Head of Operations & Maintenance (O&M) job at True North Consult Ltd

Lead the country-wide operations and maintenance of the Client's tower portfolio — safety, uptime, customer satisfaction, partner performance, and cost — through a team of O&M sub-function heads and outsourced partners.

Deliver reliable, safe, and cost-efficient network operations by driving ESH compliance, customer and partner management, operations planning and reporting, operational performance, cost optimisation and revenue assurance, and team development across the assigned portfolio.

Responsibilities or duties

1. Environment, Safety & Health Compliance

• Build and ensure a safety culture across operations.
• Ensure adequate tools, test equipment, and safety gear are available in the field for proper and safe work.
• Drive business partners for ESH compliance.
• Monitor safety compliance and ensure adherence to safety guidelines.
• Ensure adequate safety training for field teams.
• Manage the external environment, identify potential challenges in the area, and evolve ways to overcome them.

2. Customer Management

• Conduct periodic operational reviews and governance with all customers as per the defined structure.
• Address customer issues in a timely and proactive manner.
• Balance conflicting customer priorities and achieve a common viewpoint that meets customer and shareholder expectations.
• Meet customer expectations by delivering the required uptime within agreed SLAs.
• Get SLAs/KPIs signed off regularly by all customers as per schedule.

3. Operations Planning & Reporting

• Define operational parameters, review TOC reports, conduct trend analysis of KPIs to identify problems, and conduct RCA for necessary actions.
• Run periodic structured reviews as per functional/line documents.
• Coordinate between stakeholders (IME/OME, SME, Estate, Security, etc.) and government/regulatory/statutory agencies.
• Ensure site asset data integrity and periodic capture of accurate site data MIS by digital means (e.g., mobile app), with timely submission of reports.
• Evolve and implement mechanisms to minimise theft incidents.
• Undertake contingency planning to ensure maximum network availability, especially on higher-tenancy and customer-critical sites.
• Adopt TQM practices and the PDCA problem-solving approach.

4. Operational Performance

• Ensure KPIs are achieved as per management targets; evolve systems and procedures enabling the O&M team to achieve targets.
• Carry out root cause analysis of site failures and draw action plans to avoid repetitive failures.
• Ensure adherence and compliance to processes and guidelines.
• Ensure preventive and corrective maintenance are met as per process and targets.
• Coordinate with the deployment team on installation and commissioning quality; take over sites with no service-affecting punch points.
• Generate trackers to monitor activities at appropriate frequencies for effective control of O&M activities.

5. Partner Management

• Manage partners (IMEs / OMEs / SMEs and SMS) to achieve defined targets as per laid-down procedures.
• Ensure adequate partner training on technical, operational, and safety aspects.
• Control and develop partners to enforce and ensure process compliance.
• Conduct structured partner governance as per the defined schedule.
• Ensure partner invoices are certified for timely payment.
• Drive site security; ensure accurate site inventory / asset integrity; and manage material/inventory including warehousing, material movement, and spares management with clear partner responsibility and accountability.

6. Cost Optimisation & Revenue Enhancement

• Monitor and optimise utilisation of capex and opex (repair & maintenance).
• Reduce opex through energy conservation and optimum utilisation of available resources.
• Monitor and analyse energy reports and draw action plans for energy cost optimisation: site-wise energy cost monitoring; corrective measures on high-consumption sites; equilibrium between energy cost and uptime.
• Train the team properly on SLAs and sign-offs as per agreements/contracts.
• Ensure proper billing with periodic site audits, billing customers as per actual installed inventory/configuration.

7. Team Development

• Develop a high-performance work environment to build a capable and motivated team.
• Identify O&M training needs and bridge gaps through appropriate training and development.
• Establish individual performance expectations, conduct regular reviews, and recommend rewards and recognition.
• Drive team-building initiatives and practice organisational values.
• Coordinate with HR for recruitment against vacant positions.

Qualifications or requirements 

Minimum Educational Qualifications

• Engineering graduate — B.E. / B.Tech or similar.

Knowledge Required

• Technical knowledge of power equipment.
• Adaptability to changing O&M trends.

Skills / Competencies

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills; ability to drive large teams across geographies.
• Soft skills and awareness of new technology gadgets are desirable prerequisites.

Experience needed

Relevant Experience

• Minimum 12–15 years of total experience in the telecom industry / ISP, preferably with more than 3 years of directly relevant experience.

