Overview

As the Associate Manager, Network Management Operations, you'll lead a team responsible for monitoring and supporting TDS's voice, data, and video networks. You'll play a critical role in maintaining network reliability, driving operational excellence, and ensuring timely resolution of network events that impact both internal and external customers.

In this role, you'll provide leadership and direction to the Network Operations Center (NOC) team while partnering with technical and operational teams across the organization. You'll help shape the future of network operations by coaching employees, improving processes, leveraging operational data, and driving initiatives that strengthen network performance and customer experience.

Because our networks operate around the clock, you'll serve as a key escalation point and leader in critical situations, helping coordinate incident response and restoration efforts whenever network issues arise.
What You'll Do
Lead and Develop a High-Performing Team

• Provide day-to-day leadership, coaching, and support to Network Management Operations Technicians.
• Foster a collaborative, customer-focused culture centered on accountability and continuous improvement.
• Develop team members through coaching, mentoring, and career development opportunities.
• Help prepare technicians for advancement and growth within TDS.
• Ensure your team has the tools, training, and resources needed to succeed.
• You'll oversee a team responsible for:
  • Monitoring and supporting TDS voice, data, and video networks across the country.
  • Providing 24/7/365 network surveillance and Level 1 event management.
  • Identifying, troubleshooting, and coordinating resolution of network outages and service-impacting events.
  • Supporting both TDS network infrastructure and external customer networks.
  • Providing after-hours technical support for Commercial and IPTV customers.
  • Serving as a central point of communication and coordination during network incidents.
• You'll also act as a key escalation resource for field operations, customer repair teams, and technical support organizations to ensure issues are resolved efficiently and effectively.

Lead Incident Response and Network Restoration

• Coordinate outage response and service restoration efforts.
• Serve as a primary escalation point for operational issues.
• Communicate network status, maintenance activities, and service impacts to stakeholders across the business.
• Partner with technical teams to drive timely resolution of incidents.
• Help develop and execute emergency response and restoration plans.

Improve Processes and Operational Performance

• Analyzing ticket and incident data to identify trends, recurring issues, and root causes.
• Developing strategies that improve network reliability and operational efficiency.
• Partnering with cross-functional teams to implement network improvements and reduce service disruptions.
• Continuously evaluating and refining operational processes and workflows.
• Identifying opportunities for automation and process enhancements.

Use Data to Drive Decisions

• Create and analyze operational metrics that measure team performance and service effectiveness.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, quality, and customer experience.
• Develop business cases and requirements for system enhancements.
• Support automation initiatives, reporting improvements, and ticketing system enhancements.
• Leverage operational insights to recommend strategic improvements.

What You'll Bring

You'll be successful in this role if you enjoy:

• Leading technical teams in a fast-paced operational environment.
• Solving complex problems and coordinating responses during critical situations.
• Developing employees and helping them achieve their full potential.
• Using data and analytics to improve performance and decision-making.
• Building strong partnerships across teams and departments.
• Driving continuous improvement and operational excellence.

Why This Role Matters

Every day, you'll help ensure the reliability of services that connect customers, businesses, and communities. Your leadership will directly impact network performance, customer experience, and the success of a team that serves as the front line of TDS network operations.

If you're looking for an opportunity to lead a talented team, influence operational strategy, and make a measurable impact on a critical telecommunications network, we'd love to hear from you.

This position has a scheduled shift of Monday-Friday 2:00pm-11:00pm CT

This position has the ability to work remotely in any of the 40+ States in which TDS Telecom operates.

Responsibilities

• Manages and directs NMO personnel who monitor and resolve Level 1 trouble and outage problems. Monitors the entire TDS, Telecom/Baja Broadband Voice, Data, and Video networks. Ensures root cause analysis for resolutions for all network outages. Primary stakeholder for monitoring maintenance activities and performance monitoring for service provider and enterprise networks. Overall management and implementation of the TDS NMO.
• Develops and provides metrics and analysis to show quantity and quality of work.
• Participates in business, technical, and industry meetings as required.
• Contributes to overall network health management. Provides feedback for network related scopes of work and service descriptions that will require monitoring and support within the gated product lifecycle.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:
• Bachelors degree (or higher) -OR- 4+ years professional work experience.
• 5+ years technical hands-on, engineering, or capacity management experience in voice/data/video networking or related field.
• 3+ years of leadership and/or supervisory experience of a technical team in a service provider network.

