| Detail | For this role |
|---|---|
| Department | Telecom and Field Services |
| Level | Mid level |
| Reports to | RF Engineer |
| Direct reports | None |
| Experience | 1 to 4 years in drive testing or RF field work |
Drive Test Engineer job description template
Copy this job description, replace the text in square brackets and post it on your careers page or a job portal.
Job title: Drive Test Engineer
Department: Telecom and Field Services
Reports to: RF Engineer
Location: [City], [office, branch or site]
About the role
A Drive Test Engineer measures how a mobile network performs in the real world by driving planned routes and recording coverage, call and data quality. The role reports to the RF Engineer or an RF manager. A good drive test engineer collects clean, reliable field data, covers the planned routes fully, spots weak coverage, dropped calls and slow data, produces clear reports the RF team can act on, and gives optimization work the ground truth it needs so the network is tuned to how it actually behaves outdoors.
Key responsibilities
- Drive planned routes and record coverage, call and data quality with test tools.
- Set up and calibrate the drive test equipment and test phones before each run.
- Cover the planned routes fully so no stretch is left unmeasured.
- Log dropped calls, weak coverage, handover failures and slow data with locations.
- Process the collected logs and produce clear drive test reports.
- Highlight problem areas and possible causes for the RF team.
- Retest areas after optimization to confirm the improvement has held.
- Support new site verification and acceptance drive tests during rollout.
- Keep test equipment, licences and software in working order.
- Follow road safety and data collection procedures on every drive.
Requirements
- Diploma or degree in electronics or telecom engineering
- Training in drive test tools
- A valid driving licence
- 1 to 4 years in drive testing or RF field work
KRAs and KPIs for a Drive Test Engineer
Key result areas for the appraisal form, each with a KPI you can measure every month or quarter.
| Key result area | How to measure it |
|---|---|
| Route coverage | Planned drive test routes covered fully above the agreed level |
| Data quality | Usable, clean drive test logs above the agreed level |
| Report turnaround | Drive test reports delivered within the agreed time |
| Problem detection | Coverage and quality problems correctly identified above target |
| Retest accuracy | Post optimization retests confirming improvement above target |
| Equipment uptime | Test equipment kept working with downtime below target |
Skills and tools
Tools used day to day: Drive test software, Test phones and scanners, GPS units, MS Excel, Map and planning tools.
Reporting line and career path
Next roles: RF Engineer, Optimization Engineer, Transmission Engineer
Interview questions for a Drive Test Engineer
- How do you make sure a drive test covers the planned route fully?
- How do you keep the collected drive test data clean and usable?
- How do you log a dropped call and its likely cause?
- How do you present drive test findings so the RF team can act?
- How do you retest an area to confirm an optimization worked?
- How do you stay safe while collecting data on the road?
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What does a Drive Test Engineer do?
A Drive Test Engineer measures how a mobile network performs in the real world by driving planned routes and recording coverage, call and data quality. They collect clean field data, spot weak coverage and dropped calls, and produce reports the RF team uses to tune the network to how it actually behaves.
What is drive testing in telecom?
Drive testing is measuring a mobile network from a moving vehicle using test phones and software along planned routes. It records coverage, call quality, data speed, dropped calls and handovers with their locations. The data gives RF engineers the ground truth they need to plan and optimize the network.
What qualifications does a Drive Test Engineer need?
Most roles ask for a diploma or degree in electronics or telecom engineering, training in drive test tools and a valid driving licence. Employers value clean data collection, log analysis and clear reporting, since optimization decisions rest on the quality of the drive test data.