About the position
Job Purpose
The General Manager: IP Networks is responsible for defining, building, and operating a carrier- grade IP transport and MPLS backbone supporting a greenfield national network rollout. The role provides executive leadership across architecture, deployment, automation, resilience, and lifecycle optimisation of the IP layer underpinning enterprise, wholesale, and 5G service delivery platforms.
The position ensures the IP network enables scalable, secure, and high-availability integration across RAN, Core, transmission, and service platforms, while supporting rapid expansion and commercial readiness.
Critical Outputs
- Define and execute the national IP network architecture strategy aligned with the 5G rollout roadmap.
- Lead greenfield deployment of carrier-grade IP/MPLS core, aggregation, and access layers.
- Establish transport readiness for 5G SA architecture and future network slicing capability.
- Develop scalable backbone topology supporting microwave transport integration.
- Provide technical leadership on convergence between IP transport, packet core, and enterprise services.
- Support infrastructure planning aligned with national expansion targets and coverage strategy.
Network Architecture & Engineering Governance
- Own end-to-end IP/MPLS backbone architecture.
- Define standards for routing, redundancy, segmentation, and QoS frameworks.
- Oversee IPv6 adoption strategy and future addressing models.
- Support transport integration with:
- 5G Core
- RAN transport networks
- Enterprise access platforms
- Private network solutions
- Approve HLDs and LLDs across IP infrastructure domains.
- Ensure alignment between transmission engineering and packet network design.
Deployment & Rollout Leadership
- Lead national rollout of core and aggregation IP layers.
- Oversee vendor integration across routing platforms and transport infrastructure.
- Support rollout sequencing aligned with regional expansion phases.
- Ensure deployment consistency with resilience and performance standards.
- Drive automation-first provisioning frameworks where possible.
Operations & Service Assurance
- Establish operational readiness frameworks for the IP transport environment.
- Oversee fault, configuration, accounting, performance, and security (FCAPS) capability maturity.
- Lead major incident escalation affecting backbone or service availability.
- Ensure SLA adherence across.
- Introduce proactive telemetry and predictive monitoring strategies.
Security & Regulatory Alignment
- Define secure transport architecture aligned with telecom regulatory frameworks.
- Implement segmentation and infrastructure protection strategies.
- Support secure interconnect environments with partners and upstream providers.
- Ensure compliance with national infrastructure resilience expectations.\
Commercial & Cross-Functional Enablement
- Enable enterprise product delivery over IP/MPLS infrastructure.
- Support wholesale transport and interconnect strategy.
- Collaborate with Core, RAN, Transmission, and Service Operations leadership.
- Provide executive technical input into customer solution enablement.
Vendor & Technology Ecosystem Management
- Lead strategic engagement with routing and transport vendors.
- Support evaluation and selection of backbone platforms.
- Oversee performance management of implementation partners.
- Drive roadmap alignment with vendor technology evolution.
Financial & Resource Leadership
- Manage IP network CAPEX planning aligned with rollout phases.
- Optimise infrastructure investment across backbone and aggregation layers.
- Lead specialist engineering and architecture teams.
- Support long-term scalability planning tied to subscriber and enterprise growth projections.
Experience & Qualifications
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in management, Telecommunications, Electronic Engineering, or Computer Science. Advanced technical or business certifications (MBA/MSc) are highly regarded.
- Experience: 10+ years of pedigree in Telecom Network Operations, with a significant portion in Senior Leadership roles.
- Vendor Exposure: Direct experience managing Tier-1 vendors (ZTE, Huawei, Ericsson, or Intracom).
- Technical Breadth: Mastery of Carrier-grade IP/MPLS backbone architecture
- Segment routing / traffic engineering frameworks
- IPv6 transition strategies
- Transport convergence (microwave integration)
- QoS design for multi-service environments
- Automation / orchestration exposure (NetOps evolution beneficial)
- High-availability transport resilience design
- Integration with 5G Core and RAN transport layers
Key Success Indicators
- Exceptional MTTR (Mean Time to Repair) and Network Availability metrics.
- Seamless integration of new ZTE infrastructure into the live environment.
- Development of a high-performance culture within the NetOps and RFOps engineering teams.
