engineering is not near the top of the communications chain, so that person must wait until all of the details have been ironed out before being allowed to proceed on a project. In this position at Cricket, however, this employee sets the pace.  Cricket is an innovative consumer service using the latest technology. The vision and direction of today might change in three months due to technological developments that no one could have predicted.  For the RF Engineer at headquarters, this atmosphere keeps the job exciting. This employee is never working on routine assignments. One employee says that even when the assignments seem to be familiar, it?s just because she is applying her experience onto something new. The situation might change, but the skills the employee is expected to use remain the same, which can be comforting in an ever-changing environment.

 

At Cricket Communications, this job puts the Mgr. RF Engineering in a position where he or she is always learning. Mgr. RF Engineering work with new products and services ? testing them, monitoring their quality, reviewing their designs, and suggesting improvements. New vendors and contractors are brought on board regularly, and the Mgr. RF Engineering must build new relationships with them. It?s always something new. 

 

Qualifications:


BSEE required. MSEE preferred.
Telecommunications, High Tech, and Start Up Environment. 
RF design and analysis of wireless CDMA networks. RF optimization experience (including test, measurement) with large CDMA networks. Capacity and trending analysis for engineering CDMA system growth. Strong presentation skills and familiarity with engineering software applications including: RF design software tools, MapInfo, Excel, and performance management platforms. Review deliverables produced by contractors and provide detailed direction to ensure product quality.

 

We are proud to be an EEO/AA employer M/F/D/V. We maintain a drug-free workplace and perform pre-employment substance abuse testing.