Director, Long Haul Technician Operations

Zayo Group

1d•$117,000 - $180,000•Remote

About The Position

The Director, Long Haul Technician Operations provides strategic and operational leadership for Zayo’s long-haul field organization, overseeing eight managers and a geographically dispersed workforce of more than 100 technicians. The organization is responsible for network protection, damage prevention, route patrol, network intelligence, and emergency restoration support. The Director sets the operating strategy, organizational structure, performance standards, and resource model needed to protect Zayo’s long-haul fiber infrastructure, improve network reliability, and scale operational capabilities. The role leads organizational effectiveness, financial stewardship, leadership development, and cross-functional alignment, with route protection as the team’s primary responsibility. The position builds and leads a scalable organization focused on proactive risk mitigation, operational excellence, leadership development, restoration readiness, resource optimization, and network reliability. It partners with Network and Field Operations leadership and a broad range of internal teams and external service providers to coordinate network protection and incident response.

Requirements

Minimum of 10 years of relevant telecommunications, fiber network, OSP, Field Operations, or Damage Prevention experience.
Minimum of 5 years of progressive leadership experience, including management of managers and/or large, geographically dispersed teams.
Extensive knowledge of telecommunications infrastructure, long-haul fiber networks, OSP operations, damage prevention, utility locating, and network restoration.
Demonstrated ability to lead multi-layered organizations and geographically dispersed field teams.
Strong strategic, financial, and operational acumen, including workforce planning, budget management, resource optimization, and performance governance.
Proven track record of developing leaders, improving operational performance, mitigating risk, and implementing scalable processes.
Excellent executive communication, cross-functional collaboration, analytical, and change leadership capabilities.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in Telecommunications, Engineering, Business, Management, or a related field; equivalent relevant experience may be considered.
Familiarity with fiber testing equipment, GIS, network documentation, and workforce-management systems.
Experience overseeing operational budgets, workforce planning, and network protection or restoration programs.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute the long-haul technician operating strategy, aligning route protection, damage prevention, technical support, and restoration readiness with business objectives.
Lead eight managers and more than 100 technicians, establishing consistent operating standards, territory coverage strategies, and accountability across geographically dispersed teams.
Develop scalable operating models, standardized processes, and technology adoption to improve network protection, field responsiveness, and operational efficiency.
Evaluate network growth, construction activity, and infrastructure risk to align field resources with business priorities.
Establish strategies for route patrol, construction monitoring, damage prevention, locate validation, and infrastructure threat identification across the long-haul network.
Direct organizational readiness and field mobilization during significant fiber damage events and customer-impacting network incidents.
Partner with NOC, Service Assurance, OSP, Engineering, Construction, and Emergency Restoration teams to coordinate field intelligence, incident response, and restoration activities.
Lead post-incident reviews and corrective actions to reduce preventable damage, strengthen risk mitigation, and improve network reliability.
Develop managers and hold them accountable for operational performance, employee development, safety, and consistent execution.
Establish leadership development, succession planning, and talent management practices to strengthen organizational depth and long-term capability.
Oversee onboarding, training, certification, and technical competency programs to ensure employees are qualified for assigned responsibilities.
Foster a culture of safety, accountability, field ownership, technical excellence, and continuous improvement.
Own organizational budgeting, workforce planning, territory alignment, and resource optimization, including headcount, overtime, travel, fleet, equipment, and vendor utilization.
Establish and govern performance metrics for preventable fiber damage, patrol completion, construction engagement, locate accuracy, safety, restoration readiness, productivity, and employee development.
Use operational and financial data to identify trends, address performance gaps, improve resource utilization, and drive measurable business outcomes.
Develop business cases for additional resources, technology, and process improvements, aligning investments with financial forecasts and operational priorities.
Communicate organizational performance, emerging risks, workforce needs, and strategic priorities to Network and Field Operations leadership.
Build cross-functional partnerships across Damage Prevention, Field Operations, NOC, Service Assurance, OSP, Engineering, Construction, GIS/Network Records, Locate Operations, Procurement, and external service providers.
Establish governance, escalation protocols, and operational handoffs supporting network reliability, restoration readiness, and compliance with safety and technical authorization requirements.
Represent the technician organization in strategic planning, network expansion, and operational improvement initiatives.