Description:

Team size - Network Managers - Ops Engineers (each owning 3 - 4 networks) - splicer + helper pairs.

About the role:

The Assistant Vice President - Network Assurance will own end-to-end delivery of FTTH networks across multiple regions: network design and deployment, new installations, fault resolution and network maintenance, all through the company's own field teams. The role is central to raising network quality to the company's standards and delivering a consistently reliable experience to customers.

Key responsibilities:

1. Network transition and quality transformation:

- Lead the technical transition of existing networks into operations: detailed field audits, network mapping and documentation, asset inventory and baseline KPI measurement.

- Ensure a seamless handover of operations with zero or minimal disruption to active customers.

- Define a network-wise improvement roadmap to bring each network up to the company's silver standard, with clear milestones and timelines.

- Drive steady, phased upgrades: optical power correction, splitter rationalisation, re-splicing of high-loss joints, drop wire replacement, enclosure and FAT/FDB hygiene, labelling and route documentation.

- Track and report the quality journey of every network, from takeover baseline to silver standard and beyond.

2. Network design and deployment:

- Own FTTH network design for new areas: site surveys, route planning, splitter architecture, OLT port planning, optical power budget and BoQ.

- Prepare deployment plans with clear timelines, resource requirements and cost estimates; secure approvals and execute to plan.

- Deliver rollouts on time, on budget and fully compliant with the company's deployment standards and SOPs.

- Conduct acceptance testing (power levels, OTDR traces, documentation) before any network goes live.

- Continuously optimise cost per home passed and cost per connection through better design, materials and execution.

3. Installations and service delivery:

- Own installation TAT for every new connection, from sales order to service activation.

- Ensure first-time-right installations with correct power levels, neat drop routing and proper ONU set-up.

- Plan field capacity against sales pipeline so installations keep pace with growth.

4. Fault management and network maintenance:

- Drive rapid fault resolution and low MTTR across all operated networks; own complaint ratios and repeat complaints.

- Set up a 24x7 response mechanism for outages, fibre cuts and area-wide disruptions, with clear escalation matrices.

- Institute a preventive maintenance calendar: route patrolling, enclosure checks, power-level audits and proactive replacement of weak links.

- Use NMS and ticketing data to spot chronic issues early and drive root-cause fixes rather than repeat repairs.

- Guide teams on troubleshooting across the optical layer, OLT, ONU and switches at hardware and firmware level.

5. Field workforce leadership and productivity:

- Lead a multi-layered team of Network Managers, Ops Engineers (each owning 3 - 4 networks) and splicer + helper pairs.

- Define organisation design, span of control and workforce plans for each region and network.

- Set productivity norms (installations, faults and maintenance tasks per pair per day) and monitor daily.

- Run daily huddles, weekly reviews and surprise on-ground audits to enforce discipline and quality of work.

- Hire, train and certify field teams on splicing, power management, installation standards and customer handling.

- Enforce safety standards, tools discipline and correct use of materials in the field.

6. Inventory, vendors and cost control:

- Plan and control field inventory (fibre, splitters, enclosures, ONUs, consumables) to avoid stock-outs and wastage.

- Manage contractors and service vendors on quality, timelines and commercials.

- Own the operating budget for the function and drive cost efficiency without compromising quality.

7. Stakeholder management and reporting:

- Build strong working relationships with network partners through regular, transparent performance reviews.

- Collaborate with NOC, Core Network, Customer Service, Sales, Procurement and Finance for end-to-end delivery.

- Present performance dashboards, improvement progress and resource needs to senior leadership.

Key performance indicators:

- Installation TAT: Time from sales order to service activation.

- First-time-right installations: Share of installations with no repeat visit or early complaint.

- Fault MTTR: Average time to resolve customer and network faults.

- Complaint ratio: Network complaints per active subscriber, by network and region.

- Repeat complaint rate: Customers raising the same issue again within a set window.

- Network uptime: Availability of operated networks.

- Major outage restoration time: Time to restore fibre cuts and area-wide disruptions.

- Networks at silver standard: Number and share of networks upgraded to the company's quality benchmark.

- Optical power compliance: Share of ONUs within the defined Rx power range.

- Deployment delivery: New rollouts completed on time, on budget and to standard.

- Preventive maintenance adherence: Planned maintenance tasks completed on schedule.

- Field productivity: Installations, faults and tasks closed per field pair per day.

- Cost efficiency: Cost per home passed, per connection and opex per subscriber.

Key skills and technical competencies:

FTTH design and deployment (Expert):

- GPON/XGS-PON architecture and last-mile FTTH design for residential and high-density (MDU, society) areas.

- Splitter planning (primary/secondary, cascaded architectures, split ratios) and OLT port and capacity planning.

- Optical power budgeting, loss calculations and power-level management across the network.

- Aerial and underground fibre routing, right-of-way considerations, enclosures, FAT/FDB placement and labelling.

- Splicing quality standards, OTDR trace interpretation, power meter and VFL use.

Network operations and maintenance (Expert):

- Fault isolation across fibre, passive and active layers; structured RCA to stop repeat failures.

- Preventive maintenance programmes, route patrolling and network health audits.

- Outage and fibre-cut management with fast restoration practices.

Active equipment (Working knowledge):

- OLT: cards, PON ports, ONU provisioning, profiles, VLANs, alarms and firmware.

- ONU/ONT: provisioning, firmware upgrades, common hardware failures and Wi-Fi issues.

- Aggregation / MPLS switches: L2/L3 basics, redundancy and hardware/firmware troubleshooting.

Field operations management (Expert):

- Workforce planning, scheduling and productivity management for large field teams.

- Field force automation tools, job allocation and closure discipline.

- Inventory planning, material control and contractor/vendor management.

Tools and data (Working knowledge):

- NMS/EMS, ticketing and CRM systems; GIS / network mapping tools.

- Building and using dashboards (Excel/BI) to run a metrics-driven operation.

Requirements:

Experience and qualifications:

Experience:

- 10 - 15 years in ISP, telecom or cable operations with deep, hands-on FTTH experience.

- Proven track record of greenfield FTTH rollouts at scale, from design through go-live.

- Experience running day-to-day operations across multiple networks and geographies simultaneously.

- Demonstrated success in taking over and turning around poorly maintained networks, with measurable quality gains.

- Familiarity with local cable operator (LCO) networks and on-ground realities in Indian cities and towns.

- 5+ years leading large, multi-layered field teams, including contract workforce (splicers, technicians, helpers).

- Track record of improving installation TAT, MTTR and complaint ratios at scale.

Qualifications:

- B.E./B.Tech in Electronics, Telecommunications, Electrical or equivalent.

- Certifications in FTTH/PON, fibre optics or networking are an advantage.

- MBA or management qualification is a plus, not mandatory.

Leadership traits:

- On-ground leader: drives execution in the field, not just from dashboards; visible and accessible to field teams.

- Ownership mindset: treats every network as his or her own and takes full accountability for outcomes.

- Execution discipline: relentless on timelines, maintenance routines, process adherence and quality of work.

- Team builder: develops managers and engineers, sets clear norms and holds people accountable through daily reviews.

- Problem solver: calm and decisive during outages; fixes root causes, not symptoms.

- Data-driven: uses metrics to prioritise, track progress and make decisions.

- Customer focus: keeps the end-user experience at the centre of every operational decision.

- Willing to travel extensively across regions; fluent in Hindi and English.