Chris Irish

Field Operations Professional in Wireless and Fiber Optic Telecommunications

Central Virginia, Mobile: 404-406-8602

Email contact: seniorfieldengineer@yahoo.com

HTTP://WWW.LINKEDIN.COM/IN/SENIORFIELDENGINEER

 

Professional Profile

Proven and endorsed wireless and lightguide telecommunications field operations professional seeking nothing less than the most challenging and rewarding hands-on role in remote field operations management of site construction, systems deployment, upgrades, installations, maintenance and site commissioning. Specifically targeting site construction and EF&I opportunities that include multiple site coverage in the Mid-Atlantic States with Virginia as the preferred base of operations. Candidate will consider U.S relocation options and long term expatriate assignments in the Asia-Pacific region or other destinations where there is an opportunity to contribute to the success of a project, master new technical disciplines, and proactively drive career advancement. 

 

Accomplishments & Work Experience

 

Verizon Instructional Designer, VA – FiOS OSP installation training – 3/2015 – present

Provide instructional design on FiOS OSP aerial installation, grounding standards, fiber distribution hub, feeder and terminal assignments.  Responsible for supporting and implementing training, curriculum development/course content, instructional design and working with corporate training personnel on the delivery of technical (instructor-led) FiOS training materials. Modify and make recommendations on training courses, lessons, modules and supporting materials. Training goals targeted towards enabling Verizon management assigned to technical field operations the capability to install, activate and troubleshoot fiber optic, Wi-Fi and LAN connectivity via FiOS to the Verizon network. Augment existing training with support that is consistent with operational goals and learning objectives. Support revisions/updates/reformatting of the training curricula, ensuring that all training materials are accurate, instructional sound and up-to-date. Excellent class ratings, outstanding student reviews & proven contributor.

 

 

AT&T Senior Field Construction Manager, VA, WV, NC – Raw land NSB, Co-Locate NSB, AAV/ETTCS fiber scheduling, LTE and UMTS 1^st – 4th carrier deployments

Dynis – 1/2012 – 1/2015, SAI Communications 12/2010-12/31/2011, Teksystems 2/2010-2/2011

Oversee entire construction project phase of site development plus all civil construction functions including RF optimization and design, coordinating and managing turf vendors and sub-contractors. Lead CM for pre-construction surveys, monitor installation, conduct QC/QA inspections, final punch and site acceptance walks to verify installation to latest FCD & RFDS revisions on new site builds, LTE, UMTS 1^st through 4^th carrier, ETTCS/AAV (Cisco, Cyan, Turin, Fujitsu, and Calix transport devices) and IUB growth. Scope NSB’s and existing sites for AAV access, compound, shelter and H-frame modifications. Determine subterranean and/or aerial meet point for AAV and ILEC fiber delivery from Zayo, PEG Bandwidth, Comcast, Cox Communications, etc. Provide guidance and instruction to vendors for submitting WO’s, CO’s, ERF’s, BOM’s, NTP’s, equipment/materials shipments and shortfalls, and operational troubleshooting. Perform site specific evaluation of general contractor work product and coordination of mobilization efforts.  Manage general contractor job quality, safety standards, and punch lists. Document current RF plumbing arrangements against proposed configuration after UMTS 2^nd and 3^rd carrier adds. Perform PIM testing to isolate presence of inter-modulation on sites utilizing dual duplexers and RX-AIT frames. Record azimuth readings at new and existing sites utilizing RET antennas. Technologies: Ericsson RBS 2106, 2206, 3106, 3206, Ericsson DNB models 3418, 3518, (RRU22 0840 & 1940), Andrew and Kathrein RET controllers, ET-MC1 cards and scripts.

 

E&I Field Engineer, Southeastern US states, GA, AL, FL, LA, NC, KY, MS, SC, AR, TN 11/2008 – 2/2010

NTIA and BTOP project 11/2009 – 12/2009: Broadband Initiative Program grant application review project for last mile and middle mile infrastructure projects. Evaluate wireless and fiber optic network build-out proposals from ILEC and CLEC entities in un-served and underserved rural areas. Insure that deployments are within the grant guidelines grants, make process review recommendations, confirm service areas and assess types of service based on topography, existing broadband services, anchor institutions and other government collaborations.

Deployment Project 11/2008 – 10/2009 Conduct site pre-installation, AMSL and tower sector coordinate surveys, perform equipment installation and programming, site commissioning and advanced troubleshooting of LMU signal collection devices to test, repair, and qualify systems at remote customer sites. Integrate TruePosition E911 location equipment in Purcell cabinets, enclosures, rooftops, CEV’s and co-located sites with Nokia, Ericsson, and Siemens RBS. All inclusive site preparation survey and installation for Ericsson distributed Node B’s (RRU). Install and Q/A Apollo cabinets, GPS and downlink receivers, Ericsson ASU (antenna sharing unit), RF lines, surge arrestors, ground bars, conduit, DC power, and T1 or V.35 connectivity for E911 contributor sites. Schedule and manage preventative maintenance and unscheduled visits to equipment sites. Insure all instrumentation and equipment is in compliance with regulatory requirements and quality control standards.

