Lead Problem Management & RCA Expert

Optimum; Bethpage (NY); On-site; USD 123,000 - 203,000; Full time

Job summary

Optimum is seeking a Lead-level Individual Contributor in New York to own the Problem Management process within Change Management. You will lead root-cause investigations, manage the RCA-driven action queue, and drive repeat-incident reduction across the service area.

The role partners with engineering and AI/ML teams to design RCA solutions, mentor L1-L3 analysts, and define execution standards. Strong ITIL foundation and excellent cross-functional collaboration are essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in IT, Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent work experience.
• 8+ years in Telecommunications Support, Engineering, Design, and/or Problem resolution.
• Demonstrated track record leading complex cross-team root-cause investigations in a complex production environment.
• Demonstrated experience driving repeat-incident reduction via systemic problem analysis and RCA-driven changes.

Responsibilities

• Own Problem Management actions for the assigned service area: tracked, validated, completed; remove bottlenecks.
• Lead complex root-cause investigations as the senior practitioner for RCA discipline (5 Whys, fishbone, fault tree, timeline analysis).
• Identify recurring change failures and incident patterns within the service area; convert findings into Problem records and remediation actions.
• Partner with Change Management to scope, prioritize, and track RCA-driven changes through to completion.
• Validate that corrective changes address true root cause (not just symptom); push back on incomplete remediation.
• Coach Change requesters on linking changes back to Problem records and incident learnings.
• Define local execution standards (RCA templates, Problem record quality, action-tracking criteria) for the service area.
• Review and approve complex Problem records and corrective-change packages; enforce quality and risk-mitigation standards.
• Integrate learnings from incidents and problems into process documentation, templates, and training updates.
• Define and maintain Problem Management metrics (RC action closure rate, repeat-incident rate, mean time to root cause) for the service area.
• Use segmentation / cohort analysis to identify high-risk systems, change types, or teams contributing to repeat problems.
• Drive early discovery of patterns (recurring change failures, repeated incidents) within assigned scope.
• Lead through influence (no direct reports): mentor L1-L3 analysts in Problem and Change Management; coach peers; set standards for the service area.
• Drive cross-functional contributors to shared outcomes without formal authority.
• Present to leadership audiences; convert ambiguity into a recommended path with trade-offs articulated.
• Handle difficult conversations (pushback on incomplete RCA, escalations) with composure and clarity.
• Own the automation roadmap for the service area's Problem Management work; prioritize use cases by ROI and risk reduction.
• Define guardrails for AI use in Problem investigation (human-in-the-loop, override paths, audit logging).
• Partner with engineering and AI/ML teams on solution design (e.g., automated pattern detection in incidents).

Skills

RCA techniques

Leadership by influence

KPI dashboards

Cross-team investigations

Executive communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in IT/CS/Engineering

Tools

CMDB

AI/ML for incident analysis

Job description

Optimum is seeking a Lead-level Individual Contributor in New York to own the Problem Management process within Change Management. You will lead root-cause investigations, manage the RCA-driven action queue, and drive repeat-incident reduction across the service area.

The role partners with engineering and AI/ML teams to design RCA solutions, mentor L1-L3 analysts, and define execution standards. Strong ITIL foundation and excellent cross-functional collaboration are essential.