Mgr, Technical Operations

This role is located in Kenai/Soldotna, Alaska but could be open to the Southeast or South Central Alaska areas depending on the candidate

GCI's Mgr, Technical Operations will manage and oversee personnel and technical operations for outside plant, service delivery and assigned maintenance functions across multiple networks within a defined geographic area throughout the State of Alaska. Ensures efficient operation of all elements within the company’s transmission facilities including the Hybrid Fiber/Coax Network (HFC), Fiber Optic Metro and Long-Haul facilities, wireless, microwave and satellite operations as assigned within the designated geographical area. Establishes and maintains proper maintenance procedures to meet performance and reliability goals set for all plant, premise, and facilities. Oversees the daily operations and maintenance of the company’s Wireless Networks. Provide direction and development of dispatching functions for technicians, to include mobile client technologies. Develop personnel to achieve the above services in a highly efficient manner using On-the-Job training techniques, combined with internal and external technical training initiatives and certifications.

Essential Duties:

• Fully own the mission, goals, operations, and results of the department. This responsibility is non-delegable.
• Provide strong leadership to the VP’s management team. This includes generating enthusiasm and shared commitment; identifying and setting new directions; teaching, growing, and empowering; owning outcomes; and leading by example. This responsibility is non-delegable. Specific leadership duties include:
• Establishing the vision and tone for the department, consistent with company culture and mission.
• Establishing clear goals and performance expectations.
• Hiring individuals who can accomplish those goals and meet those expectations, and providing them the open communications, training, tools, and mentoring they need to be successful and develop professionally, and a development path commensurate with capabilities and potential.
• Providing clear and accurate feedback to individuals and teams on a timely and consistent basis. Identifying and addressing performance problems early and effectively before they damage GCI’s interests and demoralize other employees. These processes include annual performance reviews, compensation adjustments, promotions, demotions, transfers, and disciplinary actions up to and including termination.

Working closely with the Sr. Manager/Director, taking direction and making recommendations, this position:

• Responsible for overall technical direction of the Field Services work force, including strategic planning, organizing, oversight, performance evaluation, operational policies and procedures, and training/career path development with emphasis on increased knowledge and improved skills for complex technologies and support functions.
• Champion the development of support and delivery functions of new product launches, creating cross-departmental work groups (Inter-Connect Work Group) to assess knowledge, resource availability, organizational support, and risk.
• Manages departmental compliance with company standards, policies, procedures, applicable FCC plant performance testing, OSHA, NEC, NESC and other regulatory requirements reviews data submitted by maintenance department and prepares operational/statistical reports on plant efficiency and reliability, daily maintenance tracking, production problems, upcoming events, and special projects. Communicates daily with field operations group to coordinate noise abatement work to maximize availability of both forward and return signal paths.
• Provides quality control for all technical operations, including plant upgrade activities and design, helping to identify and resolve system problems and/or weaknesses, and observing employees’ and/or contractor personnel’s productivity and quality, making recommendations for improvements where warranted. Provides response assistance to the Wireless group as requested for cell site maintenance.
• Directly supervises and manages the technical workforce utilizing rolling resource requirements and availability plan, ensuring availability of adequate personnel and determining working hours and overtime to meet plant operations maintenance and upgrade requirements; evaluates plant performance, service complaints and system problems, recommending support/training, as warranted. Responsible for hiring, leading, developing and managing the performance by those reporting to this position; establishes and communicates clear performance expectations, makes recommendations for salary increases. Provide timely annual performance reviews to all direct reports and ensure that all employees within the department receive annual performance reviews on time. Responsible for team results and recommends and /or approves promotions, demotions, transfers or disciplinary actions up to and including termination. Maintains union free workforce through effective communication and regular feedback to employees regarding their performance against expectations and use of effective performance recognition of groups involved.
• Assists in development and monitoring of capital/operational budgets, forecasting annual planning and maintenance needs, along with oversight of equipment/materials purchasing and expenses, notifying superiors when projections versus actuals support adjustments and justifying variances.