Other Qualifications:

• Technically proficient and/or conceptually familiar with the following:
  • Broadband and narrowband access technologies including (but not limited to) POTS, xDSL, T1, DS3, PRI, BRI, WiFi, WiMAX, PON, Metro Ethernet, OCX.
  • Transport technologies including (but not limited to) SONET, ATM, Ethernet, POS, DWDM, WDM.
  • Voice Switching technologies including Legacy TDM and Softswitch technologies.
  • TCP/IP technologies including (but not limited to) routing and routing protocols (e.g., OSPF, BGP, etc.), subnetting, multicast, tunneling, bridging, MPLS, IP quality of service, traffic engineering, VoIP and IPTV.
  • Power Concepts associated with AC and DC power equipment and HVAC implementations in both cabinet and building applications.
  • Customer premises equipment including (but not limited to) Routers, PBX, Handsets, set-top boxes, home wiring concepts.
• Leadership Skills:
  • Able to lead and manage a diverse highly technical team. Able to interact and work with others as part of a team and remove barriers to the team's success. Possesses expert knowledge of internal processes and tools and drives changes when necessary.
  • Ability to remain calm and focused under significant pressure in order to help the effort of catastrophic network events.
  • Ability to mentor and grow individuals to enable them to reach their full potential.
  • Excellent people skills.
  • Ability to lead change.
  • Ability to lead and manage process improvement initiatives.
  • Excellent organizational and written/verbal communication skills.
• Decision Making Skills:
  • Ability to organize priorities (self and others) to achieve maximum performance cost effectively
  • Ability to make timely decisions.
• Business Technical Skills:
  • Ability to clarify complex network issues into easily understood terms.
  • Excellent presentation skills. Able to present concepts to senior management.
  • Able to represent TDS at industry functions.
  • Positive and company focus attitude are required.
  • Software knowledge and skills in business and office applications, such as spreadsheets, database applications, word documents, network drawing tools, basic network applications (telnet, FTP Client, FTP Server) and basic Unix tools.
  • Strong mathematical and statistical analysis skills.
  • Knowledge of business analysis tools (including, but not limited to cost-benefit analysis, NPV, IRR).
• Other:
  • Ability to travel as necessary if the needs of the business dictates.
  • If the needs of the business dictate, perform network tasks outside normally scheduled business hours to complete project work, provide on-call support and/or implement scheduled network changes.

Do you meet the Required Qualifications but are unsure if your experience aligns with the Other Qualifications? We encourage you to apply! Research shows that many candidates hesitate to apply unless they meet 100% of the qualifications, even when they possess the skills and experience needed to succeed in the role. Experience and skills come in many forms, and they may not always match exactly what's listed on paper, but they can still lead to success. If you meet the Required Qualifications and believe you have the potential to thrive in this role, we encourage you to apply today!

Benefits

We believe in taking care of our team, which is why we offer comprehensive benefits to support your health, financial well-being, and overall happiness. Join us and experience a work environment where your well-being is a top priority!

Associates scheduled to work 20 or more hours per week have access to:

• Medical Coverage
• Dental Coverage
• Vision Coverage
• Life Insurance
• 401(k) Plan
• Generous Vacation & Paid Sick Leave
• Seven Paid National Holidays & One Floating Holiday
• Paid Parental Leave (6 weeks after 12 months of employment)
• Adoption & Surrogacy Assistance
• Employee Assistance & Wellness Programs

Associates working 30 or more hours per week additionally have access to:

• Short-Term & Long-Term Disability
• TDS Service Discounts
• Education Assistance
• Paid Volunteer Time

In addition to these benefits, all associates will have the opportunity to participate in our Associate Resource Groups, which are designed to encourage community and facilitate professional development. To learn more, click here.

Pay Transparency:

The listed pay range reflects the minimum and maximum base salary. Actual offers will be based on factors such as skills, qualifications, experience, location, and role-specific competencies. Some positions may also offer additional compensation, such as bonuses or equity awards.

Pay Range (Hr./Yr.)

$81,000.00/Yr. - $131,600.00/Yr.