Job Objective:
To lead and coordinate the NOC shift team in delivering 24/7 operational support across network services, ensuring effective incident management, service restoration and proactive monitoring. The role is accountable for maintaining service availability, driving operational discipline and enhancing the customer experience, while ensuring compliance with internal processes, SOPs and SLA commitments.
The Shift Team Leader acts as the 'primary operational authority during the shift', ensuring timely decision-making, effective cross-functional coordination (NMC, TAC, Engineering and Service Management) and the consistent execution of standard operating procedures.
Reporting Line: NOC Manager
Key Duties and Responsibilities
Lead, supervise and coordinate the NOC shift team to ensure efficient operations, adherence to SOPs, and achievement of SLAs and KPIs
Act as the operational lead and incident commander during the shift, ensuring a structured response, sound decision-making and effective coordination during major incidents
Deputise for the NOC Manager when required, providing leadership oversight and operational decision-making
Manage workload distribution, prioritisation and the real-time execution of shift activities in a fast-paced operational environment
Lead end-to-end incident management, including detection, escalation, troubleshooting and resolution, within agreed timelines
Serve as the primary escalation point for high-priority and major incidents, ensuring timely restoration and minimal service impact
Ensure accurate logging, timely updates and proper closure of all incidents and service requests in NetSuite, maintaining high standards of data integrity
Oversee proactive network monitoring and ensure timely responses to alarms, events and performance degradation
Manage supplier and vendor escalations to support effective incident resolution and service restoration
Drive root cause identification and support the preparation and validation of Reason for Outage (RFO) reports and service improvement actions
Act as the client-facing escalation point, ensuring clear, timely and professional communication during incidents
Collaborate with Service Managers and internal stakeholders to maintain high levels of customer satisfaction and service delivery
Lead shift handovers and validate daily, weekly, monthly and ad hoc operational reporting.
Identify operational gaps, risks and inefficiencies, and drive or escalate corrective actions as appropriate
Contribute to continuous improvement through SOP enhancement, participation in RCAs and the application of operational best practice
Coordinate with TAC, NMC, Engineering and Field teams to resolve complex issues and support planned maintenance activities
Support field operations where required, including troubleshooting, testing and service validation
Minimum Qualifications
Bachelor's degree in Engineering, IT or a related field
Professional certifications such as CCNA, JNCIA/JNCIS, ITIL or MEF are preferred
Willingness to work on a 24/7 shift rotation, including nights, weekends and public holidays
Experience and Skills
5+ years' relevant experience in a telecommunications or NOC environment
Proven experience of team leadership within a 24/7 operations environment
Strong knowledge of technology platforms across transport networks (SDH, DWDM and OTN) and data/IP networks (BGP, Ethernet and IP/MPLS)
Hands-on experience with:
Ticketing tools, such as NetSuite or equivalent platforms
Monitoring systems, such as PRTG, NMS, Cacti and SolarWinds
Strong incident management and troubleshooting skills
Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills
Ability to work under pressure and make sound decisions during critical incidents
Strong analytical and reporting skills
Ability to operate effectively in a high-pressure, real-time operations environment
Strong leadership presence and sound decision-making capability
Customer-focused, with excellent relationship management skills
Detail-oriented, with a strong focus on operational excellence
Attributes
Client-focused, relationship builder
Integrity, honesty with high ethical standards
Boundless, passionate and flexible
Personal excellence, accuracy and attention to detail
Collaborative, achieve results through teamwork and partnerships