Inside Plant Technician - ADVA Optical, Cisco Catalyst PoE & CO Ethernet Transport

Inside Plant Technician - ADVA Optical, Cisco Catalyst PoE & CO Ethernet Transport

Location: New York Metro Area (NYC + Northern NJ)
Type: Contract-to-Hire
Pay: Negotiable (Mileage reimbursed; company vehicle may be available)
Important: Applicants must be local to the NYC/NJ region and must have direct, hands-on experience inside Headend, Hub, or Central Office environments installing ADVA optical and Cisco Catalyst/Cisco router-switching platforms.

Overview

A TEKsystems client is seeking Inside Plant Technicians with strong experience in ADVA packet-optical systems, Cisco Catalyst PoE switching, and service-provider-grade Cisco routing/switching platforms. This role supports major Ethernet and optical upgrades within headends, hubs, and data centers in the NYC/NJ region.
Projects include:

• Deployment and turn-up of ADVA FSP optical transport and packet-edge devices
• Installation/migration of Cisco Catalyst PoE (UPOE) switches and Cisco routing platforms
• Ethernet aggregation and optical grooming inside active CO environments
• Circuit migrations from legacy transport systems to next-gen packet-optical platforms

Candidates must be comfortable working in live service-provider facilities and maintaining service continuity during migrations.

Responsibilities

• Rack, stack, and integrate ADVA optical transport (FSP 150, FSP 3000) and Cisco Catalyst PoE/UPOE switching platforms
• Install and turn up Cisco Catalyst 2K/3K/9K PoE switches and Cisco routers (NCS/ASR) in CO/HE spaces
• Perform optical testing: power measurements, cleanliness validation, wavelength verification, path checks
• Cable, dress, and test single-mode fiber, high-count fiber trays, and copper/PoE drops
• Install and land DC power to optical transport shelves and AC feeds for Catalyst PoE systems
• Load and verify prebuilt templates for ADVA Ethernet/optical interfaces and Cisco Catalyst PoE profiles
• Verify PoE power classes, LLDP negotiation, device draw, and proper activation for connected devices
• Assist with Ethernet and optical grooming, including migration of legacy circuits to ADVA packet-optical
• Complete work at one headend/CO site and deploy to the next upon task completion
• Travel to sites throughout NYC + Northern NJ (mileage reimbursed; company vehicle possible)

Required Skills

• Strong, hands-on inside plant experience in a Headend, Hub, or Central Office
• Expertise with ADVA FSP platforms (FSP 150, FSP 3000, packet-optical, Ethernet demarcation devices)
• Hands-on experience with Cisco Catalyst PoE/UPOE switches (2K/3K/9K series)
• Experience with Cisco routing (NCS, ASR, ISR, or service-provider switching platforms)
• Deep familiarity with:
  • DWDM/ROADM optical systems
  • Mux/demux shelves, EDFAs, patch panels
  • Optical cleanliness, power levels, and fiber best practices
• Strong fiber skills: routing, dressing, terminations, testing
• Ability to read/interpret:
  • Rack elevations
  • LOAs
  • Fiber assignment sheets
  • Power/facilities drawings
• Understanding of carrier Ethernet (1G/10G/40G/100G) and packet-optical transport

Nice to Have (Preferred but Not Required)

• Experience with additional Central Office technologies such as:
  • Small Cell / RAN backhaul turn-ups
  • Metro Ethernet handoffs
  • Legacy SONET/transport migrations
• Familiarity with:
  • Juniper MX
  • Ciena Waveserver/3000/6500
  • Adtran transport shelves
• Ability to groom circuits across multiple vendor platforms
• OTDR testing experience
• CO/hub environmental knowledge (grounding, ladder racks, DC plant layouts)

Ideal Candidate

You are an Inside Plant technician who thrives in Central Office environments and has strong hands-on experience with ADVA optical systems and Cisco Catalyst PoE/Cisco routing platforms. You're precise, detail-focused, and comfortable working around live traffic while performing Ethernet and optical migrations.
You take pride in clean installations, proper fiber handling, accurate documentation, and reliable equipment turn-up.

Why This Role Stands Out

• Heavy hands-on work with ADVA FSP and Cisco Catalyst PoE/Cisco routing platforms
• Direct involvement in next-gen packet-optical and Ethernet transport upgrades
• Mileage reimbursement + potential company vehicle
• Long-term opportunity in a major, high-visibility regional network modernization program

Job Type & Location
This is a Contract to Hire position based out of New York, NY.
Pay and Benefits
The pay range for this position is $25.00 - $35.00/hr.
Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: Medical, dental & vision Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital 401(k) Retirement Plan - Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) Short and long-term disability Health Spending Account (HSA) Transportation benefits Employee Assistance Program Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)
Workplace Type
This is a fully onsite position in New York,NY.
Application Deadline
This position is anticipated to close on Feb 18, 2026.
>About TEKsystems:
We're partners in transformation. We help clients activate ideas and solutions to take advantage of a new world of opportunity. We are a team of 80,000 strong, working with over 6,000 clients, including 80% of the Fortune 500, across North America, Europe and Asia. As an industry leader in Full-Stack Technology Services, Talent Services, and real-world application, we work with progressive leaders to drive change. That's the power of true partnership. TEKsystems is an Allegis Group company.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regards to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

About TEKsystems and TEKsystems Global Services

We're a leading provider of business and technology services. We accelerate business transformation for our customers. Our expertise in strategy, design, execution and operations unlocks business value through a range of solutions. We're a team of 80,000 strong, working with over 6,000 customers, including 80% of the Fortune 500 across North America, Europe and Asia, who partner with us for our scale, full-stack capabilities and speed. We're strategic thinkers, hands-on collaborators, helping customers capitalize on change and master the momentum of technology. We're building tomorrow by delivering business outcomes and making positive impacts in our global communities. TEKsystems and TEKsystems Global Services are Allegis Group companies. Learn more at TEKsystems.com.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.