Public Safety Communications Radio Engineer | City of New York Jobs

The Office of Technology and Innovation (OTI) leverages technology to drive opportunity, improve public safety, and help government run better across New York City. From delivering affordable broadband to protecting against cybersecurity threats and building digital government services, OTI is at the forefront of how the city delivers for New Yorkers in the 21st century. Watch our welcome video to see our work in action, follow us on social media @NYCOfficeofTech, and visit www.nyc.gov/oti to learn more.

At OTI, we offer great benefits, and the chance to work on projects that have a meaningful impact on millions of people. You'll have the opportunity to work with cutting-edge technology and collaborate with other passionate professionals who share your drive and commitment to making a difference through technology.

Job Description
The Public Safety Communications Radio Engineer is responsible for the planning, design, implementation, and lifecycle management of the City’s mission-critical land mobile radio and microwave communications systems. This role provides strategic engineering leadership, technical oversight, and regulatory support for Citywide public safety radio network serving more than 40,000 users. The position supports day-to-day operations, major incidents, and long-term modernization initiatives across multiple public safety agencies.

Responsibilities will include:
Strategic Engineering and Program Oversight
-Provide strategic engineering planning and oversight for radio system software development within City government.
-Oversee the implementation of large-scale Land Mobile Radio and microwave projects from concept through deployment.
-Support long-term modernization, and resiliency upgrades
-Perform special projects and initiatives as assigned.
Design and Implementation of LMR Systems
-Plan, engineer, and deploy public safety-grade LMR systems, including UHF, 700 MHz, 800 MHz, and T-Band platforms.
-Design systems to meet mission-critical reliability, redundancy, coverage, and interoperability requirements.
-Integrate new technologies while maintaining compatibility with legacy systems.
Lifecycle Management of Radio Infrastructure
-Manage the full lifecycle of radio systems, including design, procurement, installation, optimization, upgrades, and decommissioning.
-Coordinate system refreshes, software upgrades, and end-of-life replacements to minimize operational risk.
-Develop technical standards to ensure consistency across City radio assets.
Citywide Network Oversight
-Provide engineering oversight of Citywide radio networks supporting a user base exceeding 40,000 radios.
-Monitor system performance using diagnostic tools and real-time analytics to identify and resolve issues impacting reliability.
-Support 24/7 operational readiness of mission-critical communications systems
-Provide direct engineering and technical support to public safety agencies during routine operations and major incidents.
-Assist with incident communications planning, interoperability coordination, and post-incident analysis.
Microwave and Backhaul Systems
-Design, maintain, and troubleshoot microwave transport systems supporting voice and data radio traffic.
-Ensure resiliency, redundancy, and performance of backhaul infrastructure supporting radio systems.
RF Spectrum Planning and Interference Mitigation
-Lead RF spectrum planning, frequency coordination, and channel allocation efforts.
-Conduct interference detection, analysis, and mitigation using advanced RF tools and field testing.
-Support spectrum efficiency and long-term spectrum strategy.
FCC Regulatory and Compliance Support
-Provide FCC regulatory support for all City radio licenses.
-Prepare and submit engineering exhibits, coverage maps, and technical analyses for FCC filings and regional coordination.
-Manage licensing, renewals, modifications, and Special Temporary Authorizations as required.
-Coordinate with FCC regional coordinators and regional planning committees.
Broadband and Emerging Technology Integration
-Evaluate and integrate interoperable broadband technologies such as LTE, 5G, and mission-critical push-to-talk.
-Support convergence of LMR and broadband communications where appropriate.
Documentation, Standards, and Trainings
-Develop and maintain engineering documentation, including system diagrams, specifications, SOPs, and technical reports.
-Establish and enforce technical standards for radio system design and operation.
-Train and mentor junior engineers and technical staff to build internal expertise and support succession planning,
-Stay current with evolving public safety communications standards, spectrum policy, and emerging technical and security risks.
-Recommend improvements to maintain compliance, resiliency, and operational readiness.
Special projects and initiatives as assigned

HOURS/SHIFT
Day - Due to the necessary technical duties of this position in a 24/7 operation, candidate may be required to work various shifts such as weekends and/or nights/evenings.

