Network Operations Engineer I

Job DetailsLevel: ExperiencedJob Location: HQ Office - Portland, OR 97205-2810Education Level: 4 Year DegreeSalary Range: $62,400.00 - $93,600.00 SalaryTravel Percentage: NegligibleJob Shift: DayJob Category: TelecommunicationsAbout Us At Lightspeed Networks, we deliver reliable internet, voice, and data solutions designed to meet the demands of today’s fast paced world. Since our founding in 2005, we have grown our network to more than 7,000 route miles of fiber, providing high quality, dependable connectivity capable of supporting even the most demanding user needs. Rooted in community, we believe strong, connected communities are essential to long term success. That’s why we are committed to ensuring residents and businesses in rural Oregon and Washington have access to high speed, reliable services and why we actively engage with and contribute to the communities we serve.  We operate with accountability and transparency, communicating openly, acting with honesty, and taking ownership from start to resolution. Our customers count on us to follow through, and we take that responsibility seriously. Reliability is at the core of everything we do. We keep our commitments and deliver high quality solutions that our customers can trust, eliminating the challenges of slow or unreliable connections so they can focus on productivity and growth.  Through engagement, we show up with purpose, presence, and focus. We are proactive in understanding the needs of our customers and recognize the contributions of the people and partners who make our work possible.  Finally, we are committed to solving, proposing actionable solutions, continually improving our network and processes, and adapting with agility and creativity as technology and customer needs evolve.  Together, these values guide our mission to simplify connectivity, strengthen communities, and create lasting opportunities across the regions we serve.  Benefits  We believe in taking care of our employees and offer the following benefits:  Complete medical, dental, vision, and life insurance is available.  Our safe harbor 401(k) plan is available to employees on day one and includes a 100% fully vested employer match of up to 4% of your compensation.  Eight paid holidays, flexible Take What You Need PTO, and 16 hours of paid volunteer time!  Lightspeed Networks employees can also take advantage of local employee store passes at Columbia Sportswear and Adidas for big discounts!    Lightspeed Networks focuses on attracting, retaining, developing, and promoting the most qualified employees. We provide a work environment free from discrimination and harassment, where all employees are treated with respect and dignity.    We are seeking an enthusiastic and motivated Network Operations Engineer to join our growing telecommunications company that is redefining the data network industry. This position is located in Pacific Northwest. This is a full-time, exempt Salary position, not eligible for overtime and paid bi-weekly. The Network Operations Engineer is responsible for the engineering, provisioning, and analytical support of both core network infrastructure and hosted Unified Communications (UC) services delivered across the LS Networks network. The scope of this role spans planning, design, installation, and configuration of network and UC infrastructure during service delivery, along with the ongoing management, monitoring, troubleshooting, and repair of customer and core network services. This position involves working with various entities, such as Sales, Order Management, Operations and Provisioning, Engineering, Customer Service, and Field Resources, as well as training and working with installation partners to ensure successful order fulfillment. Provisioning The Provisioning role is comprised of both validations, as well as implementation, including test and turn-up of new capacity and customer services, across both core network and hosted UC services. Validation Manage new UC implementations, working closely with Order Management on scheduling, as well as porting of Direct-Inward Dial (DID) numbers from the previous carrier to LS Networks. Review and confirm customer requirements against capability and capacity to deliver services. Review/create Operational Service Diagram(s) to represent the service delivery implementation. Reserve and document equipment and ancillary services, such as hardware, physical plant, IP addresses, and port assignments. Engage with appropriate groups, as needed, to determine next steps to augment production systems to meet service delivery requirements. Design circuits within and across regions for Ethernet, Internet, and TDM services. Design accurate, complex network solutions requiring routing protocols such as OSPF and BGP, including Layer 2 Carrier Ethernet, MPLS, and Layer 3 configurations. Support Order Management by assisting with technical coordination with customers, including status updates and technical inquiries. Assist with technical project management of customer network and UC implementations. Support internal and external (customer) calls to collect programming, configuration, and call flow information necessary to develop and implement/provision UC design, working with all cross-functional teams and entities to complete all tasks related to UC and network projects. Ensure validation is complete for handoff to other team members for provisioning of services. Provisioning Stage and configure equipment for deployment and installation by Field resources. Provide technical service activation, change, and disconnect for Internet (BGP and Routed IP Services), Ethernet (ELINE & ELAN), TDM (DS-1 through STS-192), SIP (with and without IADs), Wavelength deployments (in support of Engineering), and UCaaS Services (DHCP, POE, VLANs, Multicast, and Call Features/Functions). Work with Order Management, Project Managers, Field resources, and 3rd-Party providers to coordinate the installation, test, and turn-up of new circuits and UC services. Certify circuit performance using Y.1731 and RFC 2544 standards with EXFO/JDSU test