Senior-Advanced Technical Support

Job Description

As a Senior-Advanced Technical Support you are part of the Advanced Technical Support – Network Reliability & Technical Support organization (ATS-NR&TS) working primarily in the field at various AT&T and customer locations and delivering the highest level (Tier 3) of network technical support within AT&T's technical support structure requiring 24x7 on call from escalating organizations including but not limited to Tier 2 Operations and TP&E. This position provides the technical troubleshooting and leadership skills required to recover from the most complex network and customer problems in real time, directing the activities of technical resources from Field Ops, Tier 2, Labs, and vendor(s) to restore service.

Tier 3 technical support is provided for FirstNet, Mobility Core & Access, Network Cloud, and Wireline supporting all IP based technology including CBB, MSN, SIAD, RAN, CRAN, UVN, Long Haul IP Transport, Network Synchronization, and Domain 2.0 architecture. The position is directly customer interfacing and provides onsite customer support for complex layer 1-3 troubles for high visibility business customers using sophisticated test equipment for data captures and performs analysis to find root cause. It also provides Tier 3 onsite support during natural disasters to restore services.

This position is responsible for the investigation and management of all follow-up activities needed to determine root cause. This may involve the following: attempting problem recreation in the Tier Support lab, identifying workarounds when feasible, coordinating with Labs for delivery and certification of vendor fixes or design changes, and planning for the eventual implementation within the network. May also include developing scripts to pro-actively identify known defect signatures and define the least intrusive recovery processes or developing scripts to extract forensic data from network elements for analysis to identify potential patterns of unexpected behavior needed to understand root cause. Individuals in this position are ultimately responsible for the reliability of the end-to-end network and the quality of the delivered service, as well as tracking and analyzing outage patterns leading to identification of chronic issues.

Responsibilities also include conducting technical network element certification after installation to validate vendor work per AT&T publications and network standards to ensure reliability and safety to the network and employees. Along with providing metrics of vendor installation defects to find trends and create solutions working with TP&E. Performing Service Assurance Testing (SAT) on new customer dedicated UVN Rings before it goes into service.

Additional responsibilities consist of managing the risk of new technology introduction by developing and testing the detailed methods and procedures for the introduction of new technology and the handoff to Tier 2 Network Operations and Project Management for field implementation. Supporting FFA installations of new technology to create a national model ensuring consistency within network. Developing troubleshooting guides and delivering knowledge transfer on supported technologies and design. Gathering and analyzing relevant network element field data to validate the expected improvements and features of the field changes.

Qualifications

• Possess a broad range of in-depth layer 1-3 transport technical expertise, ranging from legacy to the newer technologies/services
• Experienced with the use of a wide variety of testing systems and test equipment
• Proficiency in Network protocol analysis is desired
• Expertise in network synchronization is preferred
• Have a full understanding of the technical support structure
• Strong, innovative team player, who works well under pressure and is able to apply critical and creative thinking to small and complex problems alike
• Deep commitment to delivering an exceptional customer experience as this is a customer facing position
• Highly motivated and self-directed
• Excellent communication skills
• Strong technical writing and documentation skills
• Requires 24x7 availability and may require overnight travel

The position requires travel for which a company vehicle will be provided. Candidate needs to be available 24x7 and have the ability to deploy with little notice to support our network and customers.

Nature of Contribution - Seasoned technical professional who contributes through proven technical expertise. Has significant impact on department or function.

Knowledge - Subject matter expert within own discipline/specialty area and basic knowledge of other disciplines / specialty areas. Deep technical knowledge. Applies in-depth knowledge of discipline/specialty area standards and processes to work. Integrates industry experience and deep professional/ technical knowledge. Technical leader and recognized expert on select AT&T technologies, systems and/or procedures.

Analysis and Problem Solving - Solves unique problems through evaluative judgment and precedent. Independently applies sophisticated analysis in evaluating issues and develops new concepts, methods and techniques for cross-functional initiatives. Recognizes and pursues alternative methods.

Independence - Guided by department goals and objectives. Exercises latitude in determining objectives and approaches to projects. Leads multiple projects of small to medium size and technical breadth.

Contribution to AT&T Technology - Key contributor on complex projects and initiatives. Impacts current and future business opportunities through application of specialized technical and industry knowledge. Develops methods and techniques based on strategic project objectives.

Communication - Provides technical guidance and explains advanced concepts to others in work area. May mentor others in department. Coordinates across multiple departments. Promotes active listening and open communication. Provides leadership and guidance to others.

Additional Responsibilities

• Evaluation of new products and technology from vendors
• Implementation of upgraded software releases
• Implementation of life-cycle operation systems
• Analysis of new equipment installations to determine their acceptability for use
• Coordination and approval of the necessary software and hardware upgrades of network/video elements and operation support systems that require vendor interaction, design, and testing
• Implementation of required upgrades
• Subject matter expert (SME) on projects requiring highly technical advice and counsel to achieve successful implementation without negative impact to customer service
• First-line product support or fix problems in malfunctioning equipment or software

Education: Bachelor’s Degree in engineering, Math or Science preferred or related experience. Experience: Typically requires 8+ years related technical experience. Technical Career Pathway (TCP) role. Supervisory: No.

Environmental Requirements: This position may be responsible for contributing to AT&T compliance with environmental laws and regulations as applicable to its job function. This may include, but is not limited to, work related to fuel tanks, emergency and stand-by generators, boilers, hazardous waste, hazardous materials, batteries, manholes and vaults, water wells, linear and other construction projects, water discharge, or air emissions.

• Understanding of Operating Systems
• Understanding of Design and Implementation and database development
• Understanding of IP Protocols, Service Applications and Multicast
• Understanding of Layer 1, 2 and 3 Protocols
• Understanding of Network Management and Performance
• Understanding of RF and Signaling techniques
• Expert in Network reconfiguration and rehoming
• Expert in Design and Implementation - (Networks (all Layers); VPNs; Network management)
• Expert in Maintenance (patch) release implementation processes (network elements (all layers), OS, server, EMS, applications)
• Expert in Network reconfiguration and rehoming

• Bachelor of Science in CS, EE, Math, Physics, MIS, Telecom, Sciences
• 8-10 years experience

AT&T will consider for employment qualified applicants in a manner consistent with the requirements of federal, state and local laws