Tips for Structuring Your State or Local Broadband Team
You might be asking yourself: what skills, backgrounds, and competencies does a team need to close the digital divide and build a better broadband future? How can your team ensure that federal funding is adequately allocated to your state and local government offices?
We want to help you answer these and so many more questions related to building the right broadband team. This consolidated resource guide outlines how your broadband office can establish responsibilities, roles, and preferred qualifications to achieve your broadband goals and builds on valuable work by National Broadband Resource Hub Content Partners — Pew Charitable Trusts, the National Digital Inclusion Alliance, the National League of Cities, and more.
Staff Examples
The following staff positions and roles are examples of who might be part of a broadband team. This non-exhaustive list gives insight as to how different capacities can shape the rollout of a broadband strategy.
- Director/Manager
- Program Coordinator
- Data Analyst
- Grants Specialist
- Digital Equity Manager
- Legislative Affairs Analyst
- Broadband Intern/Fellow
Director/Manager
Description: Lead team in strategic thinking/planning around broadband objectives set by federal, state, local leadership.
Duties and Responsibilities:
• Coordinate broadband access, adoption, and investment efforts by working with broadband providers, federal, state, tribal, and local governments, local and regional economic development offices, and other broadband advocates.
• Serve as expert advisor to the State Broadband Director.
• Support stakeholder outreach and public awareness efforts for broadband access, adoption, and investment.
Qualifications:
• Experience with broadband policy, access, adoption, technology, or investment.
• Strong data analysis experience and skills.
• Excellent organizational and communication skills.
• Experience with complex project management of complex issues.
Related Titles:
Assistant Broadband Director, Senior Broadband Manager, Broadband Project Director, Director of Broadband Strategy
Program Coordinator
Description: Coordinate, develop, and execute broadband projects and report outcomes to director/manager.
Duties and Responsibilities:
• Recommend and provide broadband program strategies and tools to achieve broadband office goals.
• Monitor and evaluate program effectiveness and outcomes for continuous improvement.
• Administer broadband funding request process.
• Help manage effective partnerships with external stakeholders that facilitate improved broadband adoption and outcomes, especially for unserved and underserved communities.
Qualifications:
• Knowledge of broadband trends in the industry.
• Some knowledge of broadband network operations.
• Demonstrated experience addressing issues and providing solutions to telecommunication problems.
Related Titles:
Program Director, Project Director, Project Coordinator
Data Analyst
Description: Maintain, collect, and develop data relating to broadband maps and projects.
Duties and Responsibilities:
• Lead research projects and data analysis to assess broadband needs and program progress.
• Deliver ongoing technical assistance, such as mapping of unserved and underserved areas, network strategies, federal laws, and state laws related to telecommunication and broadband networks.
Qualifications:
•Some computer software, networking and systems technology concepts; and methods and techniques of communications technology.
•Experience with conducting research, data analysis, and producing detailed, high-level written reports.
Related Titles:
Infrastructure Program Manager, Engineer Project Manager, Data Manager
Grants Specialist
Description: Analyze, create, apply grant proposals relating to team goals and projects.
Duties and Responsibilities:
• Identify and pursue new public and private funding opportunities that promote broadband access, adoption, and investment.
•Facilitate program improvement process with providers, stakeholders, and department staff.
•Interpret and refine existing grant program guidelines, criteria, application, and FAQ’s reflecting process improvements.
Qualifications:
•Strong writing abilities, including preparing complete and concise reports
•Experience with grants management and/or program management
Related Titles:
Grant Administrator, Grant Coordinator
Digital Equity Manager
Description: Promote digital inclusion projects focusing on increased digital access, digital skills, and digital literacy in communities.
Duties and Responsibilities:
• Help manage effective partnerships with external stakeholders that facilitate improved broadband adoption and outcomes, especially for unserved and underserved communities.
•Develop knowledge and expertise in digital inclusion work.
•Provide leadership for digital equity planning, strategy formation, coalition work, grassroots support, and policy advocacy
Qualifications:
•Experience with digital equity issues and initiatives.
•Strong partnership management skills including the ability to develop, cultivate, and manage partner relationships.
Related Titles:
Digital Navigator Manager
Legislative Affairs Analyst
Description: Plan and execute government relations activities to promote and influence legislation on broadband. (Local, state, & federal levels.)
Duties and Responsibilities:
•Experience interpreting and applying federal and state laws, rules, regulations, and/or policies.
•Executes government relations activities to promote and influence legislation.
•Provide analysis and feedback of pending legislation.
Qualifications:
•Experience in government, association, or the private sector.
•Knowledge of the legislative process and public policy issues impacting broadband.
•Ability to communicate, both verbally and in writing, with diverse stakeholders, including employees and/or vendors, in a clear and concise manner.
Related Titles:
Policy Director, Legislative Liaison
Broadband Intern/Fellow
Description: Work on broadband projects offering a level of leadership and professional development.
Duties and Responsibilities:
•Training in best practices in digital inclusion, digital literacy, adult education, curriculum development, and program management.
•Research, evaluate, and prepare presentations on broadband findings.
Qualifications:
•Self-motivated, creative thinker with the ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
Related Titles:
Broadband Cohorts, Broadband Student
For specific job posting examples, please refer to the job description database linked below.
Job Database with Descriptions
The National Broadband Resource Hub has gathered precedent job descriptions that government agencies and nonprofits have used to build their teams. These postings may be used to inform your future job descriptions.
The following table is an interactive job database with detailed broadband-related job descriptions. The table is filterable by job category, job level, job location, and key words. This database provides examples of open and closed broadband-related jobs, which can guide the development of a broadband team.
Additional Resources
If you have questions about how to build your broadband team, ask the community in Community Conversations or ask an expert at the Help Desk.
- Guide to hiring a broadband manager (Next Century Cities)
- Governor strategies to expand affordable broadband access (National Governors Association)
- Planning a Community Broadband Roadmap: A Toolkit for Local and Tribal Governments (NTIA BroadbandUSA)
- How States Are Expanding Broadband Access (Pew)
- Digital Navigators Toolkit (NDIA)
