EAD Circuit Designer
Job Description
We are looking for an experienced EAD Circuit Designer to support telecoms circuit delivery into electricity substation and utility environments. This is not a standard network design role. The person must have strong experience in BT/Openreach EAD / Ethernet access circuit delivery, with the ability to assess site feasibility, interpret survey outputs, understand access constraints, and produce practical design packs for implementation. The role is specifically focused on sites where telecoms delivery may be affected by electromagnetic interference, EMC requirements, Earth Potential Rise, fibre/copper suitability, cabinet specification, cable entry, ventilation, earthing, and substation access constraints. The designer will work with Vodafone engineering, SPEN stakeholders, BT/Openreach, field engineers, commissioning teams and cabinet suppliers to ensure each circuit design is technically feasible, safe, installable and supportable.
About the Role
A short paragraph summarizing the key role responsibilities.
Responsibilities
- EAD circuit design
- Design Ethernet Access Direct / leased-line / carrier Ethernet access circuits for SPEN substation locations.
- Access feasibility
- Review whether proposed circuits are technically feasible based on site type, BT/Openreach survey outputs, routing, access node/cabinet location and local constraints.
- BT/Openreach coordination
- Interpret BT/Openreach survey notes, site classifications, delivery assumptions and circuit provisioning constraints.
- EMI / EMC assessment
- Identify design implications arising from electromagnetic interference and EMC requirements in substation environments.
- EPR risk awareness
- Consider Earth Potential Rise implications and ensure high-risk sites are appropriately flagged for specialist assessment or design treatment.
- Fibre / copper assessment
- Assess whether copper-based access is suitable or whether fibre-only / alternative access should be considered due to site conditions.
- Cabinet integration
- Review cabinet and rack requirements, including 45U EMC cabinets, ventilation, extractor fans, air filters, EMC inlet filters, gland plates, cable entry and site-specific colour/specification requirements.
- Design documentation
- Produce practical HLD / LLD / implementation design packs suitable for engineering, installation, commissioning and operational handover.
- PT task mapping
- Review SPEN PT task sheets and translate task-level requirements into circuit, cabinet, material and implementation design requirements.
- Supplier support
- Engage with cabinet suppliers and telecoms suppliers to confirm that manufactured solutions meet SPEN/Vodafone technical requirements.
- Delivery risk management
- Identify design gaps, site-readiness issues, ordering risks and installation blockers early.
- AILS / handover readiness
- Ensure designs include the information required for Acceptance Into Live Support, including as-built details, circuit references, inventory records and support notes.
- Stakeholder engagement
- Work closely with Vodafone design authority, delivery managers, SPEN stakeholders, field engineers, commissioning engineers and suppliers.
Qualifications
Hands-on experience designing BT/Openreach EAD, Ethernet access, leased line or carrier Ethernet circuits Mandatory.
Required Skills
- Strong understanding of BT/Openreach delivery lifecycle, including survey, order validation, civils, provisioning, wayleaves and site readiness Mandatory
- Experience producing telecoms access design packs, HLDs, LLDs, implementation diagrams or as-built documentation Mandatory
- Ability to interpret site surveys, task sheets, supplier notes and technical constraints Mandatory
- Experience working with fibre access design and circuit routing Mandatory
- Understanding of copper access limitations in electrically sensitive or high-voltage environments Highly desirable
- Awareness of electromagnetic interference, EMC requirements and their impact on telecoms design Highly desirable / near mandatory for this role
- Awareness of Earth Potential Rise and why it affects telecoms delivery into substations Highly desirable / near mandatory for this role
- Experience supporting telecoms delivery into substations, utilities, rail, power, industrial or other controlled environments Highly desirable
- Knowledge of telecoms cabinet / rack requirements, including EMC cabinets, gland plates, filters, ventilation and cable entry Highly desirable
- Experience coordinating with BT/Openreach, field engineers, commissioning teams and equipment suppliers Mandatory
- Strong documentation discipline and ability to produce clear implementation-ready design outputs
Technical Knowledge Required
The candidate should understand or be able to work confidently with:
- Technical area Expected knowledge
- EAD / Ethernet access EAD circuit topology, NTE, access handoff, demarcation, access routing and carrier Ethernet delivery.
- BT/Openreach process Survey outputs, order validation, route feasibility, access constraints, civils dependencies and delivery risk points.
- Substation environments Access restrictions, safety constraints, electrical interference, cabinet requirements and site-specific engineering controls.
- EMI / EMC How electromagnetic interference affects cable routing, copper usage, shielding, filtering and cabinet specification.
- EPR Why Earth Potential Rise creates risk and when specialist assessment or design escalation is required.
- Fibre vs copper Practical design implications of copper-based versus fibre-based delivery in high-voltage / EMI-sensitive locations.
- Cabinet design EMC rack/cabinet standards, 45U cabinet considerations, fan/extractor requirements, air filters, EMC inlet filters, gland plates and cable entry.
- Design documentation HLD, LLD, implementation pack, as-built pack, BoM, circuit inventory and AILS handover information.
Preferred Skills
The strongest candidates are likely to have worked in one or more of the following areas:
- BT/Openreach EAD / Ethernet delivery Directly relevant
- Vodafone enterprise access delivery Strong fit
- Utility telecoms / power sector telecoms Very strong fit
- Substation communications design Very strong fit
- Rail telecoms / trackside telecoms Relevant due to controlled environment and electrical constraints
- Industrial site telecoms Relevant
- Fibre access planning / design Strong fit