Job Purpose
The General Manager: IP Networks is responsible for defining, building, and operating a carrier- grade IP transport and MPLS backbone supporting a greenfield national network rollout. The role provides executive leadership across architecture, deployment, automation, resilience, and lifecycle optimisation of the IP layer underpinning enterprise, wholesale, and 5G service delivery platforms.
The position ensures the IP network enables scalable, secure, and high-availability integration across RAN, Core, transmission, and service platforms, while supporting rapid expansion and commercial readiness.
Critical Outputs
- Define and execute the national IP network architecture strategy aligned with the 5G rollout roadmap.
- Lead greenfield deployment of carrier-grade IP/MPLS core, aggregation, and access layers.
- Establish transport readiness for 5G SA architecture and future network slicing capability.
- Develop scalable backbone topology supporting microwave transport integration.
- Provide technical leadership on convergence between IP transport, packet core, and enterprise services.
- Support infrastructure planning aligned with national expansion targets and coverage strategy.
Network Architecture & Engineering Governance
- Own end-to-end IP/MPLS backbone architecture.
- Define standards for routing, redundancy, segmentation, and QoS frameworks.
- Oversee IPv6 adoption strategy and future addressing models.
- Support transport integration with:
- 5G Core
- RAN transport networks
- Enterprise access platforms
- Private network solutions
- Approve HLDs and LLDs across IP infrastructure domains.
- Ensure alignment between transmission engineering and packet network design.
Deployment & Rollout Leadership
- Lead national rollout of core and aggregation IP layers.
- Oversee vendor integration across routing platforms and transport infrastructure.
- Support rollout sequencing aligned with regional expansion phases.
- Ensure deployment consistency with resilience and performance standards.
- Drive automation-first provisioning frameworks where possible.
Operations & Service Assurance
- Establish operational readiness frameworks for the IP transport environment.
- Oversee fault, configuration, accounting, performance, and security (FCAPS) capability maturity.
- Lead major incident escalation affecting backbone or service availability.
- Ensure SLA adherence across.
- Introduce proactive telemetry and predictive monitoring strategies.
Security & Regulatory Alignment
- Define secure transport architecture aligned with telecom regulatory frameworks.
- Implement segmentation and infrastructure protection strategies.
- Support secure interconnect environments with partners and upstream providers.
- Ensure compliance with national infrastructure resilience expectations.\
Commercial & Cross-Functional Enablement
- Enable enterprise product delivery over IP/MPLS infrastructure.
- Support wholesale transport and interconnect strategy.
- Collaborate with Core, RAN, Transmission, and Service Operations leadership.
- Provide executive technical input into customer solution enablement.
Vendor & Technology Ecosystem Management
- Lead strategic engagement with routing and transport vendors.
- Support evaluation and selection of backbone platforms.
- Oversee performance management of implementation partners.
- Drive roadmap alignment with vendor technology evolution.
Financial & Resource Leadership
- Manage IP network CAPEX planning aligned with rollout phases.
- Optimise infrastructure investment across backbone and aggregation layers.
- Lead specialist engineering and architecture teams.
- Support long-term scalability planning tied to subscriber and enterprise growth projections.
Experience & Qualifications
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in management, Telecommunications, Electronic Engineering, or Computer Science. Advanced technical or business certifications (MBA/MSc) are highly regarded.
- Experience: 10+ years of pedigree in Telecom Network Operations, with a significant portion in Senior Leadership roles.
- Vendor Exposure: Direct experience managing Tier-1 vendors (ZTE, Huawei, Ericsson, or Intracom).
- Technical Breadth: Mastery of Carrier-grade IP/MPLS backbone architecture
- Segment routing / traffic engineering frameworks
- IPv6 transition strategies
- Transport convergence (microwave integration)
- QoS design for multi-service environments
- Automation / orchestration exposure (NetOps evolution beneficial)
- High-availability transport resilience design
- Integration with 5G Core and RAN transport layers
Key Success Indicators
- Exceptional MTTR (Mean Time to Repair) and Network Availability metrics.
- Seamless integration of new ZTE infrastructure into the live environment.
- Development of a high-performance culture within the NetOps and RFOps engineering teams.
Desired Skills:
- Telecom Network Operations
- managing Tier-1 vendors
- IPv6 transition strategies
- microwave integration
- QoS design for multi-service enviro
- 5G Core + RAN transport layers