Environment

• Balancing customer expectations, the external environment, and internal alignment between departments.
• Managing distributed assets across varied geography (indicatively 3,000–5,000+ sites depending on the operating area, with defined per-site opex budgets and assets of significant value per site).
• Managing local/government bodies and dealing with the public in general.
• Safety compliance at sites as per ESH policy.
• Running operations under a BCP framework in case of natural calamities (earthquakes, floods, etc.).
• Managing the budget.

Additional

Key Decisions

• No approval required: site cost allocation within budget as per DoA; rent allocation (ensuring rent is delivered on time).
• No approval required, manager kept informed: approvals on regular opex and replacement capex; theft infrastructure replacement; short-term optimisation/internal movement of team members for better output and crisis management.
• Approval after internal sign-off: any opex exceeding sanctioned opex as per the defined process; estate-related expenses under unforeseen situations for better uptime (COO/CEO).
• Escalation where not authorised: COO / CEO (as per DoA); Regional Director.

• Build and ensure a safety culture across operations.
• Ensure adequate tools, test equipment, and safety gear are available in the field for proper and safe work.
• Drive business partners for ESH compliance.
• Monitor safety compliance and ensure adherence to safety guidelines.
• Ensure adequate safety training for field teams.
• Manage the external environment, identify potential challenges in the area, and evolve ways to overcome them.
• Conduct periodic operational reviews and governance with all customers as per the defined structure.
• Address customer issues in a timely and proactive manner.
• Balance conflicting customer priorities and achieve a common viewpoint that meets customer and shareholder expectations.
• Meet customer expectations by delivering the required uptime within agreed SLAs.
• Get SLAs/KPIs signed off regularly by all customers as per schedule.
• Define operational parameters, review TOC reports, conduct trend analysis of KPIs to identify problems, and conduct RCA for necessary actions.
• Run periodic structured reviews as per functional/line documents.
• Coordinate between stakeholders (IME/OME, SME, Estate, Security, etc.) and government/regulatory/statutory agencies.
• Ensure site asset data integrity and periodic capture of accurate site data MIS by digital means (e.g., mobile app), with timely submission of reports.
• Evolve and implement mechanisms to minimise theft incidents.
• Undertake contingency planning to ensure maximum network availability, especially on higher-tenancy and customer-critical sites.
• Adopt TQM practices and the PDCA problem-solving approach.
• Ensure KPIs are achieved as per management targets; evolve systems and procedures enabling the O&M team to achieve targets.
• Carry out root cause analysis of site failures and draw action plans to avoid repetitive failures.
• Ensure adherence and compliance to processes and guidelines.
• Ensure preventive and corrective maintenance are met as per process and targets.
• Coordinate with the deployment team on installation and commissioning quality; take over sites with no service-affecting punch points.
• Generate trackers to monitor activities at appropriate frequencies for effective control of O&M activities.
• Manage partners (IMEs / OMEs / SMEs and SMS) to achieve defined targets as per laid-down procedures.
• Ensure adequate partner training on technical, operational, and safety aspects.
• Control and develop partners to enforce and ensure process compliance.
• Conduct structured partner governance as per the defined schedule.
• Ensure partner invoices are certified for timely payment.
• Drive site security; ensure accurate site inventory / asset integrity; and manage material/inventory including warehousing, material movement, and spares management with clear partner responsibility and accountability.
• Monitor and optimise utilisation of capex and opex (repair & maintenance).
• Reduce opex through energy conservation and optimum utilisation of available resources.
• Monitor and analyse energy reports and draw action plans for energy cost optimisation: site-wise energy cost monitoring; corrective measures on high-consumption sites; equilibrium between energy cost and uptime.
• Train the team properly on SLAs and sign-offs as per agreements/contracts.
• Ensure proper billing with periodic site audits, billing customers as per actual installed inventory/configuration.
• Develop a high-performance work environment to build a capable and motivated team.
• Identify O&M training needs and bridge gaps through appropriate training and development.
• Establish individual performance expectations, conduct regular reviews, and recommend rewards and recognition.
• Drive team-building initiatives and practice organisational values.
• Coordinate with HR for recruitment against vacant positions.

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Ability to drive large teams across geographies
• Soft skills
• Awareness of new technology gadgets

• Engineering graduate — B.E. / B.Tech or similar.
• Technical knowledge of power equipment.
• Adaptability to changing O&M trends.