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.