Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Wireless Network Coordinator

🎯 Role Definition

The Wireless Network Coordinator is responsible for coordinating the planning, deployment, optimization, and day‑to‑day operational support of wireless access networks (LTE, 5G, Wi‑Fi and DAS/small cells). Acting as the central point of contact between field engineering, vendors, site owners, permitting authorities and network operations, this role ensures timely site turn‑up, configuration integrity, KPI achievement and continual performance improvements. The Coordinator combines RF awareness, project coordination, vendor and stakeholder management, and practical troubleshooting to keep wireless services meeting coverage and capacity targets.

Keywords: Wireless Network Coordinator, RF coordination, LTE/5G, Wi‑Fi, DAS, small cells, network optimization, drive tests, site acquisition, commissioning, KPI reporting, vendor management.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

RF Technician / Field Technician
Network Operations Center (NOC) Engineer
Site Acquisition Specialist / Construction Coordinator

Advancement To:

Senior Wireless Network Coordinator / RF Planner
Wireless Network Manager / Operations Manager
Program Manager – Radio Access Network (RAN)
RF Optimization Engineer / Senior RF Engineer

Lateral Moves:

Project Coordinator (Telecom Projects)
Vendor Management / Supplier Relationship Manager
Site Acquisition or Permitting Specialist

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Coordinate and drive end‑to‑end site build activities for wireless cell sites and small cell deployments, including scoping, vendor selection, construction milestones, power and backhaul provisioning, and final turn‑up to ensure on‑time, on‑budget delivery.
Plan and schedule RF site surveys and drive tests, liaise with RF engineers to define objectives, and ensure accurate data collection using TEMS, Nemo or similar tools for LTE/5G and Wi‑Fi performance validation.
Execute and validate acceptance testing and commissioning of new sites and upgrades (LTE, 5G NR, Wi‑Fi, DAS), ensuring configurations, neighbor lists, handover parameters and carrier settings match design and performance requirements prior to commercial activation.
Monitor network performance KPIs (availability, throughput, latency, drop rate, handover success) using OSS/NMS tools and dashboards, generate weekly/monthly performance reports, and present actionable insights to RF Engineering and Operations leadership.
Perform root cause analysis for persistent coverage, throughput or capacity issues; coordinate remediation plans with optimization teams, field technicians and vendors, and track closure of corrective actions.
Maintain and update network documentation including site inventories, configuration baselines, site drawings, RF propagation models, and GIS/KML data to ensure accurate operational records.
Support capacity planning and traffic forecasting activities by analyzing historical network usage, growth trends, and planned rollouts; recommend site co‑location, sector add, or small cell densification strategies.
Coordinate spectrum and interference investigations, working with RF engineers to identify sources of interference, implement filtering or retuning measures, and liaise with regulatory bodies as needed for spectrum issues.
Manage vendor relationships for build, integration and maintenance suppliers; prepare purchase orders, track delivery of equipment, validate vendor invoices against milestones, and enforce SLAs.
Oversee software and firmware upgrade windows for base stations, radios and Wi‑Fi controllers; coordinate change windows with NOC, confirm pre/post checks, and rollback procedures to minimize service impact.
Assist in the development and maintenance of RF design parameters and radio configuration templates (power, tilt, PCI, EARFCN/NRARFCN, bandwidth) to standardize deployments and reduce configuration errors.
Support small cell and DAS rollouts by coordinating with building owners, neutral hosts, and system integrators to manage access agreements, civil works, and RF integration inside venues.
Lead cross‑functional meetings with permitting, civil engineering, power, backhaul and legal teams to secure required permits, power agreements and lease documents; escalate delays and propose mitigation strategies.
Conduct periodic quality assurance audits of field work, site workmanship, and instrument calibration to ensure deployments meet technical and safety standards.
Configure and validate OSS/BSS entries, ensure accurate alarms mapping, and coordinate alarm escalations and trouble tickets to resolution with the NOC and field teams.
Maintain security and compliance for site access, equipment installations and network configurations, including enforcement of locked cabinets, tamper detection and vendor access control processes.
Support disaster recovery and incident response activities by coordinating emergency site repairs, temporary capacity fixes, and contingency routing to restore service quickly after outages.
Provide technical support and handover documentation for operational teams post‑deployment, including runbooks, test scripts, escalation matrices and contact lists for vendors and field crews.
Track project costs and resource utilization for site builds and optimization projects; support budget forecasting and procurement planning for RAN expansion and maintenance.
Implement and maintain KPI‑driven continuous improvement initiatives, documenting lessons learned from rollouts and optimization campaigns and updating processes to reduce repeat issues.
Coordinate inter‑carrier and neutral host integration activities, including RF coexistence testing, shared infrastructure agreements and synchronization coordination for small cell and macro deployments.
Drive automation of recurring tasks (e.g., ticket correlation, KPI alerts, inventory updates) through scripting or tooling (Python, SQL, Excel macros), improving team efficiency and reducing manual errors.

