Director, Network Intelligence

Ziply Fiber

2d•$178,000 - $235,000•Remote

About The Position

Ziply Fiber is building the intelligence layer that will make our network self-aware — transforming raw telemetry from access, metro, and core into predictive diagnostics, proactive operations, and closed-loop automation. The Director of Network Intelligence owns this end-to-end: the telemetry architecture, the AI/ML diagnostic platforms, and the cross-layer data pipelines spanning OLT/ONT, residential gateway, Wi-Fi, metro Ethernet, and IP core. This role also leads Ziply's Technology & Architecture Lab — our in-house environment for vendor evaluation, device certification, and proof-of-concept validation. You will build the lab into a world-class facility: securing vendor-donated equipment, accelerating certification cycles, and ensuring Ziply can evaluate and deploy new technology faster than any competitor in our market. This is a senior leadership role for someone who has operated at scale — millions of managed devices, cross-domain telemetry platforms, and a track record of turning network data into measurable cost savings and customer experience improvements.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED.
Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Telecommunications, Data Science, Information Technology, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and directly relevant experience.
12+ years of access, core network engineering, network intelligence, telemetry, diagnostics, automation, or related telecommunications technology experience, with deep expertise in GPON/XGS-PON, OLT/ONT architecture, Wi-Fi/CPE ecosystems, and IP/metro network environments at an ISP, CLEC, telecommunications provider, or related network environment.
3-5+ years of progressive people leadership experience managing engineers, technical leads, lab personnel, data/automation contributors, vendor partners, or cross-functional technical teams.
Expert-level Wi-Fi knowledge: in-home network architecture, 802.11ax/be (Wi-Fi 6/6E/7), mesh platforms, RF performance analytics, and gateway/CPE ecosystems (TP-Link, Gemtek, eero, or equivalent). Wi-Fi diagnostics and performance analytics must be a core strength.
Proven track record designing and delivering unified telemetry and diagnostics platforms at scale — millions of managed devices — with measurable reductions in support costs and customer dispatch rates.
Hands-on experience with network telemetry standards: gNMI/gRPC streaming telemetry, NETCONF/YANG, OMCI, OpenConfig, and Broadband Forum TR-069/CWMP, TR-098, TR-143, TR-157, TR-181.
Experience with cloud analytics and device management platforms: Calix Cloud, Nokia HDM/ACS, Plume OpenSync, Assia, or equivalent.
Working knowledge of AI/ML model development for network diagnostics: anomaly detection, predictive failure models, and log-analytics pipelines.
Experience architecting microservices-based, cloud-ready orchestration layers that unify access and core telemetry with backend systems.
Experience building or operating a technology lab or certification center — including vendor equipment programs, test methodology, and certification cycle management.
Strong cross-functional leadership: able to align engineering, operations, vendors, and field teams around shared outcomes.
Ability to work independently and apply sound judgment and reasoning skills to a variety of situations.
Ability to multi-task and collaborate effectively with other personnel to meet deadlines.
Strong verbal and written communication, attention to detail, and organizational skills.
Ability to work within critical deadlines.
Ability to adjust to rapidly changing priorities and schedules.
Ability to provide excellent customer service.
Strong people leadership and coaching skills with the ability to build teams, set priorities, develop technical talent, and create accountability for outcomes.
Strong analytical and financial acumen with the ability to connect network intelligence capabilities to customer experience, operational efficiency, cost reduction, and business value.
Executive presence and communication skills to influence Technology, Operations, Product, Field Operations, Customer Experience, Security, Legal, Finance, vendors, and senior leadership.
Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the US for any employer. Sponsorship is not available for this position.

Nice To Haves

Experience extending network observability into metro and core domains: MPLS telemetry, BGP analytics, or transport performance monitoring on Nokia, Juniper, or Cisco platforms.
Background in FWA (Fixed Wireless Access) platform architecture and carrier-agnostic LTE/5G CPE integration.
Intellectual property development: patents in wireless performance analytics, network diagnostics, or device management.
Experience supporting FTTP build-out programs at regional or national scale.
Experience leading architecture, engineering, lab, data, or automation teams in a high-growth broadband, telecom, cloud, or network technology environment.

Responsibilities

Design and own the end-to-end telemetry architecture spanning access (OLT/ONT, residential gateway, Wi-Fi), metro Ethernet, and IP core — integrating network elements via gNMI, NETCONF/YANG, OMCI, and TR-069/CWMP into cloud analytics platforms (Calix Cloud or equivalent).
Define data models for access and core network elements aligned with Broadband Forum standards (TR-069, TR-098, TR-143, TR-157, TR-181), OMCI for OLT/ONT management, gNMI/OpenConfig for core and metro telemetry streaming, and Wi-Fi analytics standards (802.11k/v/r, Wi-Fi 6/6E/7).
Architect AI/ML-powered predictive diagnostic systems: anomaly detection, failure prediction, and proactive alerting across the full network stack — from in-home Wi-Fi through OLT/ONT to metro and core — to identify issues before subscriber impact.
Build and own the remote diagnostics and troubleshooting platform: predictive, telemetry-driven architecture that measurably reduces unnecessary field dispatches and improves first-call resolution across access, Wi-Fi, and core network domains.
Architect the microservices-based orchestration layer unifying backend systems and telemetry streams across GPON, XGS-PON, in-home gateways, metro, core, and FWA environments.
Collaborate with the NOC and Pulse Autonomous Ops teams to operationalize model outputs into closed-loop automated workflows.
Partner with IP Core & Metro and Transport architecture teams to extend network observability from the in-home gateway through the backbone.
Build and operate Ziply's Technology & Architecture Lab — a state-of-the-art environment for vendor evaluation, device certification, and proof-of-concept testing across the network stack.
Establish and grow a vendor-donated equipment program, securing lab hardware from strategic partners to expand certification capability without CapEx cost.
Define and enforce the device and platform certification methodology: test plans, acceptance criteria, QA standards, and documentation requirements for new hardware and software deployments.
Drive certification velocity — reduce cycle times through process improvement, parallel test tracks, and automated test tooling.
Oversee annual device and platform certifications spanning OLT, ONT, CPE, residential gateways (TP-Link, Gemtek, eero, or equivalent), and core/metro platforms (Nokia, Juniper, Cisco, or equivalent).
Manage lab vendor relationships and coordinate with product, operations, and field teams to ensure lab-validated technology translates to successful field deployments.
Lead cross-functional teams of engineers and vendor partners across intelligence, diagnostics, and lab operations.
Drive vendor selection and TCO-based technology evaluations for analytics platforms, device management systems (Nokia HDM/ACS, Plume OpenSync, Assia, or equivalent), and lab infrastructure.
Define data governance, retention, and quality standards for all network telemetry streams.
Lead, coach, and develop engineers, technical leads, lab personnel, data/automation contributors, and vendor partners; establish priorities, decision rights, performance expectations, and delivery accountability.
Performs other duties as required to support the business and evolving organization.