Sr Solutions Engineer

Essentia, Inc.; United States; On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Essentia, Inc. is seeking a Senior Solutions Engineer to lead technical bid development for fiber network projects across North America. You will own engineering estimates, route feasibility, and SOW scope while supporting Sales from initial engagement to final submission.

You will collaborate with Q&P, leverage GIS tools, and apply AI-enabled workflows to produce defensible cost estimates and compelling proposals for FTTH, FTTx, and municipal deployments.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related field.
• Minimum 7 years of experience in OSP engineering, fiber network design, broadband estimation, or related field.
• Experience on FTTH/FTTx, backbone, middle-mile, and municipal broadband deployments.
• Proven ability to develop independent engineering and permitting cost estimates, including bottom-up cost modeling for non-standard scopes.

Responsibilities

• Lead estimator for engineering and permitting costs across bid types (FTTH, FTTx, backbone, etc.).
• Develop detailed cost estimates including OSP design, permitting, utility coordination, GIS data, drafting, QA/QC, and PM activities.
• Build and maintain EU rate databases and estimating models.
• Perform route-based quantity analysis using GIS and aerial imagery.
• Evaluate complexity factors like jurisdictional requirements and pole ownership.
• Create bottom-up pricing for non-standard scopes.
• Refine estimating methodology based on outcomes.

Skills

OSP engineering

Fiber network design

GIS analysis

Estimating & cost modeling

AI-enabled workflows

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Tools

ArcGIS

QGIS

Katapult

3GIS

IQGeo

Excel

Job description

Position Summary

Essentia, Inc. is a telecommunications infrastructure firm specializing in the engineering, design, and deployment of fiber optic networks for broadband providers, municipalities, utilities, and enterprise customers throughout North America.

The Senior Solutions Engineer is a senior technical contributor serving as the lead Sales Engineer for both the Sales team and the Quotes & Proposals (Q&P) department. This role is primarily focused on engineering and permitting estimation, technical scope development, and GIS-based route analysis — providing the deep OSP expertise that underpins competitive, accurate proposals for complex fiber network pursuits.

This individual works closely with Sales throughout the pursuit lifecycle — engaging with existing clients and prospects to define requirements, develop optimized route strategies, and support technical presentations. Within Q&P, this role functions as a peer to the Estimator and works under the direction of the Proposal Manager, together forming the core technical and commercial capacity of the department.

The ideal candidate brings proven hands‑on experience in outside plant engineering, permitting, and cost estimation, combined with the communication skills to engage clients and Sales effectively. They are comfortable owning complex, non‑standard bids from scope definition through final submission and are proficient with the AI‑enabled tools that are increasingly central to how Q&P operates.

Key Responsibilities

1. Engineering & Permitting Estimation

• Serve as the lead estimator for engineering and permitting costs across all bid types — FTTH, FTTx, backbone, middle‑mile, EPC, turnkey, and municipal broadband deployments.
• Develop detailed, defensible engineering cost estimates including OSP design, fielding, make‑ready engineering, permitting, utility coordination, GIS data development, drafting, QA/QC, and project management activities.
• Build and maintain Engineering Unit (EU) rate databases, productivity benchmarks, and estimating models.
• Perform route‑based quantity analysis using GIS platforms (ArcGIS, QGIS, 3GIS, Katapult, IQGeo, or equivalent), aerial imagery, and customer‑supplied datasets.
• Evaluate project complexity factors including jurisdictional requirements, utility coordination, pole ownership structures, permitting challenges, traffic control, restoration requirements, and geographic constraints.
• Build bottom‑up pricing models for bids that fall outside the standard unit price library — long‑haul routes, rock or blasting conditions, river crossings, and other non‑standard scopes.
• Maintain historical cost data and continuously refine estimating methodology based on actual project outcomes and post‑mortem findings.

2. Lead Sales Engineering — Sales & Q&P

• Act as the primary Sales Engineer supporting both the Sales team and Q&P — serving as the technical authority throughout the pursuit lifecycle from initial client engagement through proposal submission.
• Engage directly with existing clients and new prospects to understand project requirements, evaluate route options, and develop technically optimized solutions.
• Support Sales in client meetings, technical presentations, and pre‑bid discovery sessions — translating customer objectives into defined, priced engineering approaches.
• Partner with Account Executives during opportunity qualification to assess technical feasibility, identify scope risks, and develop preliminary cost frameworks before formal bid work begins.
• Help identify opportunities for expanded scope or additional service offerings based on route analysis and client engagement.
• Serve as the Q&P department’s technical subject matter expert during internal proposal review and approval gates.

