Network Operations Manager

The RISE mission is to Accelerate Internet for the Philippines - we do this by focusing on the overall customer experience; providing excellent internet services while creating a positive impact on our partners and their industries. From very humble beginnings and with a desire to carry out our mission, we have grown to serve business and wholesale customers in Cebu, Manila, and Davao. Our business customers come from varying industries, such as real estate, IT, and business process outsourcing, to name a few. Nonetheless, they all have one thing in common: they require high-quality service and great customer support. To deliver the best customer experience, RISE works exclusively with technical services company Pathfinders, through which we maintain our benchmark average of 1.8 weeks installation time for business clients. Together, we operate GetaFIX, the biggest Internet eXchange in the Philippines that helps the efficiency of content and connectivity in the country. We also operate Open Access Network, a Fiber as a Service offering that helps reduce complexity for developers and telecommunication companies while increasing customer satisfaction. Throughout the group, we foster a performance-based culture, where team members are encouraged to take ownership and exceed expectations for their projects. We practice transparency by conducting regular check-ins and quarterly performance reviews, which helps us achieve goals and continuously advance together. We promote work-life balance and have team activities, such as monthly get-togethers to celebrate our wins, and sponsor work-related training and conferences. Be part of a growing mission-oriented business that requires new leaders who are proficient, proactive, and direct. Be rewarded with great colleagues, a supportive environment, a competitive salary, and a compensation package that includes HMO for you and your family. Flex time is offered for some roles and your teammates will be there to help as you further hone your skills and accomplish responsibilities. Make a difference and grow with us. The Network Operations Manager (NOM) is responsible for leading and developing the Network Operations Center (NOC) function and help in developing the Helpdesk function. This role is responsible for the smooth operation of the RISE network and associated systems, processes, and services. It will manage the NetOps team, who are involved in the NOC and Helpdesk functions. This team is responsible for the execution of plans created by the design & architecture team, as well as business as usual network activities such as provisioning, maintenance, upgrades, change and fault management. This role is responsible for the development and continuous improvement of the internal processes and procedures followed by the NetOps team. It will be involved in the recruitment, onboarding, and performance management of the team. It is responsible for some of the change initiatives that are part of the objectives in the network department. This role will collaborate with our HR and leadership to fulfill these responsibilities. We are a diverse group of people, of different nationalities and cultures. As this is a people-first role, we think it will have a great opportunity to shape our culture with the goal of being supportive to our teams and to our business. We expect this is an area you are excited about, and motivated to grow. This role is expected to develop a strategy, that is in alignment with the Company’s goals, and help improve the integration of the NetOps team with other divisions. The NOM will work closely with members working in multiple locations (Cebu or Manila). What you will be doing as a Network Operations Manager

• Ensure customer service quality and network efficiency is achieved by the NOC
• Develop and report on key network performance metrics
• Ensure the team is achieving the SLA requirements for the provision of new services and service restoration
• Monitor required staffing levels for 24/7 shifts, and schedule team members to be able to respond in a timely manner to network issues
• Responsible for ensuring the presence of network spares along with maintaining fault response readiness
• Act as Incident Controller in the case of major network incidents, coordinating multiple internal teams to ensure fast resolution and excellent outcome for customers
• Responsible for the technical escalation to 3rd parties (e.g. connectivity providers, hardware vendors etc)
• Manage relationships with suppliers, along with escalations in the case of fault scenarios
• Lead the team in the deployment of new, or change of network and systems, in both hardware and software; and ensure the team is achieving service provisioning standards, and identify and remedy both potential and actual service issues
• Define, audit, and produce reports on NOC process standards and performance
• Audit team compliance in documentation related to work processes and procedures
• Lead and suggest, when needed, improvements to procedures in maintenance, provisioning, service restoration, data centre processes and capabilities
• Develop materials, guides, and define processes and procedures for the team performing NOC functions
• Develop policies and maintain team knowledge base
  
  
  

What you will be doing as a Staff Manager

• Lead and manage a team of Network Engineers (as a line manager)
• Maintain staff morale and monitor team effectiveness
• Facilitate forming a team and development of a charter
• Review inter-team dependencies, investigate issues, and find ways to resolve
• When needed, participate in team retrospectives and provide guidance
• Develop learning programs, and facilitate learning sessions for the team
• Participate in the interviews of job applicants and their evaluation
• Participate in the onboarding process of new hires
• Review weekly check-ins, schedule and perform 1:1 with team members
• Participate in the performance management of the team, and coaching for growth and promotion
• Participate in exit interviews of staff leaving the company
• Ensures decisions that impact the team are made and escalate when needed
  
