Hourly Rate: $45-50/hr (firm, dependent on experience)
Location: Abilene, TX (must be local or willing to travel to Abilene for 2 weeks at a time)

Smartlink is dedicated to empowering those who are competitive and aim for the win. The company’s core values— Creating Customer Fanatics, Innovate and Create, One Team, We Are All In, and Safety Leads to Success—serves as a guide to our teams and sets the expectations for every member.
These values are the cornerstone that brings us together, consistently reminding us of our mission and guiding all our efforts. We are unabashedly competitive and driven by a relentless pursuit of excellence. Every project, every challenge, and every opportunity is met with discipline, focus, and an uncompromising commitment to succeed.
Our path to excellence begins with it, commitment, and our team’s goal of achieving customer fanatics. At Smartlink, you are empowered to make the right decisions, do your job well and bring something to the table no matter your position. This involves autonomy, responsibility, contribution, support, and growth.
This approach ensures that every team member feels valued and motivated to contribute their best, fostering a collaborative and high-performing environment.

We look forward to having you join our TEAM if this opportunity is a great fit for you!

Job Summary:
The Data Center QA/QC Manager is responsible for developing, implementing, and managing quality assurance and control programs for fiber optic infrastructure within hyperscale and enterprise data centers. This role provides leadership and technical direction to Data Center QA/QC Technicians and field teams to ensure all fiber installations, splicing, testing, and documentation meet project specifications, TIA/EIA standards, and client requirements. The manager plays a key role in commissioning, turnover, and continuous improvement of construction and testing practices.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities
Quality Program Leadership

• Develop and enforce project QA/QC plans, inspection procedures, and documentation standards for fiber optic systems.
• Lead and mentor Data Center QA/QC Technicians and field inspectors to ensure consistent quality verification practices across multiple sites.
• Review design drawings, specifications, and submittals for alignment with quality standards and constructability.
• Coordinate with project management, engineering, and construction leads to prevent or resolve quality deviations early in the process.
• Conduct internal and client-facing audits; identify non-conformances and manage corrective/preventive actions.
• Manage QA/QC inspection schedules and audit reports.
• Manage punch list tracking and resolution records.

Fiber Installation, Splicing & Testing Oversight

• Oversee inspection and approval of fiber optic routing, splicing, and termination activities.
• Validate Tier 1 and Tier 2 test results, including OLTS and OTDR traces, to ensure compliance with project loss budgets.
• Review and approve fiber optic test documentation, trace files, and detailed reports before client submission.
• Support field teams in troubleshooting, root-cause analysis, and acceptance testing.
• Manage approved fiber test result packages and trace validations.

Racks, Cabinets & Cable Infrastructure

• Oversee installation of fiber enclosures, patch panels, cassettes, and cable management hardware.
• Verify rack and cabinet labeling, grounding/bonding, and physical alignment.
• Confirm proper routing and securing of trunk and distribution cables within pathways and cabinets.
• Ensure compliance with data center structured cabling best practices.

• Manage QA/QC documentation workflows including inspection reports, punch lists, as-built markups, and test data tracking.
• Manage/Approve project closeout packages and test result summaries for client turnover.
• Maintain a central quality database or digital reporting platform for fiber test management.
• Provide weekly and monthly quality performance metrics to program leadership.
• Manage final QA turnover documentation for project closeout.

Safety & Compliance

• Promote a culture of safety and compliance, ensuring adherence to site procedures, PPE requirements, and MOP protocols.
• Participate in change control, commissioning activities, and method of procedure (MOP) reviews.
• Report and mitigate quality-related safety or environmental risks.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications & Requirements: To perform this position successfully, an individual must be able to perform each duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Required

• 7+ years of experience in fiber optic installation, testing, or QA/QC within mission-critical or data center environments.
• Proven leadership experience managing QA/QC teams or inspection staff.
• Strong knowledge of structured cabling standards (TIA-568, 942, BICSI), fiber testing methodologies, and documentation control.
• Proficiency with OLTS, OTDR, fiber inspection scopes, and test reporting tools.
• Advanced understanding of rack/cabinet layouts, fiber routing, and high-fiber-count backbone systems.
• Excellent communication, documentation, and organizational skills.
• Proficient in MS Office and QA/QC data management systems.
• Leadership and team coordination
• Quality systems management
• Fiber optic technical proficiency
• Documentation accuracy and accountability
• Problem-solving and strategic thinking
• Strong client communication and reporting
• Valid driver’s license and the ability to pass all required data-center background checks for site access.

Preferred

• Industry certifications such as FOA CFOT, CFOS/T, BICSI DCDC, or RCDD.
• Experience supervising or commissioning fiber systems in large-scale data centers.
• Familiarity with commissioning, turnover, and client acceptance testing requirements.
• Experience implementing digital QA platforms or test result management systems.