sets. Schedule remote/online and on-site customer validations, installations, and customer product training for both technical and non-technical personnel. Collaborate and coordinate with colleagues routinely to ensure all aspects of customer service orders are fulfilled in a timely manner and to the customer's expectations within product delivery parameters. Document and maintain order status updates in the operational support system. Finalize service documentation, update inventory, and configure OAM and monitoring systems in preparation for ongoing operational support. Maintain a working knowledge of the UC solution overall, with focused familiarity on customer-specific installations and integration, as well as implementation of Power-over-Ethernet (POE) switching equipment and voice gateway products. Create/update/review overall UC design, configuration, and call flow diagrams in collaboration with stakeholders, either through self-direction or in facilitation with others. Work with Engineering and/or Operations departments on various projects as required. Share and train others as necessary on any new processes or procedures with key stakeholders. Network Operations The Operations role focuses on troubleshooting and repair support for customers and core network services, including hosted UC, as a member of the Network Operations Center (NOC). Collaborate with other members of the NOC, Customer Service, Field Resources, Engineering, and Infrastructure (OSP) teams in solving complex problems as needed. Understand, troubleshoot, and repair Ethernet, IP, SIP, TDM, DWDM, Routing/Switching, MPLS, Voice/UCaaS, Wireless, and Security services, as well as customer and core network issues. Understand and remotely troubleshoot fiber optic and 3rd-Party Network services. Coordinate and lead customer and core network UC and network service repair events with Field Technicians, Engineers, customers, contractors, and 3rd-Party Network service providers. Respond diligently, deliberately, and in a timely manner to customer inquiries regarding service issues. Provide proactive customer notification of service and core network issues, as well as ongoing updates. Document all work performed in comprehensive ticketing and document management systems. Monitor, operate, administer, and react to Network Management System (NMS) events for customer and network faults. Use lab environments to diagnose network issues or provide network performance reviews. Schedule, document, lead, and implement maintenance activities. Facilitate customer notification of network maintenance and planned service-affecting events. Identify, diagnose, and document underlying architecture and support issues for problem resolution, Root Cause Analysis (RCA), Reason for Outage (RFO), and Service Level Agreement (SLA) reporting. Identify and document new or enhanced LS Networks best practices and processes where needed. Participate in an on-call rotation, responding to service-related issues and related restoration activities after hours when needed. QualificationsQualifications Provisioning knowledge and experience with PBX systems. Knowledge of voicemail services, auto attendant features and functionality, and chat and video conferencing services. Comprehensive understanding of Ethernet and IP services operating within a service provider network. Working knowledge of SIP, MPLS, VPLS, and related technologies. Understanding of UC services in a hosted UC environment, including competencies and best practices. Working knowledge of DNS, BIND, ARIN, DHCP, and associated functions within the Internet framework. Working knowledge of IP and routing protocols, such as BGP4, OSPF, IPv4, and IPv6. Understanding of Wireless and Security Services, such as firewalling, intrusion prevention, access-control lists, and Quality of Service queues, as they pertain to network and UC services. Ability to initiate, complete, and meet deadlines of projects with some direction and guidance. Proven experience working as a member of a team. Strong interpersonal and written communication skills, as well as strong phone skills. Diligent in monitoring order delivery dates and follow-up activities, communicating changes to customers as well as internal and external entities. Excellent organizational, time management, and presentation skills. Education and/or Experience Bachelor's degree in a data communications or networking field, or equivalent education and experience. 2+ years of experience provisioning UC services in a hosted voice environment using the Metaswitch platform. 2+ years of experience working in a mission-critical 7x24x365 NOC or service activation group. 2+ years in a carrier/service provider environment dealing with MPLS, SONET, DWDM, IP routing, and Carrier Ethernet, a plus. Experience with and understanding static, OSPF, BGP, and IS-IS routing. Understanding of Ethernet traffic types, VLANs, queuing, LAGs, and 802.1q. Experience with network and system diagnosis and troubleshooting; familiar with configuration management and testing toolsets, as well as monitoring and management software solutions. Nokia NRS I Certification preferred; Nokia NRS II Certification a plus. ITIL v3 Certification a plus. Ability to demonstrate understanding of network and UC network topology design. Comfortable in customer-facing situations, as well as internal mentoring roles. Strong interpersonal and organizational skills; comfortable in a dynamic, fast-paced environment, understanding that flexibility and accountability feed directly into customer satisfaction. Work Environment This position will currently work remotely from home; however, there may be meetings or other duties that require physical presence in the office. Home office workspace with connectivity required. Local candidates preferred; however, we will also consider candidates residing in the greater Pacific Northwest within our operating market areas. Notes The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by an employee in this position. These statements are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of employees in this position.