Job Description
Fiber to the Tower (FTT) Subject Matter Expert (SME)
Function: Network Operations (NOC)
Position Summary
The Fiber to the Tower (FTT) SME Network Operations is responsible for ensuring high availability, performance, and operational stability of fiber infrastructure supporting B2B Customers and wireless carrier towers, small cells, and 4G/5G backhaul networks.
This role provides Tier 3 technical support, drives incident resolution, manages escalations, performs RCA, and ensures SLA adherence across Fiber-to-the-Tower services.
Key Responsibilities
1. Operational Ownership
- Own end-to-end operational support for FTT circuits and Small Cell Back Haul.
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- Ensure network uptime for macro towers, small cells, and carrier aggregation sites.
- Monitor fiber health, alarms, latency, and performance KPIs.
2. Troubleshooting Expertise
3. Incident & Escalation Management
- Act as Tier 3 escalation point for major customer and fiber outages affecting wireless carriers.
- Lead bridge calls during critical outages.
- Coordinate with Field Ops, Splicing Teams, and Construction vendors.
- Ensure MTTR targets are met.
4. Fault Management & Troubleshooting
- Perform advanced troubleshooting using:
- OTDR trace analysis
- Optical power level validation
- DWDM / Transport troubleshooting
- Layer 1 to Layer 3 correlation
- Identify fiber cuts, degradation, attenuation issues, and equipment faults.
5. Root Cause Analysis (RCA)
- Conduct detailed post-incident RCAs.
- Recommend preventive measures and network hardening initiatives.
- Track recurring fiber impairment trends.
6. SLA & Performance Management
- Ensure compliance with wireless carrier SLAs.
- Analyse chronic trouble tickets and performance degradation trends.
- Provide weekly/monthly service performance reports.
7. Change & Maintenance Management
- Review and approve planned maintenance activities affecting FTT circuits.
- Conduct risk assessment for network changes.
- Ensure minimal customer impact during maintenance windows.
8. Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Work with Engineering for network optimization and capacity upgrades.
- Support Sales Engineering for technical validation during escalations.
- Coordinate with Construction teams during fiber restoration projects.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelors degree in Electronics & Communication Engineering with consistent academic excellence.
- 1215 years of experience in Telecom Network Operations (NOC)
- Strong expertise in Fiber to the Tower (FTT) and wireless backhaul networks.
- Hands-on experience with:
- DWDM, CWDM, MPLS, IP Transport, BGP, ISIS, OSPF
- Dark fiber troubleshooting
- OTDR and other optical testing tools
- Network monitoring systems (NMS)
- Experience handling major carrier outages in U.S. telecom environment.
Highly Desired Skills & Attributes:
- Hands-on experience and strong understanding of Telecom / ISP NOC operations and services.
- Willingness to actively handle tickets, even during high-flow periods.
- Balanced approach: approximately 50% floor support and 50% ticket resolution.
- Excellent English communication skills, both spoken and written.
- Flexibility and readiness to work in a 24x7 operational environment.
Key Competencies:
- Strong outage leadership & decision-making under pressure
- Analytical problem-solving
- Excellent stakeholder communication
- Customer-first mindset
- High sense of operational ownership
Performance Metrics:
- Network Availability (%)
- MTTR Reduction
- SLA Compliance
- Repeat Incident Reduction
- Successful Major Incident Management
Required Certifications (Preferred):
- CCNA/CCNP
- ITIL Foundation (v3 or v4)