WORK LOCATION
Brooklyn, NY

TO APPLY
* Special Note: Taking and passing civil service exams are necessary to maintain employment with the City of New York. Please check the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) website (http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcas/html/work/exam_monthly.shtml) for important exam filing information. Please ensure that you are either a permanent employee in the civil service title listed on this posting, or, that you file for the examination when there is an open filing period. For more information regarding the civil service process, please visit the DCAS website at: http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcas/html/work/work.shtml

* Interested applicants with other civil service titles who meet the preferred requirements should also submit a resume for consideration

Please go to www.cityjobs.nyc.gov and search for Job ID #775989

SUBMISSION OF A RESUME IS NOT A GUARANTEE THAT YOU WILL RECEIVE AN INTERVIEW
APPOINTMENTS ARE SUBJECT TO OVERSIGHT APPROVAL

This position is open to qualified persons with a disability who are eligible for the 55-a Program.
Please indicate in your cover letter that you would like to be considered for the position under the 55-a program

OTI participates in E-Verify

TELECOMMUNICATIONS MANAGER (NO - 8298A

Minimum Qualifications

1. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college including or supplemented by 24 credits in the field of voice and/or data telecommunications or in a pertinent scientific, technical, electronic or related area, and four years of satisfactory fulltime experience in the performance of analytical, planning, operational, technical, or administrative duties in a voice and/or data telecommunications or closely related electronics planning, management, and/or service organization, one year of which must have been in a highly specialized capacity and 18 months must have been in an executive, managerial, or administrative capacity or in the supervision of staff performing work in the voice and/or data telecommunications field; or

2. An associate degree from an accredited college including or supplemented by 12 credits in the field of voice and/or data telecommunications or in a pertinent, scientific, technical, electronic or related area and five years of experience as described in "1" above; or

3. Education and/or experience equivalent to "1" above. However, all candidates must have at least a four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent and one year of the specialized experience as described in "1" above and must possess the 18 months of executive, managerial, administrative or supervisory experience as described in "1" above.

Preferred Skills

The successful candidate should possess the following:-Strong working knowledge of P25 trunked and conventional radio systems, including system architecture, call processing, subscriber management, and system monitoring. -Demonstrated experience engineering and supporting large, multi-site public safety radio networks with thousands of subscribers. -Hands-on experience with RF propagation modeling, coverage analysis, and interference mitigation using industry-standard tools. -Practical understanding of microwave radio design, alignment, path analysis, and redundancy planning for mission-critical backhaul systems. -Experience supporting or leading large-scale radio system deployments and upgrades in an operational public safety environment. -Familiarity with FCC licensing, frequency coordination, and regulatory compliance for governmental radio systems. -Experience integrating LMR systems with broadband technologies such as LTE, 5G, and mission critical push-to-talk solutions. -Ability to analyze complex technical problems, develop practical solutions, and clearly communicate recommendations to both technical and non-technical audiences. -Experience developing engineering documentation, standards, and operating procedures for mission-critical systems. -Proven ability to support emergency operations and perform effectively under time-critical, high-pressure conditions. -Strong coordination and collaboration skills, with experience working across multiple agencies, vendors, and government stakeholders. -Ability to mentor junior engineers and provide technical leadership without direct supervisory authority. -Self-directed, organized, and comfortable managing multiple priorities in a dynamic public safety environment.

55a Program

This position is also open to qualified persons with a disability who are eligible for the 55-a Program. Please indicate at the top of your resume and cover letter that you would like to be considered for the position through the 55-a Program.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website at https://studentaid.gov/pslf/.

Residency Requirement

New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. However, City Employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for 2 continuous years may also be eligible to reside in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County. To determine if the residency requirement applies to you, please discuss with the agency representative at the time of interview.

Additional Information

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.