 

 

Axis Teknologies, Director of Field Operations, Southeastern US,  W-2 employee, Atlanta, GA. 11/2007 – 11/2008.

Responsibilities: Hands-on, boots-on-the-ground director of field operations with nationally certified WBENC vendor. Extensive experience in cell site and central office EF&I, site surveys, wireless location systems current on FCC phase 2 guidelines and PSTN to NGN convergence. Strong hands on resource for systems deployment, site commissioning, & installation for GSM, UMTS, CDMA BTS, & TDMA frame decommissioning.

Significant Accomplishments:

Managed microwave backhaul installations on a corp to corp basis for Clearwire for the metro Atlanta, GA WiMax roll-out.

 

OFS Optical Fiber Solutions, Fiber Optics Field Support Engineer, W-2 employee, Atlanta, GA. 12/2006 – 11/2007

Responsibilities: Customer support engineer providing installation and performance expertise for fiber optic cable and connectivity products. Test, isolate and analyze fiber optic facilities via OTDR testing, power meter, fusion splicing, and mechanical splicing. Prepare training programs for optical fiber cable installation methods related to specific product applications such as FiOS, FTTx, SFR, MDU, Long Haul networks, MAN, NGN, enterprise, central office, transoceanic networks and specialty photonics. Initiate installation support services as required. Research and document technical installation procedures for all loose tube and central core ribbon cable products, fiber optic connectivity products, premises and outside plant cable construction methods and practices. Investigation of all customer complaints related to product issues. CONUS and OCONUS coverage as contracted or requested by customer.

 

Significant Accomplishments:

·               Selected as dedicated technical field engineering representative to Verizon. Recognized by client and sales team for excellent proactive service and commitment to other carriers and MSO’s. Successfully planning strategic in-market presence for cable deployments, hands-on orientation for new cable products, cable entry procedures, relevant installation practices and related cable entry and repair tools.

·               Recognized for excellence in conducting onsite training and product analysis to carriers and MSO’s, field warranty testing for account executives and product support for industry trade shows.

 

AT&T Mobility (Cingular Wireless) Field Operations Manager, E911 Compliance and Deployment Project for Georgia and South Carolina, Consultant role for various vendors; Kineticom, S-Com and Goodman Networks, Atlanta, GA. 11/2005 – 12/2006

Responsibilities: Field Operations Manager responsible to drive processes as the single point of contact for Ericsson 2106 & 2206 integration and expansions and E911 site installation and site commissioning in a multi-market area.  Documented all new cell site data in a timely manner. Conducted site installation audits, GPS surveys and RF surveys to ensure contractors’ correct use of voltmeter, spectrum analyzer or cell site simulator, communications analyzer, and GPS receiver.

Significant Accomplishments:

·               Field Technical Lead on first exterior DAS installation of UTDOA location services with dual LMU configuration in SE coastal areas.

·               Selected as first field management and deployment resource sent for Hurricane Katrina disaster recovery relief in New Orleans for cell site restoration and migration from Andrews WLS to TruePosition location technologies.

·               Supervised team of field engineers for integration of LMU signal collection devices into Nokia BTS as market decommissioned TDMA, added GSM capacity and transitioned to 3G (UMTS). Responsible for RF surveys, GPS surveys, site build-out responsibility; cabling, installation, power, configuration and tracking of RF expansions.

·               Successfully launched project for WLS & Nortel 1xEV-DO MFRM-2 radio upgrade and DOM CDMA 2000 IS95, IS95B module deployments.

·               Coordinated team efforts of remote switch personnel and Agilent network support to verify test and turn up of primary and diversity receive paths, verify BCCH on alpha, beta, gamma (3 sector) and delta (4 sector) for E911 call routing. Implemented monitoring procedure to track successful or failed remote installation of proprietary software applications resulting in a 70% decrease in return site visitations.

 

 

TruePosition Wireless Location Systems Senior Field Service Supervisor, Consultant, Atlanta, GA, 12/2004 –8/2005, Southeastern U.S. regional coverage, Atlantic and Gulf Coast States

Responsibilities: Created oversight processes and quality analysis of wireless location system installation crews. Audit cell site conditions and installation system inventory per FCC Phase 2 mandate for E911 cellular network access to PSAP’s (Public Service Answering Points).  Perform onsite functional testing of installed hardware, validation of service levels, call test commissioning of 850 and 1900 MHz GSM, TDMA, and co-located sites.

 

Significant accomplishments:

·               Project SME for F.O.K (first of kind) installations lead for EIU (external interface unit) market deployment in Georgia. Built comprehensive site survey data of CEV, enclosure, and outside cabinets to provide detailed inventory/drawings for existing DS1 and SS7 transport facilities.

·               Conducted on site surveys, equipment installation, configuration and testing on Ericsson 884, 2102, 2106, 2202 and 2206 RBS. Supervised the repair or replacement of defective hardware, cables, connectors and antennas.