  
  

What you will be doing as part of Helpdesk

• Effectively handle escalations for customer problems that come in via the Support Helpdesk
• Meet SLA requirements for the provision of new services and service restoration
• Ensure that an excellent level of Customer Service is being provided by the team and any issues are addressed effectively and sensitively
• Ensure that correct procedures regarding ticket processing are adhered to
• When applicable, document accurately items escalated and actions taken
  
  
  

Who you are

• Believe in our human potential and passionate in helping others achieve their best
• Excited and looks forward to listening, advising, and coaching people
• Effectively plans, manage expectations, organises personal and team workload
• Significant experience in comparable role within an ISP, Telecoms or IT organisation
• Experience in building and developing a technical team
• Experience in managing third party providers (suppliers, integration partners, etc.)
• Experience in handling customer/end-user inquiries and issues
• Strong knowledge in network troubleshooting tools and monitoring platforms
• Knowledge in network/IT standards, and management practices such as ITSM, ITIL, Agile, Lean
• Knowledge and interest in leading edge ISP technologies
• Vendor certifications a plus (JNCIA/JNCIS/CCNA/CCNP etc.)
• Student and curious on systems thinking, learning organizations, change management, human psychology, team, and social dynamics
• Able to study problems, issues & needs, and provide robust but adaptable solutions which meet current and known future requirements
• Able to cope with a dynamic environment – and adapting to meet emergency business-critical events
• Able to navigate chaotic and complex situations, and simplify for others to understand
• Communicate ideas and concepts both in person and in written format
• Creative, willing to challenge assumptions, and willing to try ideas
• Has an open, always learning, and resourceful mindset
• Excited to work with people in creating simple solutions to complex problems
  
  
  

Preferred 6 years experience in the following:

• Experience with the management of IT professionals, especially in a 24x7 operating environment
• Experience working with a large, operational IP network
• Experience with ITIL/ITSM practices
• Experience working in a customer support team or environment
  
  
  

Working conditions

• Travel may be required to other locations depending on tasks at hand
• Shift schedule as determined by immediate lead
• On-call duties may apply
• May occasionally work remotely with stable Internet access
• May be asked to work overtime
• May be asked to work nights
• May be asked to work on weekends
  
  
  

What we offer

• An environment of a sports team, that is there to coach each other while being performant. Work with people who want to create something, invent something, maintain it, and see it grow
• An engineering culture that strives to build high quality and better network
• An organization of self-formed, autonomous teams, exploring and trying out solutions in a safe environment
• A place for you to learn, practice, and develop yourself. A place for you to contribute in something meaningful
• A front-seat at a fast growing company, with a lot of opportunities in network, software, and technology with exposure in telecommunications and web
• A good array of health and well-being incentives, to keep you healthy and balanced
• An opportunity to work with some of the best and smartest people around
  
  
  

About our Network Team Our network team is on a mission to deliver fast and reliable data services while providing a remarkable experience to customers both external and internal. We achieve this by ensuring we have balanced our available capacity and connections so they are never congested. You can see a map to check the real-time performance of our networks. We continuously optimize our network to reduce downtime and increase speed; and optimize our systems to ensure network visibility and effective management. We hold ourselves accountable in our commitment to our customers, by being responsive to their concerns and transparent with our performance. We use automation wherever possible, to ensure consistent, high quality implementations, as we respond and operate in a highly dynamic environment. Our network is heavily based on Juniper routers and switches, running MPLS with RSVP and BGP, and we peer densely to ensure we have control over our traffic. We also operate GetaFIX, the second open internet exchange in the Philippines, which is part of our dedication to improving the internet not just for RISE customers, but for the rest of the country as well. You will be working with a diverse team of skilled engineers, some have started their careers with RISE and others who have many years of experience both locally and abroad. We focus on having a supportive environment and ensuring all team members receive experience across a broad range of tasks - the better they know the network, the better they can support our customers. Hiring process We aim to give our applicants a good experience by being timely, efficient, and direct. We do apologise however as due to the overall volume of applications we only respond to candidates successful in securing a screening.