Broadband Engineering Supervisor

Minnesota Rural Electric Association; Braham (MN); On-site; USD 113,000 - 127,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

100% employer-paid medical insurance

HSA contributions

Tuition reimbursement

401(k) plan with up to 10% employer**,

PTO and holidays

Job summary

East Central Energy is seeking a Broadband Engineering Supervisor in Braham, MN to lead a skilled technical team. You will coach staff, guide decision-making, and ensure safe, reliable fiber services for members while fostering trust and accountability.

The role emphasizes collaboration across departments, continuous improvement, and strong leadership in a values-driven environment with onsite work.

Qualifications

• Associate degree in a technical field or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Five years of supervisory experience.
• Experience coaching employees and leading through change.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills; ability to support technical decision-making.
• Valid driver’s license.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the broadband engineering team to a collaborative, accountable, and safety-focused environment.
• Set priorities, remove roadblocks, and keep work moving forward.
• Oversee engineering activities, network improvements, and projects supporting fiber infrastructure.
• Drive continuous improvement in processes, training, and service delivery.
• Collaborate with Operations, IT, Marketing and Communications, leadership, vendors and stakeholders.
• Support member and community awareness of fiber services.

Skills

Leadership experience

Coaching employees

Communication skills

Broadband/fiber knowledge

Valid driver’s license

Education

Associate degree in a technical field

Job description

Are you an experienced leader who knows how to build trust, coach employees, and bring people together around shared goals? At East Central Energy (ECE), we’re looking for a Broadband Engineering Supervisor who can lead a skilled technical team with trust, accountability, collaboration, and our RICH values: Respect, Integrity, Courage, and Humility.

You don’t need to be the person with every technical answer. You do need to be someone who can coach employees, support strong decision-making, bring people together, and help the team continue delivering safe, reliable broadband service to our members.

Our Broadband Engineering team plays an important role in supporting ECE’s fiber network and the members that rely on it. As the supervisor, you’ll help guide the team responsible for designing, planning, maintaining, and improving fiber optic networks and related systems. The position also helps ensure safe, reliable, and cost-effective broadband facilities through effective oversight, training, and team development.

If you’re a steady, values-driven leader who can support technical experts, navigate change, have honest conversations, and keep people moving in the same direction, this could be a great fit.

Why You’ll Love Working at ECE

• Values-Driven Culture: ECE is guided by our RICH values: Respect, Integrity, Courage, and Humility. These values shape how we lead, communicate, make decisions, and support one another.
• Competitive Pay: Starting wage range of $112,798 to $126,901 annually, based on relevant education and experience.
• Outstanding Benefits: 100% employer-paid medical with employer contributions to an HSA, plus dental, vision, STD, LTD and more—including tuition reimbursement and employee assistance programs.
• Future-Ready: Build your financial security with a 401(k)-plan featuring up to a 10% employer contribution.
• Rest and Renewal: Receive 40 hours of PTO after your first 8-hour workday, with additional PTO accrued weekly based on years of service, in addition to ten paid holidays.
• Community Focused: Be part of a cooperative that actively supports local initiatives and strengths the communities we serve.

A Day in the Life

In this role, your day will center around leading people, supporting priorities, and helping the team deliver safe, reliable broadband service.

• Leading and developing your team: You’ll coach, support, develop, and guide the broadband engineering team while building a collaborative, accountable, and safety-focused environment.
• Setting priorities and removing roadblocks: You’ll help the team navigate competing priorities, solve problems, and keep work moving forward.
• Supporting network reliability: You’ll oversee engineering activities, network improvements, and projects that support ECE’s fiber infrastructure.
• Driving continuous improvement: You’ll identify opportunities to improve processes, training, consistency, and service delivery.
• Collaborating across teams: You’ll partner with Operations, IT, Marketing and Communications, leadership, vendors, and other stakeholders to achieve shared goals.
• Supporting member and community awareness: You may help present information about fiber services and participate in member engagement efforts.

Success in this role requires someone who is comfortable leading through competing priorities, change, and occasional conflict.

You won't need to be the most technical person in every room, but you will need enough technical understanding to ask good questions, support sound decisions, and earn the trust of a highly skilled team. We're looking for a leader who values collaboration, coaching, accountability, continuous improvement, and helping technical professionals do their best work.

What You’ll Need

Minimum Qualifications

• An associate degree in a technical field, or a combination of education and experience.
• Five years of supervisory experience.
• Demonstrated leadership experience, including coaching employees, building teams, managing performance, and leading through change.
• Strong communication, collaboration, and relationship-building skills.
• Working knowledge of broadband or fiber optic networks and the ability to support technical decision-making.
• Valid driver’s license.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working directly with GPON/XGS-PON networks.
• Demonstrated success leading engineers, network specialists, or other highly skilled technical employees.
• Experience in a fiber optic broadband environment.
• Knowledge of strategic planning, budgeting, project management, and continuous improvement.
• JNCIA-Junos, JNCIA-SEC, and/or JNCIS-SP certifications.
• Understanding of broadband engineering, network reliability, outside plant construction, and related technologies.

Additional Details

• Schedule: Onsite, Monday through Friday, at ECE’s Operations North building in Braham, MN.
• Hybrid Option: This position does not offer a hybrid work arrangement.
• Equal Opportunity Employer: ECE embraces diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive workplace. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and value the unique perspectives and experiences they bring.