The NOC Lead is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Network Operations Center (NOC), ensuring the availability, performance, and reliability of network services. This role provides leadership to the NOC team, drives operational excellence, manages escalations, and ensures compliance with service level agreements (SLAs), operational standards, and business objectives. The NOC Lead serves as the primary operational focal point for incident management, service reviews, and continuous improvement initiatives.

The role requires full-time onsite work in Qatar.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and manage 24x7x365 NOC operations to ensure uninterrupted monitoring and support of network services.
• Oversee NOC Analysts and Engineers, ensuring adherence to operational procedures, service standards, and SLA commitments.
• Develop, implement, and continuously improve Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), escalation matrices, and operational workflows.
• Act as the primary point of contact for critical incidents, major escalations, audits, and operational reviews.
• Ensure effective incident management, problem management, and escalation handling across all support levels.
• Review incident reports, conduct trend analysis, and identify opportunities for service improvement and risk mitigation.
• Coordinate with Infrastructure, Security, Engineering, and Service Delivery teams to ensure operational alignment and service continuity.
• Manage workforce planning, shift scheduling, resource allocation, and capacity planning for NOC operations.
• Lead team development through coaching, mentoring, technical guidance, and performance evaluations.
• Drive operational governance, compliance, and adherence to internal policies and industry best practices.
• Monitor operational KPIs, SLA performance, and service quality metrics.
• Prepare executive dashboards, management reports, and monthly service review presentations for leadership and stakeholders.
• Support business continuity planning, disaster recovery readiness, and operational resilience initiatives.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement, accountability, and customer service excellence.

Qualifications & Experience

• 10+ years of experience in Network Operations, Network Support, or IT Infrastructure Operations.
• Minimum 3+ years of experience in a leadership or managerial capacity within a Network Operations Center (NOC) environment.
• Bachelor's or Master's Degree in Network Engineering, Telecommunications, Information Technology, Computer Science, or a related field.
• Strong understanding of enterprise networking technologies, routing, switching, WAN, VPN, network security, and monitoring platforms.
• Proven experience managing SLA-driven operational environments and large-scale network support teams.
• Experience in incident management, problem management, root cause analysis, and service improvement programs.
• Strong leadership, stakeholder management, and team development capabilities.
• Excellent analytical, communication, presentation, and reporting skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced operational environment.

Certifications

• Cisco CCNP (Required)
• ITIL Foundation or higher (Required)
• PMP Certification (Preferred)
• Additional networking, service management, or cybersecurity certifications will be an advantage.