About the Team

The Smart Radio Team responsibilities have been captured in detail above in addition the Smart Radio Team consists of two distinct areas:

• SMIP Coverage Checker Database:

• The team produces the data for Coverage Checker DB, coverage milestone evidence to Smart DCC and Technical Design Authority and 3rd line support for SMIP Coverage Checker. 

• Coverage Design:

• The team verify the extent of the Virgin Media O2 cellular network, managing drive measurements of the Virgin Media O2 network, developing and proposing solutions to provide further coverage.  In addition, managing and investigating live incidents of Comms Hub installations to aid connectivity resolution.

About the role

The holder of this role will manage the Smart Radio team to ensure Virgin Media O2 meets its Smart Metering contractual coverage commitment targets in the Southern and Central UK regions. This includes using coverage-extending ‘Mesh’ technology and a smart antenna strategy.  The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has initiated the Smart Metering Programme.  This is a large-scale programme involving the deployment of smart meters across 30m homes from September 2015. DECC’s smart meter strategy also provides a platform for the development of new products and services which will enhance consumers lives.  Virgin Media O2 won the bid to provide Communication Hubs to the South & Central regions, covering 23 million homes.

 DECC is now the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and it granted Smart DCC Ltd a licence in September 2013 to establish and manage the data and communications network to connect smart meters to the business systems of energy suppliers, network operators and other authorised service users of the network.

 Role to lead all Radio related activities within the Smart Meter Implementation Project (SMIP). This brings together the functions of managing the provision of network coverage, capacity, and operational support for the Smart Metering project. This role brings all of Radio’s SMIP activities together into one team and hence gives us a single lead for all SMIP work in the Radio domain

Key Responsibilities

The key role responsibilities are to manage the Smart Radio team to provide the following.

• Coverage Checker DB maintenance and support
• Design, specification & deployment of T1/T2/T3 antenna to enhance SMIP coverage
• Gather drive measurement data to support coverage deliverables
• Identify solutions to resolve new Poor Coverage Areas
• Identify coverage solutions to maintain BMAX coverage obligation
• Periodic reporting against radio network coverage, capacity, and availability metrics specific to SMIP
• Coverage Deployment Model development
• Radio support for SMIP device specification, development, and testing.
• Interface to internal stakeholders:  the SMIP Programme, Service Management, wider radio, and networks teams.
• Interface to external stakeholders: BEIS, and DCC.
• Manage suppliers including, but not limited to, SMIP device vendors, Mesh node suppliers, antenna suppliers and coverage measurement drive test suppliers.
• Line management of the Radio Smart Metering Team

What We Need from You:

Essential Skills:

• Relevant experience, knowledge, and capability in radio engineering environment.
•  A proven track record in the delivery of complex radio engineering projects against challenging targets and timelines
•   Excellent oral and written communication are a fundamental requirement with effective stakeholder management at all levels.
• The candidate should be able to take extremely complex subject matter and articulate in straightforward business language.
•   Lead and directly line-manage a highly skilled team effectively.
• A degree or Higher National Diploma in Telecommunications or electrical/electronic engineering with post qualification experience in a radio related environment.
• Proven relevant industrial experience.