Digital Connectivity Network Specialist

Company Overview

Check out this video and find out why our team loves to work here!

Join Us! CDM Smith – where amazing career journeys unfold.

Imagine a place committed to offering an unmatched employee experience. Where you work on projects that are meaningful to you. Where you play an active part in shaping your career journey. Where your co-workers are invested in you and your success. Where you are encouraged and supported to do your very best and given the tools and resources to do so. Where it’s a priority that the company takes good care of you and your family.

Our employees are the heart of our company. As an employer of choice, our goal is to provide a challenging, progressive and inclusive work environment which fosters personal leadership, career growth and development for every employee. We value passionate individuals who challenge the norm, deliver world-class solutions and bring diverse perspectives. Join our team, and together we will make a difference and change the world.

Job Description

About the MCC Compact

The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) is an independent United States government agency that provides grant-based development assistance to selected countries to help reduce poverty through economic growth. On April 13, 2023, MCC and the Government of Indonesia (GoI) signed a five-year, USD 649 million compact (Compact II), which entered into force on September 4, 2024. Compact II addresses the high cost and limited reach of financial intermediation in Indonesia by improving the financing of transport and logistics infrastructure, expanding access to finance for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and financing digital connectivity infrastructure.

About MCA-Indonesia II and the Program Management Consultant (PMC)

Compact II is implemented by the Millennium Challenge Account – Indonesia II (MCA-Indonesia II), the GoI entity accountable to MCC for delivering the compact's projects. MCA-Indonesia II is supported by a Program Management Consultant (PMC), managed by CDM Smith, which provides technical, managerial, and administrative support across the compact's projects. This includes work planning, quality assurance, technical advisory input, and coordination among MCA-Indonesia II, MCC, and government counterparts. This position sits within the PMC team and works in direct support of MCA-Indonesia II.

About the Digital Connectivity Expansion Initiative

The Digital Connectivity Expansion (DCE) initiative is structured around three initiative objectives: Objective I (Backhaul), improving open-access wholesale backhaul networks in underserved and commercially challenging areas; Objective II (Points of Interest, or POI, Connectivity), connecting unconnected public points of interest such as schools and health facilities; and Objective III (Shared Last-Mile), extending operator-neutral shared mobile or fixed access to communities on the margins of commercial coverage. Market respondents consistently viewed the three objectives as complementary components of one integrated connectivity model rather than as standalone interventions.

A Request for Information (RFI) process (Ref. IND2-26-50004-INFO) was conducted to gather market input on the technical, financing, and operational approaches to these three objectives. These market inputs spanned Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) satellite providers, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and system integrators, tower companies, a Mobile Network Operator (MNO), and a backbone provider, and confirmed strong support for a technology-neutral, hybrid network design — fiber, microwave, Fixed Wireless Access (FWA), Wi-Fi, Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) satellite, and VSAT were all identified as potentially relevant depending on geography, demand density, and site conditions — combined with a layered architecture (backhaul, access, and POI/end-user layers) rather than a single uniform technical model.

These RFI findings and the three initiative objectives form the basis for a structured validation study, to test whether DCE can be structured into a technically sound, deliverable program before proceeding to a full proposal by market respondents. A structured Gap Assessment against identified technical and site-readiness assessment — site condition data, technology selection logic, and open-access technical governance — as priority work required to complete it. This position is engaged specifically to identify technical and site-readiness assessment, such as site condition data, technology selection logic, open-access technical governance, and to provide the site-readiness tiering that underpins the Financial Modeler's cost model.

Objective of the Position

To support the Validation Study's assessment of the DCE initiative's technical and operational feasibility by developing a site readiness assessment and open-access technical governance framework, including network architecture logic, site archetypes, and implementation constraints. This work provides the technical basis needed for financial modelling and for private-sector co-creation discussion, supporting the Business Case's recommendation on whether, how, and under what conditions the initiative should proceed to structured market engagement.

The deliverable produces by this assignment is expected to contribute to the deliverable of a Validation Study.

Scope of Responsibilities

• Develop clear site readiness tiering archetypes (strong / moderate / weak existing infrastructure) as an interim proxy site.

• Document the scope boundary as it applies to technology and network design choices, in a manner that supports — rather than overrides — the program's technology-neutral principle.

• Draft an indicative open-access technical governance framework (network demarcation, capacity allocation principles) as a discussion basis for private-sector co-creation.

• Provide site tiering and technical readiness inputs to the Financial Modeler's cost structure and model.

• Draft the Technical Case of the validation study's Business Case document.

• Coordinate with the Financial Modeler to ensure site archetypes align consistently across the Technical and Financial Cases.

• Present interim and final technical findings to PMC, MCA-Indonesia II, and MCC, hand over the site readiness assessment and technical governance framework, with sufficient documentation for continued use by the PMC and MCA-Indonesia II team.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Telecommunications Engineering, Electrical/Electronics Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field.

• Minimum 10 years professional experience in telecommunications network engineering, covering backhaul technologies (fiber, microwave, satellite/VSAT/LEO/GEO) and access-layer technologies (FWA, Wi-Fi, mobile broadband).

• Demonstrated experience assessing site and network readiness in underserved or rural areas, including translating incomplete or proxy data into practical technical categories, such as site archetypes or readiness tiers.

• Ability to draft clear, decision-oriented technical narratives and frameworks for both technical and non-technical audiences, including senior government stakeholders and private-sector participants.

• Familiarity with base transceiver station (BTS)/tower infrastructure condition assessment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Relevant professional certification (e.g., Cisco Certified Network Associate/Professional (CCNA/CCNP), or equivalent network engineering certification).

Amount of Travel Required

10% or less
Background Check and Drug Testing Information

CDM Smith Inc. and its divisions and subsidiaries (hereafter collectively referred to as “CDM Smith”) reserves the right to require background checks including criminal, employment, education, licensure, etc. as well as credit and motor vehicle when applicable for certain positions. In addition, CDM Smith may conduct drug testing for designated positions. Background checks are conducted after an offer of employment has been made in the United States. The timing of when background checks will be conducted on candidates for positions outside the United States will vary based on country statutory law but in no case, will the background check precede an interview. CDM Smith will conduct interviews of qualified individuals prior to requesting a criminal background check, and no job application submitted prior to such interview shall inquire into an applicant's criminal history. If this position is subject to a background check for any convictions related to its responsibilities and requirements, employment will be contingent upon successful completion of a background investigation including criminal history. Criminal history will not automatically disqualify a candidate. In addition, during employment individuals may be required by CDM Smith or a CDM Smith client to successfully complete additional background checks, including motor vehicle record as well as drug testing.
Additional Pay Range Information

CDM Smith is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. This pay range is a good faith estimate representative of all experience levels for the geographic location assigned to the position. In addition to geographic location, a candidate’s salary is determined by several other factors including, but not limited to, the role, function and associated responsibilities, relevant work experience, skills, required certifications, and education/training.
Additional Compensation

All bonuses at CDM Smith are discretionary and may or may not apply to this position.
Visa Sponsorship Available

No - We are not open to sponsoring for this position
Agency Disclaimer

All vendors must have a signed CDM Smith Placement Agreement from the CDM Smith Talent Acquisition Manager to receive payment for your placement. Verbal or written commitments from any other member of the CDM Smith Inc. and its divisions and subsidiaries staff will not be considered binding terms. All unsolicited resumes sent to CDM Smith Inc. and its divisions and subsidiaries and any resume submitted to any employee outside of CDM Smith Talent Acquisition Team will be considered property of CDM Smith. CDM Smith Inc. and its divisions and subsidiaries will not be held liable to pay a placement fee.