City of Palo Alto

  • Broadband Installation Technician - Residential Services (Journey Level Laborer Hourly)

  • City of Palo Alto
  • Palo Alto, California United States View Map

Job Description

Description

Are you an experienced broadband installer who enjoys helping customers get connected?

We are seeking a Broadband Installation Technician - Residential Services (Journey Level Laborer - H) to install, activate, and support fiber broadband services in homes. This role is ideal for someone with ISP or telecommunications field experience, strong knowledge of fiber and Wi-Fi technologies, and a commitment to excellent customer service. If you take pride in quality installations, safe work practices, and solving problems for customers, we encourage you to apply.

Position Summary

This position installs, activates, tests, troubleshoots, repairs, and maintains fiber broadband services for residential customers. Responsibilities include inside- and outside-premise work related to fiber drops, customer-premises equipment, in-home Wi-Fi connectivity, and service restoration. The role requires strong technical knowledge, safe work practices, accurate documentation, and excellent customer service when working in occupied homes.

The ideal candidate brings strong residential installation experience, preferably with an internet service provider or telecommunications provider, along with practical knowledge of fiber and wireless technologies, and customer-premises networking. They are comfortable working independently in the field, solving technical problems in real time, communicating clearly with residents, and providing excellent customer service while representing the organization professionally in the community.

Work Schedule: May include weekdays, evenings, weekends, on-call assignments, overtime, or emergency response as needed to support service installation and restoration.

This is a SEIU Hourly benefited position, not to exceed 999 hours per fiscal year.
Work schedule will be determined upon assignment.

Essential Duties

  • Install, activate, maintain, and repair residential fiber broadband services.
  • Perform on-site service calls for new installations, reconnects, trouble calls, service upgrades, and equipment replacements.
  • Running aerial or underground fiber drops from the distribution network to customer premises
  • Install and configure fiber customer-premises equipment, including optical network terminals (ONTs), gateways, routers, Wi-Fi extenders, and related devices.
  • Route, secure, terminate, and test inside wiring and service drops in accordance with applicable standards and safety requirements.
  • Conduct service testing using appropriate diagnostic tools and test equipment to verify signal quality, connectivity, and service performance.
  • Troubleshoot issues involving fiber connectivity, premise wiring, routers, Wi-Fi coverage, and customer equipment.
  • Perform basic fiber handling, connector preparation, and minor splicing or repair work as assigned.
  • Educate customers on service operation, equipment use, Wi-Fi basics, and steps to improve in-home connectivity.
  • Review work orders, complete installation and repair records, document test results, and update service information using mobile devices or computerized work management systems.
  • Coordinate with dispatch, engineering, network operations, and customer service staff to resolve service issues and complete assigned work.
  • Operate City or department vehicles safely and maintain tools, equipment, and assigned inventory.
  • Follow all applicable safety rules, procedures, and safe work practices, including ladder safety, traffic safety, PPE requirements, and safe entry into residential work areas.
  • Provide courteous, professional, and respectful service to customers and the public.


Minimum Qualifications

Education:

  • High school diploma or equivalent.


Experience:
  • Two years of experience installing, troubleshooting, or repairing broadband, telecommunications, cable, or fiber services in residential or small-business environments; or,
  • A combination of related technical training and directly relevant field experience that demonstrates the ability to perform the essential duties of the position.

Licenses and Certifications
  • Possession of a valid California Class C driver’s license and a satisfactory driving record.
  • Ability to obtain and maintain any job-related safety or technical certifications required by the employer.
  • First aid/CPR certification is desirable.
  • Industry certifications such as SCTE, fiber installer, or broadband premises certifications are desirable.


Desirable Qualifications:
  • Experience working for an ISP, telecommunications provider, broadband utility, or cable operator performing residential installations and service calls.
  • Experience with fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) or passive optical network (PON) environments.
  • Experience installing and troubleshooting ONTs, gateways, routers, mesh Wi-Fi systems, and structured premise wiring.
  • Experience with service activation, testing, and use of fiber or broadband diagnostic tools.
  • Basic fiber splicing or fiber connectorization experience.
  • Experience using mobile field service applications, electronic work orders, or GIS/asset-related systems.
  • Working from bucket trucks, climbing poles with ladders, using trenching equipment, and performing premise cabling inside customer properties.
  • Bilingual skills relevant to community service delivery.

For job description, click here.

Supplemental Information

Physical Demands and Working Conditions

This position requires frequent driving and work at residential locations indoors and outdoors. Duties may involve standing, walking, bending, kneeling, crouching, reaching, climbing ladders, lifting and carrying tools and equipment, and working in garages, side yards, attics, crawl spaces, or similar environments. Employees may be required to distinguish colors used in wiring and cable identification, work in varying weather conditions, and safely use hand tools, power tools, and testing equipment.

The Selection Process:
  • Recruitment status notifications will be sent via email or text (please enroll in text alerts when applying).
  • Updates can also be found on your governmentjobs.com account.
  • Applicants will be screened throughout the posting process and highly qualified candidates may be invited to interview at any time.
  • The screening process for this position may include a virtual recorded interview and/or panel interviews preceding final interviews with the hiring manager or their designee.
  • More than one position may be filled through this posting.

