Manager – FTTx Network Design SME -GPON

Subject Matter Expert (SME) - FTTx Design Location: Chennai, India Experience: 8-15 Years Industry: Telecommunications | Fiber Network Design | Engineering Services About the Role We are seeking a highly skilled Subject Matter Expert (SME) - FTTx Design to provide technical leadership and engineering excellence for large-scale fiber network design programs supporting leading Australian telecommunications customers. The SME will serve as the technical authority for FTTx (MDU) planning and design, ensuring adherence to customer standards, engineering best practices, and quality requirements. This role requires extensive experience in GPON/XGS-PON network design, strong analytical capabilities, and the ability to mentor design teams while driving continuous improvement across delivery programs. Key Responsibilities Proven experience in designing and reviewing MDU fiber network deployments for apartment complexes, residential communities, commercial buildings, and mixed-use developments. Ensure MDU designs comply with customer standards, building regulations, and constructability requirements. Provide technical guidance and mentorship to Design and quality teams. Conduct detailed design audits and quality reviews to ensure high standards of accuracy and completeness. Support engineering teams in resolving complex design challenges and escalations. Perform root cause analysis for internal and customer-reported defects and implement corrective and preventive actions (CAPA). Drive Right First Time (RFT) performance through design standardization and best-practice implementation. Collaborate with customers and cross-functional stakeholders on technical discussions, design clarifications, and solution recommendations. Contribute to process improvement initiatives, identify and drive automation opportunities. Develop and maintain technical documentation, design guidelines, knowledge repositories, and training materials. Manage resource training plans, capability development, and succession planning. Mandatory Experience 8-15 years of experience in Telecommunications Network Engineering and FTTx Design. Experience with Australian customer requirements for MDU developments, including high-density residential and commercial deployments. Strong hands-on expertise in GPON and XGS-PON network architecture and design. Proven experience in designing, reviewing and approving complex MDU designs. Experience in Fibre Distribution Network (FDN) planning, splitter architecture, and network capacity management. Demonstrated ability to act as a technical advisor and mentor for engineering teams. Strong understanding of internal building fiber distribution architecture, communications room design, riser planning, and vertical cable distribution. Technical Expertise FTTx Network Engineering FTTH / FTTP / FTTB MDU Designs GPON & XGS-PON Architecture Fibre Distribution Network (FDN) Design Splitter Planning & Optimization Network Capacity Planning Brownfield & Greenfield Deployments OSP & ISP Engineering Tools & Platforms Experience with the following: QGIS SpatialNet AutoCAD MapInfo