·               Supervised and monitored tracking of escalations to appropriate technical support. Reviewed and approved product power consumption, DSX pin and LGX (fiber distribution panel) assignments, and installation related material documentation.

·               Effectively transferred responsibility for commissioning, provisioning, synchronization of vendor installs towards a SPOC (single point of contact) model and assumed that role as a value-added benefit to the client. 

·               Improved documentation of RF test results, increased site survey accuracy, reduced client trouble tickets, and enhanced real-time inventory control by creating various material tracking programs with Excel, Word, and proprietary software.

·               Substantially reduced overhead costs of my position by actively directing and participating in installation of network equipment including: Signal Collection Systems units (SCS), Time Difference of Arrival Location Processor (TLP), location measuring units (LMU), digital cross connect switch (DACS), CSU/DSU, Cisco routers and switches,  Lucent PSAX, terminal servers, T-DACS100, and SUN hard drives.

 

 

AT&T Packet and Optical Network Services (PONS), W-2 employee, Atlanta, GA. 03/1999 – 09/2004

Service Reliability Manager, AT&T Voice and Data Maintenance Center

Responsibilities: Managed and prioritized coordination of telecom facilities escalations between AT&T and ILEC, CLEC, Tandem, End Office, OSWF, and CPE vendors. Researched and analyzed telecommunications activities such as, but not limited to, network design, implementation, restoration and remote test access using Acterna testing tools to sniff network for NANP and International Direct Dial, toll free voice and/data services.

 

 

Significant accomplishments:

·               Designed and documented telecom network traffic analysis, performance, capacity planning strategies and techniques. Successfully established and maintained vendor relationships. Quality assured voice network routing in the 4ESS, 5ESS, and DMS 500 switch.

·               Engaged clients at senior technical levels (CTO/CIO), providing clear domain expertise in telecommunications networks, systems and applications. Verified circuit engineering via TIRKS, SOTS, WMS, and POCITS.

·               Designated as SME for comprehensive knowledge of multiple SMS platforms, LATA and INTRALATA carrier handoff methods, toll free routing, VoIP, private line routing and translations, RESPORG, Local number portability (LNP), LERG, and CTI.
 

Network Operations Trainer/ Network Field Engineer AT&T Voice and Data Maintenance Center
Responsibilities: Established, created, and coordinated training curriculum for all voice services. Provided direct supervision of occupational personnel and tier 2 technical support for voice service customers. Provided alternative network reconfigurations, additional or modified Digital Cross Connect support for more effective transport routing. Demonstrated characteristics of FXO/FXS/PRI/T1/DS3 Circuits and Signaling Protocols

Significant accomplishments:

·               Increased qualified voice and data technician 63% by conducting needs assessment and designed training methodologies including self-instructional manual, job aides, and classroom training on multiple OSS and SMS systems and various network access and egress methods for PSTN and private voice networks.

·               Planned, developed, and implemented training curriculum, class schedules, and business continuity plan while facilitating training seminars.

·               Developed and analyzed performance metrics to resolve interoffice and toll C.O. to tandem and end office trunking delivery errors.

·               Personally restored over 1000 circuits on the switched network.

Technical Operations Maintenance Supervisor, AT&T Switched Technical Service Center

Responsibilities: Delivered SME technical support, training and supervision to communication technicians in the AT&T switched maintenance service center. Implemented realignment of resources and created separate work centers to segregate domestic and international metrics. Improved measured network clearance events and customer experience. Coordinated with various vendors to maximize capacity on bi-directional fiber rings.

Significant accomplishments:

·               Alleviated the effects of workforce reductions by developing successful methods and procedures to boost morale and productivity within the scope of the Communications Workers negotiated contract.

·               Reduced trouble report lifecycle on mean time to repair (MTTR) by 50% in 5 months.

·               Increased visibility to CWA via leadership and direction to employees resulting in a 95% decrease in filed grievances.

Telecommunications Technician, AT&T Software Defined Network Operations Center

Responsibilities: Fully qualified in analysis, isolation and repair of AT&T Voice Network Services such as: SDN, MEGACOM, Toll-Free, and AT&T Digital Link. Extensive experience in customer specific applications, LEC, CLEC, MSO, and IXC facility, network, tandem homing and C/O translations.

·               Experienced in an enterprise telecommunications environment with a focus on circuit surveillance, service restoration, and direct, hands-on voice, video and/or data circuit provisioning including MAC, disconnect & documentation of circuits, services, toll free and local phone numbers.

·               Experienced in configuring voice networks: WAN, ATM, SONET ADM’s, Frame Relay, VOIP, ISDN, T-1, E-1, DS-3, Alcatel 1631 and 1640 DWDM, related network hardware components including voice multiplexers, DS-3 multiplexers and CSUs

·               Resolved carrier-based call routing features using UNIX line commands, cloud-based applications, automatic number identification (ANI) / dialed number identification service (DNIS), CENTREX, RTNR, call allocation, DS1 and POTS routing for toll free service features.