NOC Network Engineer

Job Title: NOC Lead (Network Operations Center Lead)

Role Overview

The NOC Lead is responsible for managing and leading the Network Operations Center team to ensure 24/7 monitoring, incident management, and operational excellence of the organizations IT infrastructure. This role acts as a bridge between technical teams, management, and business stakeholders to ensure high system availability, performance, and reliability.

Key Responsibilities

1. Team Leadership & Management

• Lead, mentor, and manage L1/L2 NOC engineers
• Monitoring tool exp
• Define team goals, KPIs, and performance metrics
• Conduct regular 1:1 meetings, performance reviews, and feedback sessions
• Plan and manage shift rosters for 24/7 operations
• Ensure proper onboarding and training of new team members
• Drive a culture of accountability, ownership, and continuous improvement

2. Infrastructure Monitoring & Operations

• Oversee real-time monitoring of:
• Network devices (routers, switches, firewalls)
• Servers (Windows/Linux)
• Applications and databases
• Cloud infrastructure (Azure/AWS)
• Ensure proactive identification of alerts and incidents
• Validate monitoring thresholds and fine-tune alerts to reduce noise
• Ensure uptime and availability targets are met

3. Incident & Problem Management

• Act as primary escalation point for critical incidents (P1/P2)
• Ensure timely resolution of incidents within SLA timelines
• Lead incident bridges and war room calls
• Perform Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and publish reports
• Identify recurring issues and drive permanent fixes
• Maintain incident documentation and knowledge base

4. SLA & Service Delivery Management

• Define, track, and report on SLAs, OLAs, and KPIs
• Ensure compliance with customer and internal SLAs
• Prepare daily, weekly, and monthly operational reports
• Present performance dashboards to stakeholders
• Continuously improve service delivery quality

5. Tools & Automation

• Manage and optimize monitoring tools such as:
• SolarWinds, Nagios, Zabbix, PRTG, Dynatrace, etc.
• Implement automation using scripts (PowerShell, Python, Bash)
• Drive auto-remediation and alert correlation initiatives
• Integrate monitoring tools with ITSM platforms

6. ITIL Process Implementation

• Ensure adherence to ITIL best practices:
• Incident Management
• Problem Management
• Change Management
• Event Management
• Participate in CAB (Change Advisory Board) meetings
• Review and approve changes impacting infrastructure

7. Security & Compliance Support

• Work closely with SOC team for security incidents
• Ensure compliance with security policies and standards
• Support audits and vulnerability assessments
• Monitor logs and alerts for suspicious activities

8. Stakeholder & Vendor Management

• Coordinate with internal teams:
• Network, Cloud, Security, Application, and DB teams
• Act as a point of contact for customers and leadership
• Manage vendor escalations and follow-ups
• Ensure effective communication during outages and incidents

9. Capacity Planning & Continuous Improvement

• Analyze trends and recommend capacity upgrades
• Identify gaps in monitoring and coverage
• Drive process improvements and cost optimization
• Implement best practices for high availability and redundancy

Required Technical Skills

• Strong expertise in:
• Networking: TCP/IP, Routing, Switching, VPN, Firewalls
• OS: Windows Server, Linux (basic administration)
• Cloud: Azure, AWS (VMs, networking, monitoring)
• Experience with monitoring & alerting tools
• Knowledge of ITSM tools (ServiceNow, Jira, Remedy)
• Scripting knowledge (PowerShell/Python) is highly preferred

Soft Skills

• Strong leadership and team management
• Excellent communication and presentation skills
• Problem-solving and analytical thinking
• Ability to work under pressure in critical situations
• Decision-making and conflict resolution

Experience & Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science / IT or equivalent
• 4+ years of experience in NOC/IT Operations
• Certifications (preferred):
• CCNA / CCNP
• ITIL Foundation / Intermediate
• Azure Administrator / AWS Certified

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• SLA compliance (% uptime, response & resolution time)
• Mean Time to Resolve (MTTR)
• Mean Time to Detect (MTTD)
• Incident reduction rate
• Automation coverage