Advertising Summary: VCU Telecommunications Services is seeking an experienced
Lead Telecommunications Incident & Operations Specialist to join our team. This
position strengthens operational support by leading first-level escalations,
coordinating the timely triage and resolution of incidents and service requests,
supporting daily telecom operations, and collaborating with internal teams and
external vendors to deliver reliable, responsive, and high-quality
telecommunications services across the university and health system.
Unit: Technology Services
Department: Telecommunications Services
Department Summary: Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Technology Services
is a central IT organization supporting the academic, research, and
administrative missions of the university. Technology Services provides
scalable, secure, and innovative technology solutions to all VCU units.
Duties & Responsibilities:
The Lead Incident & Operations Specialist is responsible for leading the
response to telecom-related incidents and service requests, serving as the
first-level escalation point before engaging senior technical, operational, or
management stakeholders. This role ensures high quality support by assessing,
triaging, and resolving a wide range of issues, including call quality problems,
voicemail access issues, and service outages. The specialist performs advanced
troubleshooting, escalates critical or unresolved issues according to
established protocols, and ensures all incidents and changes are managed in
alignment with department procedures and intervals.
In addition to incident management, the role supports day-to-day telecom
operations by processing complex MAC (Moves, Adds, and Changes) requests,
coordinating with internal teams and external vendors, and driving efficient,
accurate resolution of telecom service needs. The Lead Specialist is responsible
for clear and timely communication with stakeholders, ensuring end users and
management are kept informed during major outages. The role collaborates closely
with cross-functional teams to support seamless service delivery. Additionally,
the Lead Specialist maintains thorough documentation of incidents and work
orders, and actively contributes to the development and maintenance of knowledge
base resources to enhance team efficiency and drive continuous improvement.
This position will require the ability and willingness to work flexible hours
based on business needs and to support occasional on-site meetings, customer
engagements, and/or attend professional development opportunities.
Minimum Qualifications
College degree in telecommunications, information technology, or a related
field; or an equivalent combination of education, training, and relevant
experience.
Working knowledge of IT Service Management (ITSM) tools and practices,
including incident, problem and change management processes.
Strong understanding and hands-on experience supporting enterprise voice
telecommunications environments, including Avaya Aura Communication Manager,
RingCentral, Avaya Workplace, and OpenText Voice Messaging or similar.
Skilled in voice system administration, call flow design, call routing, SIP
trunking, VoIP and SIP endpoint provisioning, and softphone applications.
Exhibit proficiency in the use of technology to compose professional business
email correspondence, manage inboxes efficiently, schedule and coordinate
meetings, create reports and documentation, and build and manage spreadsheets
for data tracking and reporting.
Proven experience leading the resolution of complex voice services incidents
through advanced troubleshooting, exercising seasoned judgment in non-routine
situations, coordinating cross-functional teams and vendors, and driving
escalations to senior technical, operational, or management stakeholders when
broader impact, risk, or strategic intervention is required.
Ability to work independently and effectively in a remote environment while
remaining highly responsive and accountable during scheduled work hours, and
to exercise sound judgment, and proactively identify and recommend process
improvements.
Ability to analyze incident trends and identify opportunities for service
improvement.
Experience mentoring or providing guidance to junior team members and
meeting defined response and resolution intervals while providing leadership,
guidance, and oversight to ensure team compliance with service targets and
timely issue resolution.
Demonstrated ability to organize, prioritize, and manage multiple tasks in a
fast paced, ticket driven environment while meeting deadlines with accuracy
and adapting to changing priorities.
Exhibit strong written and verbal communication skills with proven ability to
translate technical concepts into user-friendly language for diverse
audiences, including end users, vendors, and leadership.
Proven ability to maintain a positive, professional, and empathetic demeanor,
especially when dealing with frustrated clients.
Ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a
cross-functional team, fostering a collaborative and inclusive work
environment.
Demonstrated ability to work in and foster an environment of respect,
professionalism and civility with a population of faculty, staff, and
students from all backgrounds and experiences, or a commitment to do so as a
staff member at VCU.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience working in a university, academic medical center, or hospital
setting with an understanding of the unique telecommunications needs in these
environments.
Hands-on experience with caller menus.
Experience troubleshooting ACD services.
Experience with telecom expense management software (billing, incidents,
service orders, inventory).
Salary Range: $77,000 - $98,000
Benefits: All full-time university staff are eligible for VCU’s robust benefits
[https://hr.vcu.edu/benefits/] package that includes comprehensive health
benefits, paid annual and holiday leave, generous tuition benefits, retirement
planning and savings options, tax-deferred annuity and cash match programs,
employee discounts, well-being resources, abundant opportunities for career
development and advancement, and more.
FLSA Exemption Status: Exempt
Hours per Week: 40
Restricted Position: No
ORP Eligible: No
Flexible Work Arrangement: Fully Remote
University Job Title: Sr Specialist IT Senior 1-2
Contact Information:
Contact Name: Mary Teller
Contact Email: mkteller@vcu.edu