| Detail | For this role |
|---|---|
| Department | Telecom and Field Services |
| Level | Senior management |
| Reports to | Circle Head |
| Direct reports | Field Service Manager, O&M Manager, Field Engineer |
| Experience | 10 to 15 years in telecom field operations with leadership |
Head of Field Operations job description template
Copy this job description, replace the text in square brackets and post it on your careers page or a job portal.
Job title: Head of Field Operations
Department: Telecom and Field Services
Reports to: Circle Head
Location: [City], [office, branch or site]
About the role
A Head of Field Operations leads all the field teams that install, maintain and repair a telecom network on the ground. They own service levels, field productivity, safety and cost across installations and maintenance. The role reports to the Circle Head or Chief Operating Officer. A good head of field operations keeps faults resolved within the service level, lifts first time fix and field productivity, keeps field staff and contractors safe, controls field cost, and turns a scattered set of field crews into a disciplined operation that keeps sites and customers up.
Key responsibilities
- Own field service levels for installation, maintenance and repair across the network.
- Lead the field service managers and their crews and hold them to their targets.
- Drive first time fix and field productivity so faults are cleared quickly.
- Keep field staff and contractors safe with training, equipment and safe work rules.
- Control field operating cost, including travel, spares, fuel and contractor charges.
- Plan field manpower, shifts and on call cover so no area is left uncovered.
- Coordinate spares and logistics so crews are not held up for want of parts.
- Handle major field incidents and escalations that affect service.
- Manage field contractors and hold them to service and safety standards.
- Review field performance against service levels each week and act on gaps.
Requirements
- Degree or diploma in electronics or telecom engineering
- Experience leading telecom field teams
- Knowledge of field safety and operations
- 10 to 15 years in telecom field operations with leadership
KRAs and KPIs for a Head of Field Operations
Key result areas for the appraisal form, each with a KPI you can measure every month or quarter.
| Key result area | How to measure it |
|---|---|
| Service level | Field faults resolved within the agreed service level above target |
| First time fix | First time fix rate held above the agreed level |
| Productivity | Jobs completed per field engineer above the agreed target |
| Safety | Reportable field safety incidents kept near zero |
| Field cost | Field operating cost held within the approved budget |
| Coverage | Areas left without field cover kept near zero |
Skills and tools
Tools used day to day: Field service management software, Fault and ticketing tools, MS Excel, GPS and workforce apps, Inventory systems.
Reporting line and career path
Next roles: Circle Head, Chief Operating Officer, Regional Operations Head
Interview questions for a Head of Field Operations
- How do you lift first time fix across a large field operation?
- How do you plan field manpower and on call cover for a region?
- How do you keep field staff and contractors safe at height and on the road?
- How do you control field cost without slowing fault resolution?
- How do you handle a major field incident affecting many sites?
- How do you hold field contractors to service and safety standards?
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What does a Head of Field Operations do?
A Head of Field Operations leads all the field teams that install, maintain and repair a telecom network. They own service levels, field productivity, safety and cost, lead the field service managers, plan manpower and on call cover, and handle major field incidents. They keep sites and customers up.
What is the difference between field operations and network operations?
Field operations is the work done on the ground: installing, maintaining and repairing sites and equipment. Network operations, often run from a NOC, monitors the network remotely, detects faults and coordinates response. Field teams fix things physically; the network centre watches and directs them.
What skills does a Head of Field Operations need?
The role needs strong field operations and service level management, manpower and on call planning, and firm safety and cost control. Add contractor management, logistics coordination and leadership, since the head runs many crews across a wide area and answers for both uptime and the safety of field work.