3. Technical Scope Development

• Own scope of work (SOW) development for RFP and unsolicited proposals from first draft through final submission.
• Define RACI assignments, schedule assumptions, construction methodologies, risk registers, and assumptions/exclusions as part of standard bid preparation.
• Develop and maintain reusable SOW templates, assumptions libraries, exclusions language, and standard technical narratives that reduce bid cycle time.
• Produce bid prep inputs that enable the Estimator to complete material and labor pricing accurately and without gaps.
• Review solicitation documents to identify risks, scope gaps, compliance requirements, and items that require clarification prior to pricing.

4. GIS Analysis & Route Feasibility

• Perform independent route analysis and feasibility assessments using GIS tools prior to pricing — identifying constructability risks, permitting complexity, and cost drivers.
• Develop preliminary network layouts and route strategies to support both proposal development and client‑facing discussions with Sales.
• Translate GIS outputs into quantity takeoffs and cost inputs that feed directly into the bid prep package.
• Support O-Calc, VETRO, Katapult, or equivalent pole attachment and make‑ready analysis as required.

5. Subcontractor Pricing Coordination

• Develop subcontractor scope packages for construction, permitting, and specialty work as part of bid preparation.
• Evaluate subcontractor pricing against project requirements and historical performance data and make final recommendations for inclusion in the bid.
• Coordinate as needed with the Estimator, who owns material and labor takeoffs and maintains vendor pricing relationships, to ensure subcontractor inputs are complete and consistent with the overall bid.
• Flag subcontractor risk or pricing anomalies during bid preparation so they are resolved before the approval process begins.

6. Proposal Quality & Stage‑Gate Support

• Produce technically accurate proposal content including scope narratives, technical approaches, assumptions, exclusions, and engineering execution descriptions.
• Ensure all bid prep packages are complete and technically defensible before the Proposal Manager initiates the gated approval routing — this role is the final technical checkpoint before the approval sequence begins.
• Support proposal review processes and contribute to gate review documentation so reviewers at each gate have the context needed to approve efficiently.
• Contribute to the Q&P bid performance scorecard by maintaining time‑per‑bid and cost‑per‑bid data for complex scope types.
• Participate in post‑mortem reviews to capture lessons learned from wins and losses and translate them into updated estimating benchmarks and scope templates.

7. AI-Enabled Workflow Adoption

• Act as an active adopter of Essentia’s AI‑enabled proposal and estimating tools as they are deployed — contributing to and benefiting from the proposal library, scope template extraction, and AI‑assisted SOW generation workflows.
• Use AI‑powered tools, including leading LLM platforms, to accelerate route analysis, quantity development, scope drafting, and estimating model maintenance.
• Develop and maintain reusable technical content in SharePoint in a format that is accessible to and usable by Essentia’s AI knowledge systems.
• Provide feedback to the Proposal Manager and CRO on where AI tooling reduces effort or introduces gaps in complex scope scenarios.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Telecommunications, GIS, Construction Management, or related technical discipline; equivalent hands‑on industry experience considered.
• Minimum 7 years of experience in OSP engineering, fiber network design, broadband estimation, solutions engineering, or a directly related technical field.
• Demonstrated experience on fiber network projects including FTTH, FTTx, backbone, middle‑mile, and enterprise or municipal broadband deployments.
• Proven ability to develop independent engineering and permitting cost estimates, including bottom‑up cost modeling for non‑standard scopes.
• Strong working knowledge of OSP construction methods, permitting workflows, traffic control requirements, utility coordination, and pole attachment processes across multiple U.S. markets.
• Experience performing GIS‑based route analysis and quantity takeoffs using ArcGIS, QGIS, Katapult, 3GIS, IQGeo, or equivalent platforms.
• Advanced Excel proficiency for cost modeling, scenario analysis, and estimating model maintenance.
• Demonstrated ability to interpret and respond to RFPs, RFQs, and technical specifications independently.
• Strong written communication skills — capable of producing clear, complete scope narratives, SOWs, and technical proposal content without heavy editorial support.
• Ability to communicate technical solutions clearly to both engineering peers and non‑technical commercial audiences including Sales teams, leadership, and clients.
• Proficiency with leading AI and LLM productivity tools (e.g., Claude, ChatGPT, or equivalent) as part of day‑to‑day workflow — this is a required capability, not a nice‑to‑have.

Preferred Qualifications

• Professional Engineering (PE) license or Engineer‑in‑Training (EIT) certification.
• Experience with VETRO, O-Calc, or equivalent make‑ready and pole attachment analysis tools.
• Knowledge of FCC BEAD, E‑Rate, RDOF, municipal broadband programs, and utility‑funded broadband funding structures.
• Background in technical sales, pre‑sales solutions engineering, or client‑facing consulting for telecom or broadband infrastructure projects.
• Experience supporting government, cooperative, utility, or large enterprise telecom clients.
• Familiarity with NESC, NEC, utility attachment requirements, and broadband infrastructure regulations across multiple U.S. jurisdictions.
• Exposure to proposal operations, bid management workflows, or a structured Q&P function.