Head, Network Operations at IpNX Nigeria Limited

ipNX Nigeria Limited is a leading provider of infrastructure-based Telecommunications and Information Technology services here in Nigeria. Leveraging more than a decade of experience, the company was formed by the divestment of the telecommunications services division of Telnet Nigeria Limited and has been in operation for many years. ipNX currently provides a range of communications and IT services to Corporate organizations within Nigeria on its IP (Internet Protocol) based communications network using both radio and satellite communications technologies. As part of its growth strategy, ipNX seeks to also extend its services to small and medium sized businesses and residential customers. In the long term, ipNX has determined that it needs also to have a strategic presence in the wire line market to ensure that we will be able to provide future services, which require high bandwidth in the last mile.

Job Summary

• We are seeking a Head of Technical Operations to join our team. The Head, Technical will work with the DCEO to articulate and execute long-term technical strategy for the business division, including network design, optimization, security, service delivery and program management.
• S/He is responsible to develop the capabilities of the technical team.

Responsibilities and Deliverables
Leadership and Coordination:

• Responsible for the 24x7 operation and availability of the technical infrastructure
• Manages the Division’s IT infrastructure services team; setting goals, prioritizing projects, communicating with stakeholders and oversees budgets
• Defines the overall mission of the infrastructure services teamDirect operational support for network operations and technical assistance centre
• Develop IT strategies and vision and articulates them to team members and other stakeholders
• Works with IT leadership, top Management and business leaders and decision-makers to define and implement a strategic plan for the portfolio of all IT infrastructure, integration tools and technologies

Network Architecture Design:

• Enable a highly scalable, fault-tolerant platform for corporate clients adhering to best practices to ensure optimal performance and achievement of customer SLAs
• Maintain knowledge of infrastructure/architecture standards and practices
• Support the delivery of connectivity products and services to the corporate customers

Strategic Infrastructure Management:

• Responsible for overall management of technical operations for the Division which includes setting strategic direction and objectives
• Establish, maintain, and drive continuous delivery of a technology and support roadmap that significantly elevate, drive, and transform the business of customers
• Lead the implementation and operation of all technology infrastructure
• Articulate the principles and define guidelines for evaluation, acceptance of network and infrastructure businesses

Project support:

• Provide infrastructure architecture support for internal technical operations and the Project Management Office
• Work with stakeholders, IT leadership and direct reports to establish one, three, five-year roadmap for various projects, including but not limited to, the development and implementation of a comprehensive telecommunications strategy for clients
• Manage, coordinate, and oversee program development and the execution of all technical projects including project definition, design and analysis, set up, testing, implementation, and documentation

Operational Excellence:

• Establish KPI's and metrics for all areas of technical operations and use them to develop a lean, agile and data-driven technical operations culture
• Participate actively and assume a leadership role where appropriate in architecture working groups and in support of the network and infrastructure strategic plan for Corporate Clients
• Develop a clear model for understanding business criticality of systems and for establishing and maintaining appropriate levels of availability, redundancy and continuity for technical operations

Operational Efficiency:

• Maximize efficiency and continuously look for ways to drive cost out of technical operations processes
• Develop and maintain architecture, design and implementation strategy for network and infrastructure
• Maximize technical capabilities for IPNX by designing profitable mechanism and establish best standards for technical operations
• Establish capacity planning competency for corporate client’s network and infrastructure

Qualifications and Functional Skills

• Bachelor's Degree with specialization in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a closely related field (2.2/Upper Credit Minimum). Master’s degree in engineering, MBA or its equivalent preferred
• At least fifteen (15) years of demonstrable experience in the network and infrastructure operations space
• 10years of experience as a technical operations manager or lead
• Demonstrated experience to facilitate small group and executive level discussions on architectural direction
• ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library and (PMP) Project Management Professional certification desirable
• Network Optimization skill, Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery
• Application Virtualization such as Oracle, Citrix etc.
• Team Leadership that can inspire, motivate and guide team members by fostering commitment, team spirit and trust
• Well-developed interpersonal skills, demonstrated skill and passion for operational excellence by using automation and process improvements
• Detail Orientation and conflict resolution skills, Strategic technology acumen, ability to make decisions with incomplete, conflicting information and uncertain long-term consequences.
• Ability to Identify and act upon opportunities for continuous improvement, able to devise unusual or radically different approaches to deliver value-added solutions and advanced technical knowledge of technology infrastructure.
• Extensive knowledge of end-to-end hardware development process and life-cycle, solid experience with technical projects from inception to on time delivery in an Agile environment
• Analytical and problem-solving experience with large-scale and highly available systems, Knowledge of and experience with network technologies and ecosystems
• Experience in delivering multiple concurrent projects with aggressive schedules, experience leading training, process mapping, and documentation.

Method of Application