Unified Communications Manager

City Of Indianapolis (IN)•Indianapolis, IN

52d

About The Position

The position is responsible for overseeing the 24x7 telecommunications and unified communications operations of the City-County enterprise, including voice, instant messaging, video and voice conferencing, and call center systems. The Manager sets policy and defines processes for the unified communications, infrastructure, and wiring teams, and ensures compliance with those standards. Working closely with the ISA Executive Leadership Team, the Manager leads and evaluates the City-County's unified communications and call center systems to ensure alignment with cybersecurity standards, regulatory frameworks, and City-County policies. The role includes operational oversight of more than 7,000 voice lines, 3,700 voice mailboxes, and all related services provided by the Information Services Agency (ISA) to approximately 8,000 users across 150+ locations in Marion County. The Manager must balance competing priorities across City-County agencies, maintain strong vendor relationships, and enforce service level agreements with ISA's service providers. Success in this role requires strong leadership, the ability to allocate finite resources effectively, and a commitment to supporting the City-County's digital transformation agenda. This includes evolving IT service management (ITSM) practices toward greater agility and aligning with a lean organizational culture. The Manager must also foster collaboration across business divisions, develop emotionally intelligent leadership skills, and understand the operational drivers that shape ISA's and the City-County's IT Strategic Plan. The ideal candidate brings technical expertise, project and vendor management skills, and a service-oriented mindset. This individual is accountable for operational and service management processes that ensure quality, efficiency, and agility. The position is responsible for overseeing the 24x7 telecommunications and unified communications operations of the City-County enterprise, including voice, instant messaging, video and voice conferencing, and call center systems. The Manager sets policy and defines processes for the unified communications, infrastructure, and wiring teams, and ensures compliance with those standards. Working closely with the ISA Executive Leadership Team, the Manager leads and evaluates the City-County's unified communications and call center systems to ensure alignment with cybersecurity standards, regulatory frameworks, and City-County policies. The role includes operational oversight of more than 7,000 voice lines, 3,700 voice mailboxes, and all related services provided by the Information Services Agency (ISA) to approximately 8,000 users across 150+ locations in Marion County. The Manager must balance competing priorities across City-County agencies, maintain strong vendor relationships, and enforce service level agreements with ISA's service providers. Success in this role requires strong leadership, the ability to allocate finite resources effectively, and a commitment to supporting the City-County's digital transformation agenda. This includes evolving IT service management (ITSM) practices toward greater agility and aligning with a lean organizational culture. The Manager must also foster collaboration across business divisions, develop emotionally intelligent leadership skills, and understand the operational drivers that shape ISA's and the City-County's IT Strategic Plan. The ideal candidate brings technical expertise, project and vendor management skills, and a service-oriented mindset. This individual is accountable for operational and service management processes that ensure quality, efficiency, and agility. The incumbent contributes to the execution of the enterprise-wide IT strategy set by the Chief Information Officer and is expected to exercise independent judgment in the absence of established policies. This position reports to the Chief Operating Officer.

Requirements

A bachelor's degree in computer science, Information Systems, Telecommunications, or a related field is required, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
The ideal candidate will have 10 to 15 years of progressive IT experience, including at least 10 years in telecommunications, networking, unified communications, and wiring services within large-scale environments supporting 1,000 or more users.
Experience leading technical teams, managing enterprise voice infrastructure, and overseeing cross-functional projects is essential.
Candidates should demonstrate strong expertise in VoIP technologies, unified communications platforms such as Cisco, Webex Calling, and Avaya, as well as a deep understanding of IP networking, voice protocols (including SIP and RTP), and systems and network security principles.
The role requires the ability to align technical solutions with business goals, manage vendor relationships, and enforce service level agreements.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, combined with a customer-focused mindset, are critical.
Candidates must possess excellent verbal and written communication skills and be able to convey technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.

Nice To Haves

Professional certifications related to telecommunications, networking, or unified communications are preferred, such as CCNA, CCIE, or MCSE.
Certifications in audiovisual or collaboration technologies (e.g., CTS, CTSD) may be beneficial depending on the technical environment.
Experience with ITIL or other IT Service Management frameworks is also desirable, along with a demonstrated ability to lead teams through digital transformation initiatives and process improvement efforts.

Responsibilities

Lead the unified communications and wiring teams to support the City-County's IT operations environment.
Serve as the escalation point for problem, incident, request, and resolution activities related to telecommunications and wiring.
Manage vendor relationships, including reviewing and approving quotes, scopes of work, contracts, and invoices; collaborate with vendors and County departments to resolve operational issues and ensure timely maintenance, repair, and installation of communications systems.
Monitor and report on Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for unified communications and wiring services.
Ensure all telecommunications, unified communications, and wiring processes are aligned with ISA policies and procedures and accurately reflected in the IT Service Management (ITSM) tool.
Represent unified communications and wiring changes in Change Advisory Board (CAB) meetings and ensure changes are properly conducted, managed, and communicated.
Ensure all incidents, events, and problems are documented, and oversee the Root Cause Analysis (RCA) process for issues requiring follow-up.
Collaborate with the ISA Executive Leadership and Management teams to prioritize resources, including budget, and contribute to service portfolio and governance planning.
Act as a strategic interface between IT and business units to align services with business needs, support changing priorities, and drive digital transformation.
Define, develop, and continuously improve a comprehensive ITSM framework based on best practices (e.g., ITIL), ensuring agility and alignment with lean culture.
Facilitate complex customer relationships and provide technical unified communications solutions in partnership with Business Services and technical teams.
Leverage influence and negotiation skills across IT and business units to enable cost-effective, innovative solutions that support enterprise goals.
Maintain supervisory responsibility for staffing, performance evaluations, training, development, promotions, salary adjustments, and disciplinary actions.
Maintain confidentiality and exercise sound judgment in all operational and personnel matters.
Remain available for 24x7x365 on-call support, including off-hours change implementations and critical work assignments.