Data Cabling Engineer -Exeter and surrounding area

Data Cabling Engineer - Exeter & Surrounding Areas

Location: Exeter and surrounding areas
Day Rate: £170 per day (8 hours, inside IR35)
Out-of-Hours Rate: £195 per shift (8 hours, inside IR35)
Working Pattern: Predominantly nights, with daytime and weekend flexibility
Environment: Retail stores, commercial premises, petrol filling stations and construction/refurbishment sites

ROLE OVERVIEW

We require an experienced Data Cabling Engineer to install, maintain, test and diagnose structured cabling infrastructure, primarily Cat 6 UTP, with occasional fibre-optic requirements.

Candidates must work confidently independently or in two-person teams, delivering high-quality installations in live operational and construction environments while maintaining strict health and safety standards.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Install, route, terminate and test Cat 6 UTP cabling.
• Complete data outlet, module, cabinet-side, 110 and Krone-style terminations.
• Undertake network cabinet patching, cable management and labelling.
• Trace, identify, diagnose and rectify cabling faults.
• Conduct end-to-end LAN testing, verify switch-port connections and confirm connected equipment is online.
• Read site drawings, installation plans and building-work information.
• Conduct site surveys, maintenance and fault-finding visits.
• Complete electronic audits, photographic evidence and job documentation.
• Obtain customer or site representative sign-off.
• Maintain clean work areas and follow approved RAMS and site safety procedures.

ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS & TRAINING

Candidates must hold or complete the following before undertaking site work:

• Valid construction or electrical industry site-access accreditation.
• Required contractor access training.
• Working at Height Awareness.
• Asbestos Awareness.
• Manual Handling Awareness.
• Site-specific inductions where applicable.
• Review and acknowledgement of applicable RAMS.

Powered Access: At least one engineer in a two-person team operating a scissor lift must hold the appropriate qualification.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

• Advanced electrical industry accreditation.
• Level 3 Advanced Telecoms Specialist qualification.
• Experienced Worker route towards Level 3 or equivalent.
• Fibre-optic splicing competency.
• Optical Time Domain Reflectometer (OTDR) testing experience.
• Mobile elevating work platform qualification.

ESSENTIAL TECHNICAL SKILLS

Candidates must demonstrate practical competence in:

• Cat 6 UTP cabling installations in retail and commercial environments.
• Cable pulling, routing, termination and identification.
• Network cabinet work, patching and cable management.
• Cable tracing, fault diagnosis and LAN connectivity testing.
• Working safely around ceiling voids, ceiling tiles and elevated areas.
• Correct cable identification and labelling.
• Electronic job reporting and photographic audits.

Engineers may occasionally need a laptop connection for remote technical support. Active network equipment configuration is not normally required.

REQUIRED TOOLS & EQUIPMENT

Engineers must have access to:

• Suitable hammer drill and twin drill/driver set.
• Cabling and access rods.
• Punch-down and termination tools.
• Standard hand tools, screwdrivers and Allen keys.
• Cable toner and tracing equipment.
• Suitable 6-tread, 8-tread and A-frame ladders where required.
• LAN/network connectivity tester.
• Laptop where required for remote support.

Specialist fibre engineers must have suitable fibre splicing and OTDR testing equipment.

WORKING HOURS & FLEXIBILITY

• Predominantly Sunday to Thursday night shifts.
• Typical Sunday start: 16:00.
• Typical weekday night start: 22:00.
• Approximately 90% of work outside normal trading hours.
• Occasional daytime and weekend work.
• Typical on-site duration: 4-6 hours.
• Working days may extend to 8-12 hours including travel.

Engineers may work independently on maintenance and smaller tasks. Cable installations and significant ladder or powered-access activities are normally completed in two-person teams.