Crown Castle works around the country to build and maintain the infrastructure behind the world’s most revolutionary technologies. Crown Castle owns, operates and leases more than 40,000 cell towers and over 80,000 route miles of fiber supporting small cells and fiber solutions across every major US market. This nationwide portfolio of communications infrastructure connects cities and communities to essential data, technology and wireless service – bringing information, ideas and innovations to the people and businesses that need them. Crown Castle is an S&P 500 and Fortune 500 company and one of the largest Real Estate Investment Trusts in the United States with an enterprise value of approximately $87.2 billion.
Position Title: Manager, Utility Relations - 7E
Position Summary
The Manager, Utility Relations establishes, grows and leads utility relationships on behalf of all groups at Crown Castle, serving as a point-person in this arena for both external utility staff and internal Crown teams. Working closely with Permitting, Legal, Project Delivery, Engineering and Construction, Government Affairs and Sales, this person navigates opportunities and hurdles to ensure the successful, timely buildout of Crown Castle’s communications infrastructure. The Manager, Utility Relations is responsible for negotiating complex utility agreements based on federal and state telecommunications regulations with utilities (investor owned electric utilities and telephone companies) as well as coordinating the resolution of national utility issues that impact Crown’s ability to meet customer objectives.
Essential Job Functions
Develop and execute a market-specific strategy for utilities that aligns with Crown Castle’s business goals.
Coordinate and monitor response to utility regulations changes, advising Crown management on progress.
Strengthen relationships with utilities, serving as an advocate for Crown Castle and a lead contact and escalation point.
Negotiate utility agreements as needed in accordance with Crown Castle guidelines, the Federal Telecommunications Act of 1996 Section 224, and state regulations covering pole and conduit attachments.
Advise and serve as internal point of escalation for Network and Tower groups with regard to pole and conduit access rights, power delivery, and project deployment
Responsibility for application to “on air” timeline ensuring disciplined delivery throughout the process to expedite customer’s use of our site while maintaining Crown Castle standards and policies. This includes responsibility for team’s accurate forecasting and reporting.
Assist legal and regulatory teams to anticipate and promote state and federal legislation, FCC, and municipal code and/or zoning ordinance changes
Leads and directs the work of a geographically distributed team, driving innovation and collaboration to ensure key financial and performance metrics are achieved
Provide training and supervision for the team and internal functional groups.
Education/Certifications
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience in utility industry
Experience/Minimum Requirements
A minimum of five (5) years proven experience working in a utility or for a utility vendor required.
Knowledge of the rules and policies of the FCC and State Public Utilities Commissions, NESC, GO 95, OSHA, RF emissions regulations and other industry standards, as well as an ability to read construction plans/drawings is necessary
Negotiation experience required.
Experience in presenting and speaking to the public and utilities required, including extemporaneous and prepared speeches is required.
Experience working on goal-driven, cross-functional teams required.
Other Skills/Abilities
Strategic Mindset – Assesses future possibilities and translating them into breakthrough strategies.
Manages Complexity – Makes sense of complex, high quantity, and sometimes-contradictory information to effectively solve problems.
Manages Ambiguity- Operating effectively, even when things are not certain, or the way forward is not clear.
Plans & Aligns – Plans and prioritizes work to meet commitments aligned with organizational goals. Conveys clear objectives and ensures alignment across organization.
Builds Networks – Effectively builds formal and informal relationship networks inside and outside the organization. Builds influential connections across boundaries.
Builds Effective Teams – Building strong identity teams that apply their diverse skills and perspectives to achieve common goals.
Courage - Stepping up to address difficult issues, saying what needs to be said. Will confidently take a stand for their beliefs when faced with opposition.
Organizational Relationship
Reports to: Regional Manager, Utility Relations
Title(s) of direct reports (if applicable): Utility Relations Supervisor
Working Conditions: Works in a normal office setting with no exposure to adverse environmental conditions. Frequent travel. Additional Information: N/A