The posting
Network Operations Shift Manager (NOC)
Location: Bryanston, Johannesburg
Contract Duration: 12 Months
Role Purpose
We are seeking an experienced Network Operations Shift Manager to oversee 24/7/365 operational monitoring and real-time management of telecommunications tower infrastructure, power systems and environmental alarms.
The successful candidate will be responsible for coordinating shift operations, ensuring continuous service availability, managing incidents and driving timely resolution of infrastructure and power-related issues.
The role requires strong technical expertise, operational leadership and the ability to manage high-priority incidents while coordinating multiple stakeholders, including field operations, energy service providers, vendors and telecommunications operators.
Key Responsibilities
1. Network Operations & Infrastructure Monitoring
- Oversee 24/7 monitoring of tower power systems, including grid power, diesel generators, solar PV and Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS).
- Monitor passive telecommunications infrastructure, environmental alarms, cooling and security systems.
- Identify, investigate and escalate outages, power failures, generator faults, theft incidents and infrastructure-related alarms.
- Ensure proactive monitoring to minimise service disruptions and maintain network availability.
2. Incident Management & Escalation
- Lead P1/P2 incident response and act as Incident Commander during major service-impacting incidents.
- Coordinate rapid incident detection, triage, escalation and service restoration.
- Provide Tier 2 technical support for escalated power and infrastructure-related issues.
- Ensure accurate incident logging, ticket creation and prioritisation according to SLA requirements.
- Work closely with technical teams, field engineers, energy partners and vendors to resolve incidents efficiently.
3. Shift Management & Operational Coordination
Coordinate NOC shift resources to maintain continuous operational coverage.
Manage shift rosters, resource allocation, leave schedules and operational planning.
Ensure effective shift handovers with accurate documentation of ongoing incidents and operational priorities.
Monitor shift performance and ensure adherence to operational procedures and service delivery standards.
Provide operational guidance and support to shift personnel.
4. Stakeholder & Vendor Management
- Collaborate with telecommunications operators, field operations teams, energy service providers and third-party vendors.
- Maintain effective communication with internal and external stakeholders during incidents.
- Escalate critical service-impacting issues and provide timely progress updates.
- Coordinate vendor and field support activities to minimise downtime.
5. Compliance, Reporting & Continuous Improvement
- Ensure compliance with NOC Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), change management processes and maintenance protocols.
- Monitor adherence to site access procedures and operational governance requirements.
- Prepare shift performance reports covering outages, Mean Time to Resolution (MTTR), SLA performance and operational risks.
- Maintain accurate, complete and audit-ready incident documentation.
- Identify recurring incidents and recommend preventative measures to improve operational efficiency and service reliability.
Minimum Requirements
Qualifications
- Relevant qualification in Engineering, Information Technology, Telecommunications or Operations preferred.
- ITIL certification or relevant ITIL training advantageous.
Experience
- Minimum 3–5 years' experience in Network Operations Centre (NOC) operations, preferably within telecommunications or tower infrastructure environments.
- Experience coordinating operational teams and shifts within a 24/7/365 environment.
- Strong technical background in telecommunications infrastructure, network monitoring or power operations.
- Proven experience managing critical incidents, escalations and service restoration.
- Experience working with multiple stakeholders, including telecommunications operators, energy service providers and vendors.
Technical Skills & Knowledge
- Strong understanding of telecommunications tower passive infrastructure, including towers, shelters, cooling and security systems.
- Knowledge of hybrid power systems, including:
- Solar PV systems
- Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS)
- Diesel generators (DG)
- Grid power infrastructure
- Automatic Transfer Switches (ATS)
- Automatic Mains Failure (AMF) systems
- Rectifiers and -48V DC power systems
- Experience using OSS platforms, telemetry dashboards, SNMP monitoring tools and incident management systems.
- Strong troubleshooting and diagnostic skills relating to power and infrastructure incidents.
- Understanding of SLA management, incident prioritisation and escalation procedures.
- Knowledge of NOC operational processes, change controls and maintenance procedures.
Core Competencies
- Strong operational leadership and shift coordination
- Critical incident management and decision-making
- Technical troubleshooting and problem-solving
- Excellent planning, organisation and time management
- Ability to remain calm and effective under pressure
- Strong communication and stakeholder engagement
- Conflict resolution and emotional intelligence
- Customer-focused service delivery
- Attention to detail and accurate reporting
- Ability to work effectively in a high-pressure, 24/7 operational environment
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
- Tower infrastructure uptime and SLA compliance
- Mean Time to Resolution (MTTR) across shifts
- Incident response times and ticket accuracy
- Quality and completeness of shift handovers
- Reduction in recurring incidents and infrastructure failures
- Compliance with operational SOPs and governance requirements
- Effective coordination of shift resources and incident escalations
