Network Operations Senior Advisor

Overview

Based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this senior advisory role serves as the chief strategic and technical consultant to the Vice President of Network Operations. The primary mission is to orchestrate operational excellence across all network infrastructure domains, guiding the transition from a complex legacy system to a sophisticated, fully autonomous network architecture aligned with TM Forum Autonomous Network Level 4 (ANL 4) standards. This includes developing a modernized, centralized Network Operations Center (NOC).

Key Responsibilities

• Offer trusted strategic counsel to the VP of Network Operations on long-term planning, risk management, and investment in technology lifecycle.
• Assess and integrate emerging technologies like 6G readiness, advanced edge computing, and network slicing into practical, high-impact operational roadmaps.
• Govern operational practices across all domains to maintain alignment with global standards and corporate performance indicators.
• Provide strategic leadership across eight core domains: Mobile Network, Fixed Network, Transport Network, Core & Cloud Network, IT Operations, Cybersecurity, OSS/BSS, and AIOps Strategy and Implementation.
• Lead AI initiatives, including deploying AI/ML platforms for proactive operations and piloting generative AI applications to streamline troubleshooting and automate routine network management tasks.
• Work closely with Chief Data Officers to ensure data integrity and availability for advancing AI capabilities.
• Promote AI governance and explainability to ensure auditability and maintain engineer confidence in autonomous systems.
• Champion cultural transformation toward an AI-first engineering mindset and advise on necessary skills development.
• Drive unification of NOC operations, integrating monitoring, assurance, and orchestration tools across network domains.
• Optimize NOC tiered support structures to enhance resolution efficiency using automation and AI diagnostics.
• Implement AI/ML techniques for event correlation and noise reduction to focus engineering efforts on impactful incidents.
• Oversee major incident management with cross-domain coordination and post-incident analysis.
• Ensure 24/7 network resilience with effective staffing, shift scheduling, and escalation frameworks aligned to SLAs.
• Coordinate NOC and Security Operations Center integration for seamless monitoring of service-impacting and security incidents.
• Lead transformation efforts toward TM Forum ANL 4, enabling intent-driven, autonomous closed-loop network operations.
• Design and advocate AI-powered predictive maintenance and zero-touch self-healing mechanisms.
• Identify and eliminate operational inefficiencies to reduce costs while enhancing network quality of experience.
• Pursue energy and sustainability enhancements through AI to optimize site power consumption and reduce emissions.
• Align operational models and workflows with TM Forum Open Digital Architecture standards to support vendor-neutral, AI-ready operations.
• Advance FCAPS model maturity with cutting-edge automated management tools.

Qualifications & Experience

• A Bachelor’s degree in Telecommunications Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Computer Science, or a closely related technical discipline is mandatory; a Master’s degree (M.Sc. or MBA) is highly advantageous.
• At least 20 years of progressive experience in Telecommunications or related ICT fields.
• Minimum 5 years in an executive advisory or senior management role within a Tier-1 telecom operator.
• Proven leadership in large-scale network transformation and modernization projects with demonstrable operational savings or improvements in reliability.
• Deep expertise across comprehensive network ecosystems including Fixed, Mobile, Transport, Core, IT, and Cybersecurity domains.
• Extensive experience managing and modernizing large 24/7 NOCs including tiered escalation, incident management, and advanced operational tools.
• Thorough understanding of TM Forum Open Digital Architecture including eTOM, SID, Functional Framework, and traditional FCAPS management.
• In-depth knowledge of AI/ML telecom applications, network virtualization (NFV/SDN), and orchestration technologies.
• Relevant certifications such as PMP, ITIL, TOGAF, CCIE, or equivalents are beneficial.
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder management abilities to translate complex technical concepts into clear, risk-assessed strategic recommendations for executive audiences.
• Adept at managing competing urgent operational needs while pursuing visionary autonomous network solutions.
• Strong adaptability, continuous improvement focus, time management, and task prioritization skills.
• Fluent in English, with Arabic language skills preferred.
• Excellent organizational capabilities and the capacity to maintain quality under pressure.