Field Systems Specialist

Who is NTE, NTE 35W, and LBJ?

The North Tarrant Express (NTE) was the first design-build-finance-operate-maintain managed lanes project in Texas and consisted of the complete reconstruction of 13.3 miles of the existing I-820/SH-183 corridor between Dallas and Fort Worth. Since opening in October 2014, nine months ahead of the contracted completion date, the general highway lanes are experiencing a 70% decrease in congestion time and a 15% increase in average speed. This Cintra-led project has doubled capacity and significantly improved mobility along this heavily congested corridor that traverses the heart of six cities through Northeast Tarrant County.

The North Tarrant Express 35W (NTE 35W) project spans 16.8 miles from I-30 in downtown Fort Worth to Eagle Parkway at the north end of Alliance Airport. The project is operated and maintained by the Cintra-led consortium in North Texas. This project has improved mobility by adding additional road capacity through a combination of general highway lanes and continuous frontage roads, along with tolled express lanes that use variable pricing to keep traffic moving.

The LBJ Express (LBJ) is currently the largest P3 operation in Texas and one of the largest ever undertaken in the U.S. It is a regionally-significant transportation improvement project in North Texas that is relieving severe congestion in the dense urban area of north Dallas. In 2009, the Cintra-led consortium was selected to complete the design, construction, finance, operation, and maintenance of the project along I-635 and I-35E. Since opening in September 2015, the general highway lanes are realizing a 60% decrease in congestion time and a 10% increase in average speed.

What makes us different?

Our people come first. We want every single employee to develop both professionally and personally. With a strong focus on growth potential, we look to our internal employees as potential candidates for both national and international opportunities. We aim to achieve greatness by promoting from within every chance we get. We work hard and play hard and strive every day for success and achievement. With a diverse group of professionals working in a fast-paced environment, we achieve milestones constantly. And if that weren’t enough, we also offer our employees highly competitive insurance benefits, Paid Time Off, and a matching 401(k) program.

Job Description:

Summary: The Field Systems Lead role enhances the performance and potential of existing and emerging systems through in-depth analysis of technical applications and services, rigorous testing, and strategic recommendations; assumes full ownership and maintenance of Field Systems pre-production test environments. The Field Systems Lead leverages problem-solving, presenting technical information, process improvement, software maintenance, hardware testing, electrical solutions, implementation evaluation, vendor relationships, power load balancing and scalability.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Evaluates ITS (Intelligent Traffic Systems) potential and changes by testing compatibility within a test environment.
• Evaluates expansions or enhancements by studying workload and capacity of existing or proposed systems or components.
• Achieves Field Systems performance objectives by gathering pertinent data; identifying and evaluating options; recommending and implementing a course of action.
• Confirms ITS objectives and specifications by testing new components, comparing new components with established performance standards, and making modification recommendations when necessary.
• Improves existing ITS performance by reviewing objectives and specifications, evaluating proposed changes, recommending changes, and making modifications.
• Evaluates vendor-supplied software by studying repair objectives, testing software compatibility with existing network hardware and programs.
• Places software and hardware into pre-production or production environments by following vendor documentation or creating installation documentation.
• Maximizes team repair performance by training technicians on support procedures for new and existing network components, interpreting technical vendor instructions, answering technical questions.
• Maintains system/network capability by testing compatible network components for discontinued components.
• Maintains historical records by documenting hardware and software changes and revisions that have been tested in pre-production environments and rolled out to production alongside the Field Systems Analyst team.
• Maintains team confidence and protects Field Systems operations by proactive testing, working with various technical business primes to understand how Field Systems changes impact internal and external customers.
• Maintains professional and technical knowledge by attending educational classes; reviewing technical publications; establishing personal networks; participating in product testing and validating professional organizations.
• Conduct technical training for team members on new or existing procedural changes or new/existing technology.
• Prime technical resource working with the Field Systems Analysts in resolving system check issues identified by the Analysts team.
• Performs Field Systems technician roles and works across internal and external technical groups as business needs dictate
• 24/7 availability required, may be required to report to field outside normal business hours/scheduled shift, required to be available via phone.
• Perform other duties as assigned 

Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills & Abilities):

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required to fulfill those duties. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education & Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in IT, military training, or electrical engineering preferred
• 5 – 8+ years of related experience in field support, information technology, tolling systems and/or intelligent transportation systems
• IMSA-II (Traffic Signal Tech 2) certification preferred, but not required
• Must be willing to work weekends, holidays, nights and be on-call as needed
• Fundamental electrical/mechanical knowledge required

Professional Qualities:

• Must have an excellent technical understanding of Field Systems, tolling hardware, electrical, software, and applications.
• Must be able to adapt to supporting multiple existing and new systems quickly with minimal training.
• Must be able to write system documentation, document network designs or changes, and assemble a knowledge base.
• Must be adept at drafting reports and analyzing data.
• Comfortable exploring and testing new software/ hardware or abilities of current software/hardware.
• Possesses the skills and desire to take on added technical responsibilities.

Computer Skills:

• Windows operating systems
• Some experience working with Linux
• Must be able to demonstrate computer proficiency, especially as to Microsoft Excel, Word and Power Point and other PC based programs.
•  Network Configurations

Work Environment & Physical Demands:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet
• Occasional travel required, may include air travel
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include ability to adjust focus, as necessary to use a computer
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear.
• The employee is frequently required to stand, walk and sit