Secondary Functions

Support ad‑hoc network data requests, exploratory analysis and custom reports for business stakeholders and product teams.
Contribute to the organization's wireless network strategy and roadmap by providing field feedback and feasibility assessments for new coverage/capacity initiatives.
Collaborate with business units to translate customer experience issues into technical remediation requirements and engineering tasks.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies when working with network automation, OSS/BSS or RAN engineering teams to prioritize deliverables and track progress.
Train and mentor junior coordinators and field staff on site processes, safety, troubleshooting and documentation best practices.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

RF fundamentals and wireless technologies: deep familiarity with LTE, 5G NR, GSM, and enterprise Wi‑Fi (802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax) principles and typical deployment architectures.
RF planning and propagation tools experience (e.g., Atoll, Mentum, Planet, iBwave) for coverage prediction and indoor DAS/small cell design.
Drive test and benchmarking tools: TEMS, Nemo, G-NetTrack, or similar platforms for collection and analysis of RF KPI data.
OSS/NMS and performance monitoring tools: experience with NetAct, Huawei iManager, Nokia NetAct, Splunk, Grafana, or equivalent for KPI monitoring and alarm management.
Site commissioning and RF configuration: hands‑on experience with eNodeB/gNodeB parameterization, neighbor relations, carriers, and transport interfaces.
Backhaul and transport awareness: knowledge of microwave, fiber backhaul, Ethernet, VLANs and QoS as they relate to cellular site connectivity.
Spectrum and interference analysis: ability to interpret spectrum analyzer traces and participate in interference mitigation.
GIS and asset management tools: familiarity with GIS platforms, site inventories and CRM/ERP systems for lease and asset tracking.
Drive testing and post‑processing analytics: ability to analyze results, produce coverage/capacity heatmaps, and recommend optimization changes.
Scripting and data manipulation: proficiency in Excel (advanced), SQL, and basic scripting (Python, Bash) to automate reports and data validations.
Vendor and project coordination: experience preparing RF acceptance test plans (RATPs), cutover plans, punch lists, and managing vendor milestones.
Knowledge of regulatory environment and permitting processes: local municipality permitting, tower owner agreements, and safety regulations.
Experience with DAS and in‑building solutions, including neutral host systems and integration testing.
Familiarity with change control processes, RFCs, and rollback procedures for network upgrades.

Soft Skills

Strong verbal and written communication skills for coordinating multi‑stakeholder projects and producing clear technical reports.
Excellent project coordination and time management: ability to prioritize competing tasks and manage multiple site rollouts simultaneously.
Analytical mindset with attention to detail when reviewing drive test datasets, configurations and vendor deliverables.
Problem solving and troubleshooting under pressure during incidents or site turn‑up failures.
Stakeholder management and negotiation skills to work with landlords, utilities, municipalities and vendors.
Customer focus and service orientation with ability to interpret QoE metrics and translate into technical actions.
Team player with experience working across engineering, operations, field crews and commercial teams.
Adaptability and willingness to work occasional field hours, after‑hours cutovers and emergency response shifts.
Coaching and mentoring capability to uplift junior engineers and field technicians.
Documentation and process orientation to maintain high quality operational records and runbooks.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Associate degree or technical diploma in Telecommunications, Electronics, Electrical Engineering, Information Technology, or related field.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, Telecommunications, Computer Science or related technical discipline.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Telecommunications Engineering
Electrical / Electronics Engineering
Computer Science / Information Technology
RF Engineering / Wireless Communications

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

2–6 years of relevant experience in wireless network operations, RF coordination, site builds, or field engineering. Mid‑level roles commonly require 3–5 years.

Preferred:

5+ years of experience coordinating LTE/5G deployments, DAS or enterprise Wi‑Fi projects.
Experience working with Tier 1 carriers, neutral hosts, or large enterprise network operators.

Certifications (beneficial): CCNA/CCNP, SCTE, CWNA/CWNP, vendor‑specific certifications (Ericsson/Huawei/Nokia RAN), Python/SQL training.