Director of Network Services

Job Summary

Director of Network Services reports to the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and provides operational leadership for ARE-ON’s backbone network, member connectivity, office/administrative IT systems, and associated services. This role owns day‑to‑day service reliability, NOC/Helpdesk operations, incident response, inventory and documentation, and the resilience of facilities, power systems, and outside plant (fiber). The Director assigns resources to member professional services and internal upgrades, develops operational performance metrics, and communicates maintenance and incident status to stakeholders.

The Director will oversee the ARE-ON network services team of at least five network engineers and support staff.

This position requires that the successful candidate reside within the state of Arkansas as defined in the University of Arkansas Policies and Procedures #412.3. Remote work within the state of Arkansas is an option.

Regular, reliable, and non‑disruptive attendance is an essential job duty, as is the ability to create and maintain collegial, harmonious working relationships with others.

Director of Network Services reports to the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and provides operational leadership for ARE-ON’s backbone network, member connectivity, office/administrative IT systems, and associated services. This role owns day‑to‑day service reliability, NOC/Helpdesk operations, incident response, inventory and documentation, and the resilience of facilities, power systems, and outside plant (fiber). The Director assigns resources to member professional services and internal upgrades, develops operational performance metrics, and communicates maintenance and incident status to stakeholders.

The Director will oversee the ARE-ON network services team of at least five network engineers and support staff.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in any field from an accredited institution of higher education
• At least seven years of demonstrated, functional experience in network engineering or network operations for a large‑scale enterprise or a geographically distributed network
• Experience working with IP networking (routing/switching), fiber‑optic infrastructure, and network management/monitoring systems
• At least three years of proven supervisory experience managing technical staff

Applicable equivalencies may be considered for the above qualifications.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in a technical or business‑related field from an accredited institution of higher education
• Experience with in the research and education networking community (e.g., Internet2, or another REN)
• Experience with optical transport systems (e.g., DWDM), large‑scale monitoring platforms, and configuration management tools
• Working knowledge of DC power systems used for telecommunications equipment and outside plant fiber maintenance
• Project management and execution of network‑related initiatives at a medium to large scale, ensuring timely delivery and stakeholder communication
• Proven ability to coordinate cross‑functional teams and resources to maintain service reliability and operational excellence

$125,000 - $145,000 (Commensurate with meeting preferred qualifications)

Cover Letter/Letter of Application, Resume

Proof of Veteran Status