Our online application system is provided by NeoGov. If you have problems while applying online, please contact NeoGov's Live Applicant Support at (855) 524-5627 between 6:00 AM and 5:00 PM Pacific Time, Monday - Friday.

The City of Palo Alto is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City will provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the employer.

City of Palo Alto offers the following benefits to those in a SEIU Hourly position:

Medical Stipend
$3.80 effective the pay period including July 1, 2024.

Sick Leave
Earn .03 hour of sick leave for each hour worked.

Retirement
City of Palo Alto PST (Part-time, Seasonal & Temporary Employees) Retirement Plan

Please note: The City does not participate in CA State Disability Insurance (SDI) or Social Security.

Closing Date/Time: 9/23/2026 11:59 PM Pacific
City of Palo Alto

City of Palo Alto

650-329-2376

The Community


The birthplace of Silicon Valley, Palo Alto, is a community of approximately 68,000 residents and nearly 100,000 jobs. Located on the mid-Peninsula between San Francisco and San Jose, Palo Alto is recognized worldwide as a leader in cutting-edge technology, medicine, and green innovation. The community's treelined streets and historic buildings reflect its California heritage, and, at the same time, many world-class businesses maintain or started offices here, such as Stanford Health Care and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Amazon, Broadcom, Hewlett-Packard, Houzz, Rivian, SAP and SAP Ariba, Tesla, and Varian Medical Systems. Numerous start-ups are also at home in Palo Alto, arguably making it the start-up capital of the world. Stanford University is foundational to the history and prestige of Palo Alto, reflected in the community's dedication to lifelong learning. Stanford's cultural and educational offerings are integral to the vibrancy and charm of Palo Alto, while the City's exceptional K-12 school district ranks among the top public-school systems in the country. With more than 50% of adult residents holding a graduate degree or higher, Palo Alto is frequently listed as one of the most educated cities in the nation. Palo Alto boasts a genuine sense of community and an active citizenry with strong environmental values. Beautiful neighborhoods are complemented by vibrant commercial corridors and a bustling economy featuring premium shopping and dining options. Excellent healthcare facilities, performing arts, and diverse recreational opportunities are some of the community's incredibly desirable and cherished amenities. To learn more, visit https://www.paloalto.gov/Departments/City-Manager/Latest-News

City Government

Palo Alto is a full-service charter city with a council-manager form of government. The seven-member City Council is elected at large, and the City Council annually selects the Mayor and Vice Mayor from among its members. The Mayor and City Council appoint the City Manager, City Attorney, City Clerk, and City Auditor. The City Manager is responsible for the strategic direction and day-to-day operations of the City. Palo Alto is organized into 15 departments/offices with 1,093.10 authorized positions in FY 2025. There is also a FY 2025 capital budget of $316.2 million. Palo Alto owns and operates its own utilities, including electricity (carbon-neutral), gas, water, wastewater, and an expanding fiber network. This dynamic municipal environment ensures an ever-engaging platform for unique problem-solving and advances new initiatives, including sustainability, broadband, and effective service delivery. Community assets also include five libraries, 36 parks, five community centers, a museum and zoo, youth centers, a general aviation airport, an 18-hole golf course, a regional water treatment plant, and wildland open space preserves at the San Francisco Bay and in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains offering 41 miles of walking/biking trails in addition to its police, fire, and ambulance services. Palo Alto has long been a leader in sustainability, and the City's ambitious greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction goals are part of what sets it apart. Since the City's first Climate Protection Plan was passed in 2007, Palo Alto has set goals that exceed State and Federal targets. Today, the City's goal to reduce emissions 80% below 1990 levels by 2030 (the "80x30" goal) and achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 guides sustainability efforts. An award-winning City, Palo Alto is recognized nationally as innovative and well-managed. City services and performance also receive impressive marks from community members in the Palo Alto Community Survey.

Many of those ratings put City programs and services in the highest percentiles among the hundreds of benchmark cities. Palo Alto makes decisions through comprehensive processes and proactively seeks to involve its extremely informed, educated, and engaged residents. Projects are naturally a cooperative effort among the City Council, Boards, Commissions, Committees, engaged residents, neighborhoods, businesses, property owners, and staff.

Join an Award Winning Team 

Palo Alto is an award-winning City recognized nationwide as innovative and well-managed. Palo Alto is one of a small number of California cities with a AAA bond rating. Recently, Palo Alto became one of the most livable cities in the U.S. by Livability.com. It's the only city to receive the Platinum Beacon Award in sustainability best practices by California’s Institute for Local Government. We offer a variety of career paths that relate to building and improving communities. The City has fourteen departments employing 1,000 full-time staff. Police officers, fire fighters, paramedics, and building inspectors keep us safe. Engineers and public works staff build and re-build the physical infrastructure. City planners help envision and shape future community growth. Recreation, arts and library professionals enhance community life. Utilities provides electric, gas, water, sewer and other services. Internal services departments help manage, staff, and protect the City.

Want to learn more about our benefits? Learn more by reviewing our "Benefits at a Glance Booklet."

Contact Us

Phone: 650-329-2376   

Email: Recruit@paloalto.gov   

Location: City Hall, 1st Floor | 250 Hamilton Ave 94301 | View Map

 

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