Director of Network Operations

Calance; Charlotte (NC); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Calance is seeking a Director of Network Operations to lead their IT team and own the technology roadmap. You will report directly to executive leadership, making impactful decisions and driving growth in the company.

Ideal candidates will have a strong background in ISP/telecom environments, with leadership experience in managing technical teams. Enjoy a 100% onsite role in Charlotte, NC, with a firm focusing on community connectivity through fiber.

Qualifications

• Proven track record managing technical teams in a telecom or ISP environment.
• Deep ISP/telecom roots with leadership credibility.
• Experience with FTTH/FTTX architecture and operations.

Responsibilities

• Lead, hire, and develop the IT team supporting broadband.
• Drive long-range technology planning and modernization.
• Own vendor strategy and contract negotiations.

Skills

ISP capacity planning

Cisco routing and switching

VoIP operations

Virtualization

Database administration

Tools

Calix E7 platform

Windows Server

Linux

Metaswitch

Job description

• Must be authorized to work in USA: No sponsorship now or in the future
• Employment Type: Direct Hire
• Title: Director of Network Operations
• Location: Either Collinston, LA or Monroe, LA
• Onsite: 100% onsite

We're not a big telco where you'll manage a slice of someone else's vision. You'll have a seat at the leadership table of a company that has served Louisiana communities since 1948 and is actively expanding across a multi-state footprint. You'll make decisions that matter — and see them executed quickly.

• Family-owned and financially stable — no quarterly earnings pressure, no revolving-door leadership
• Fiber-first infrastructure: multi-gig Calix FTTX platform deployed since 2010, with aggressive expansion underway
• Nimble organization: proposals become projects fast — bureaucracy won't slow you down
• Strategic growth mode: active pursuit of grants, acquisitions, and partnerships across northeast Louisiana and beyond
• Markets served today: Monroe, West Monroe, Shreveport, Collinston, Mer Rouge, Bonita, Jones, Bastrop — and growing

This is a senior leadership role — not a hands-on-keyboard network engineer position. You will own the technology roadmap, lead the IT organization, and serve as a key voice in shaping where this company goes next. You'll report directly to executive leadership and have meaningful P&L exposure.

• Lead, hire, and develop the IT team supporting broadband, voice, managed IT, and OSP operations
• Drive long-range technology planning: platform modernization, capacity, redundancy, and security posture
• Own vendor strategy and contract negotiations across network, telecom, and managed services platforms
• Serve as internal and external technical authority — pre-sales engineering, enterprise customer relationships, and solution design
• Partner with operations and finance to align capital planning with network growth and service commitments
• Ensure operational resilience: monitoring, incident management, change management, and disaster recovery

What You Bring

We're looking for a well-rounded operator with deep ISP/telecom roots and the leadership credibility to grow a team and influence strategy. Specifics matter less than having seen these environments from the inside.

Network & Broadband Operations

• FTTH/FTTX architecture and operations — Calix E7 platform experience is a strong plus
• ISP capacity planning: backbone circuits, redundancy, peering, and last-mile scaling
• Cisco routing and switching at a production ISP scale
• VoIP operations and architecture — Metaswitch experience highly desired

IT Infrastructure & Security

• Virtualization, Windows Server, Linux, and open-source stack (BIND, DHCP, Apache, Asterisk)
• Network security fundamentals: SIEM, IDS/IPS, firewall management, endpoint protection
• Database administration, backup/restore, and DR planning

Leadership & Business Acumen

• Proven track record managing technical teams in a telecom or ISP environment
• Ability to translate technology decisions into financial and operational context for executive audiences
• Outside plant familiarity and basic AC/DC power knowledge are beneficial
• Managed services (MSP) experience — designing and delivering solutions for enterprise customers

You’ll Thrive Here If...

• You're energized by being a big fish in a focused pond — not just maintaining, but building
• You want your fingerprints on the company's next decade of growth
• You'd rather move fast with a small team than wait for committee approval in a large org
• You take pride in rural connectivity — bringing fiber to communities that have historically been underserved
• You're comfortable wearing multiple hats and expect the same from your team