Network Operations Manager

QE Services IT Recruitment; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 700,000 - 900,000; Full time

Job summary

QE Services IT Recruitment is seeking a Network Operations Shift Manager to lead 24/7 monitoring and real-time management of telecommunications infrastructure, power systems, and environmental monitoring platforms. The role ensures continuous service availability by proactively identifying and resolving incidents affecting power, site operations, and passive network infrastructure.

You will coordinate internal teams, field operations, energy partners, service providers, and vendors to drive

Qualifications

• 3–5 years in a NOC or 24/7 mission-critical environment.
• Proven experience leading operational teams in a 24/7 shift-based setting.
• Strong understanding of passive infrastructure and power systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead 24/7 monitoring of power, passive infrastructure, and environmental alarms.
• Coordinate incident detection, triage, escalation, and resolution with cross-functional teams.
• Act as Incident Commander during major outages and communicate with stakeholders.
• Oversee shift planning, scheduling, leave, and resource allocation to maintain uptime.
• Ensure accurate logging, prioritisation, and adherence to SLAs.

Skills

NOC operations

Incident management

Team leadership

SNMP monitoring

Power systems

Stakeholder management

ITIL

Education

Engineering/IT degree

Tools

OSS platforms

Telemetry systems

Monitoring tools

Job description

Location: Bryanston / Johannesburg (Office-based)

Job Type: Contract / 12 Months

Function: Technical Operations / Network Operations Centre (NOC)

Needed : South African citizen / Tertiary Qualification/ Own laptop

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced Network Operations Shift Manager to lead 24/7 operational monitoring and real-time management of telecommunications infrastructure, power systems, and environmental monitoring platforms. This role is responsible for ensuring continuous service availability across critical infrastructure by proactively identifying, managing, and resolving incidents affecting power, site operations, and passive network infrastructure.

As the lead operational authority during major service disruptions, you will coordinate internal teams, field operations, energy partners, service providers, and vendors to drive rapid incident resolution and service restoration.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Monitoring & Incident Management

• Lead 24/7 monitoring of power systems, passive infrastructure, and environmental alarms.
• Manage real-time detection, triage, escalation, and resolution of outages, power failures, equipment faults, and site incidents.
• Act as Incident Commander during major service-impacting incidents and high-priority outages.
• Ensure incidents are accurately logged, prioritised, and managed in line with established SLAs.
• Provide advanced technical support and troubleshooting for escalated site and power-related issues.
• Coordinate restoration activities across operational teams, field engineers, and external service providers.
• Manage shift operations, including workforce planning, scheduling, leave management, and resource allocation.
• Ensure effective shift handovers with comprehensive updates on outstanding incidents and operational risks.
• Maintain operational readiness across all shifts and ensure adherence to established processes and procedures.
• Promote a high-performance culture focused on responsiveness, accountability, and service excellence.
• Liaise with field teams, energy service providers, contractors, vendors, and operational partners to expedite issue resolution.
• Provide timely and professional communication to customers and internal stakeholders during incidents.
• Coordinate cross-functional responses to major outages and operational challenges.
• Manage stakeholder expectations throughout the incident lifecycle.

Governance, Compliance & Reporting

• Enforce operational procedures, change management processes, maintenance windows, and site access protocols.
• Produce shift performance reports covering incident trends, service levels, restoration performance, and operational risks.
• Maintain complete, accurate, and audit-ready documentation.
• Identify recurring issues and recommend improvements to reduce incident volumes and improve operational efficiency.

Required Skills & Experience

• 3–5 years' experience in a Network Operations Centre (NOC), telecommunications operations, infrastructure operations, or similar mission-critical environment.
• Proven experience managing operational teams within a 24/7 shift-based environment.
• Strong understanding of passive infrastructure including towers, shelters, cooling systems, power systems, and site security technologies.
• Experience working with hybrid power environments including:
• Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS)
• Grid power systems
• ATS/AMF systems
• Rectifiers and DC power systems (-48V)
• Hands-on experience with monitoring platforms, telemetry systems, OSS platforms, and SNMP-based monitoring tools.
• Strong incident management, escalation, and problem-solving capabilities.
• Excellent organisational, communication, and stakeholder management skills.

Preferred

• Qualification in Engineering, Telecommunications, Information Technology, Operations Management, or a related discipline.
• ITIL certification or formal ITIL training.
• Experience working within telecommunications infrastructure, tower infrastructure, energy operations, or managed services environments.

Personal Attributes

• Calm and decisive under pressure.
• Strong leadership and team coordination skills.
• Customer-focused approach with excellent communication abilities.
• High level of emotional intelligence and conflict resolution capability.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to operational excellence.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced operational environment.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Infrastructure uptime and service availability.
• SLA compliance and operational performance.
• Mean Time to Restore (MTTR).
• Incident response and escalation effectiveness.
• Quality and accuracy of incident records and shift handovers.
• Reduction of repeat incidents and ongoing operational issues.
• Compliance with operational procedures and governance requirements.