Knowledge, Skills and Ability:

• Leadership : ability to lead an organization to high levels of performance while maintaining morale and personal growth for employees in a union free environment. Ability to act as a positive mentor and coach to subordinates and instill a coaching environment in the organization.
• Financial skills: Ability to develop detailed capital and operating budgets for the department. Familiar with reporting and tracking tools necessary to assure budget guidelines meet expectations.
• Analytical skills: Demonstrated ability to analyze complex challenging problems and situations leading to optimal solutions. Ability to accurately read, interpret/evaluate and apply/implement information from plats, system design maps, equipment readings, test parameters, construction, and design work orders. Ability to synthesize multiple pieces of technical information to develop timely solutions to system plant problems and fiber optic restoration.
• Organizational skills: Ability to develop the organization necessary to meet the group mission and to communicate and interact with other business units within the company.
• Communications skills: Excellent verbal and written communication required. Must be able to articulate information in presentation format in front of internal and external customers. Effectively relay technical information/concepts, verbally and in writing, to customers, contractors, utilities, and departmental personnel with varying degrees of technical knowledge; translate information in drawings, blueprints, specifications, spreadsheets, as-builts, etc. to others; must be comfortable speaking in public and group settings.
• People skills: Demonstrated ability to manage performance through motivation and counseling of different levels of employees. Customer Service: ability to grasp customers’ needs and expectations and negotiate realistic, economical solutions. Skilled in dealing with escalated and emotional customers who may be uncooperative.
• Thorough knowledge of HFC and fiber network operation, design and construction, field services installation and repair in the telecommunications industry, to include appropriate industry applicable standards (i.e., IEEE, SCTE, etc.) and relevant interaction with utilities and other owners/agencies for plant access and joint operations.
• Knowledge of all applicable FCC, NEC, NESC, OSHA, state and local regulations governing construction, maintenance, and operation of HFC and related facilities.
• Working knowledge and experience with design, splicing, construction and contract administration of HFC plant, to include installation, operation and maintenance of fiber optic transmission and receive equipment, RF line amplifiers, cell networks and all associated performance monitoring systems.
• Thorough knowledge of advanced telephone delivery technologies to include Telephony over Coax, Twisted Pair Copper, PBX, KSU, and other complex business applications, as well as network and IP telephony systems. Advanced Switching, Network and IP trouble shooting skills.
• Maintain Test Proctor Skills for administering SCTE course evaluations.
• Computer skills - Microsoft Office package or equivalent spreadsheets, word processing, email, test and monitor databases and other performance systems as requested.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Minimum seven years’ experience in a telecommunications industry and three years of progressive lead and/or management experience.
• Experience with cable company, CLEC, ILEC or a military Telephone Exchange desired.
• High School diploma or equivalent required.
• Bachelor of Science Degree in Engineering or equivalent field required.
• In addition to minimum experience required, degree may be substituted with relevant exempt work experience on a year-for-year basis.
• Masters or PhD degree may substitute for professional experience on a year for year basis.

Certifications: Industry Specific Certifications are highly valued and may contribute toward education.

Broadband Transport Specialist (BTS) or equivalent industry recognized training desired.

Physical Requirements: Physical effort may include stooping, kneeling, touching, feeling, reaching, standing, walking, pushing, pulling, lifting, grasping, talking, hearing, and repetitive motions. Clarity of vision to see near, mid-range, and color. Ability to lift and carry up to 25 lbs.

Working Conditions: The work area must be quiet and free of distractions. Lighting must be adequate and without glare. Distracting noises should be kept to a minimum. The employee’s desk must be adequate, designed to safely accommodate the equipment the employee must use, e.g., computer, printer, keyboard, monitor etc. The employee must have reliable connectivity to the internet to access GCI via VPN. Employee workstation must comply with GCI’s ergonomics standards.

The company and its subsidiaries operate in a 24/7 environment providing critical services to Alaskans and may need to respond to public health and safety matters or other business emergencies. Due to business needs employees may be contacted outside of the core business hours to respond to the immediate emergency. As such, you will be requested to provide emergency after hours contact numbers, to include your home and cell phone numbers if you have those services.

May require extensive travel within the assigned geographic area at short notice.

Driving Requirements (if applicable): Must possess and maintain a valid driver’s license, proof of insurance and a satisfactory driving record.

EEO: We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or another characteristic protected by law.

Disclaimer : The above information on this description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualification required of employees assigned to this job.