NOC Communications Specialist

End-user Support
• Answer inbound phone calls concerning network issues from Commonwealth employees, and LEC/Last User Contract, LUC, vendors.
• Creates and escalates Service Now trouble tickets to Engineers, tier two Commonwealth staff, and/or third-party service providers to ensure the quick resolution of IT/Network issues.
• Works with NOC T2 Engineers, Commonwealth staff and contracted personnel, and/or third-party providers as needed.
• Research and updates reference publications and diagnostic aids to seek information necessary to resolve end-user issues as needed.
• Follows IT Service Desk and Network Operator Knowledgebase procedures and makes recommendations when improvements are needed.
• Promptly and properly escalate high priority issues.


Monitoring & Maintenance
• Utilize network management tools, such as Solar Winds and Squared up, to monitor remote sites network and hardware.
• Actively monitors the status of Commonwealth networks and attached network assets using established tools and promptly initiates appropriate actions.
• Responds to outages and system failures using established escalation processes.
• Provide first-line investigation and diagnosis of network incidents, logging all details and prioritization of incidents.
• Escalate after hours incidents to staff for resolution.
• Promptly assign unresolved incidents to higher Tier support or LUC providers to coordinate restoration of service and obtain the necessary information for recording/tracking the outage or degradation of service.
• Coordinate with network staff and various vendors to assist with service restoration based on alarm conditions.
• Actively monitors the Service Now ticket queue.
• Monitors appropriate Commonwealth email accounts for any event messages and initiates action as needed.
• Proactively identifies and resolves problems.


Communication
• Acts as the primary network contact for Commonwealth employees and business partners outside of regular business hours.
• Perform Enterprise Incident communications using defined process and approved template.
• Monitors the network hotline during coverage hours.
• Issues network status updates using established procedures.
• Follows quality standards and displays strong customer service skills.


Routine Tasks
• Assists the network engineers and technicians with outstanding tasks.
• Updates network operation and knowledgebase documentation.
• Participates in disaster recovery.
• Completes assigned tasks.


Required Skills:
• Possesses excellent communication skills; both written and spoken.
• Ability to be clearly understood and has excellent phone etiquette.
• Ability to support end-users with varying IT skillsets.
• Ability to follow directions, especially when using established operation and knowledgebase documentation, and Commonwealth standard operating procedures.
• Ability to adapt to change.
• Detail oriented and resourceful.
• Excellent organizational skills.
• Ability to troubleshoot end-user issues and/or escalate as needed to ensure quick resolution.
• Experience with incident management, call tracking, and ticketing software.
• Preferred 2+ years previous systems administrator, help desk, and/or call center experience.