Director of Fiber Network Operations (1390)

Ripple Fiber•Charlotte, NC

2d•$130,000 - $150,000•Onsite

About The Position

Ripple Fiber is seeking a Director of Fiber Network Operations to oversee the performance, reliability, and operational excellence of its national fiber network infrastructure. This leadership role involves managing outage response, vendor performance, contract administration, operational budgets, and cross-functional collaboration to ensure high network uptime and customer satisfaction. The ideal candidate will be a strategic leader with extensive experience in telecommunications, broadband, or utility operations, capable of leading regional teams, optimizing vendor relationships, and achieving service-level objectives across multiple markets.

Requirements

10+ years of leadership experience in fiber network infrastructure, telecommunications, broadband, utility, or related industries.
Proven success managing large-scale network infrastructure operations and outage restoration efforts.
Extensive experience with vendor management, contract negotiations, and MSA administration.
Strong financial management experience, including budget oversight and invoice approval authority.
Demonstrated ability to lead geographically dispersed teams and multi-market operations.
Excellent communication, negotiation, and executive presentation skills.
Strong problem-solving and decision-making abilities in fast-paced operational environments.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Telecommunications, Business Administration, Operations Management, or a related field.
Experience in Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) network deployment and operations.
Knowledge of outside plant (OSP), inside plant (ISP), and network infrastructure maintenance practices.
Experience with network operations centers (NOCs) and service restoration programs.
Project Management Professional (PMP) certification or equivalent leadership certification.

Responsibilities

Provide national leadership for fiber network infrastructure operations and field service teams.
Own and drive key performance metrics related to network availability, outage duration, mean time to repair (MTTR), and service restoration.
Develop and implement strategies to reduce outage frequency and duration across the network.
Lead incident response efforts for major service interruptions and ensure timely communication with executive leadership and stakeholders.
Establish and monitor operational KPIs, service-level agreements (SLAs), and performance standards.
Manage strategic relationships with construction, maintenance, engineering, and operational vendors.
Negotiate, administer, and oversee Master Service Agreements (MSAs), Statements of Work (SOWs), and vendor contracts.
Ensure vendor compliance with contractual obligations, quality standards, safety requirements, and performance metrics.
Conduct regular vendor performance reviews and implement corrective action plans when necessary.
Identify opportunities to improve operational efficiency and reduce costs through effective vendor partnerships.
Review, approve, and manage vendor invoices, operational expenditures, and budget allocations.
Ensure invoices align with contract terms, approved scopes of work, and established financial controls.
Develop and manage annual operating budgets for network infrastructure maintenance and operations.
Partner with Finance and Procurement teams to improve cost efficiencies and forecasting accuracy.
Collaborate closely with Engineering, Construction, Network Operations Center (NOC), Customer Experience, Sales, Finance, Procurement, and Executive Leadership teams.
Support network expansion initiatives, market launches, and infrastructure improvement projects.
Drive alignment between departments to ensure operational objectives and customer commitments are consistently achieved.
Lead cross-functional initiatives focused on process improvement, operational excellence, and scalability.
Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing national infrastructure organization.
Foster a culture of accountability, safety, customer focus, and continuous improvement.
Establish clear performance expectations and provide coaching, feedback, and professional development opportunities.
Motivate employees through effective communication, recognition, and engagement initiatives.
Support succession planning, workforce development, and talent acquisition strategies.
Ensure compliance with company policies, industry regulations, and safety requirements.
Promote a strong safety culture across all field operations and vendor partners.
Oversee infrastructure maintenance standards, documentation, reporting, and audit readiness.
Support risk management initiatives and business continuity planning.