About Tata Teleservices / Tata Tele Business Services : Tata Tele Business Services (TTBS) is a leading provider of connectivity and communication solutions for businesses in India.

Our Smartflo platform offers a comprehensive suite of cloud communication services, including UCaaS, CPaaS, call recording, call management, and more, empowering enterprises with advanced voice, video, and messaging capabilities.

We are committed to delivering cutting-edge, reliable, and secure communication solutions.

Job Summary : The Manager - IT Operations (Smartflo) will be responsible for the end-to-end operational management, stability, performance, and continuous improvement of the Smartflo application platform.

This role requires a strong blend of technical expertise in cloud telephony/UCaaS, IT infrastructure management, operational excellence, and leadership skills to ensure high availability and customer satisfaction for Smartflo services.

A key deliverable for this role is to assume full end-to-end ownership for resolving all operational issues related to Smartflo, acting as the primary single point of contact (SPOC).

Key Responsibilities :

End-to-End Ownership & Issue Resolution (KEY DELIVERABLE) :

- Act as the definitive Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for all Smartflo operational incidents and problems.

- Take full end-to-end ownership of issues from identification through to resolution, driving efforts across all technical layers (from OS to application).

- Proactively coordinate and collaborate with all respective internal teams within TTL (e.g., Network, Security, Development, Database, Cloud/OnPrem Infrastructure Team, IT Solution, Product, Service Management) to diagnose, troubleshoot, and resolve issues efficiently.

- Lead incident bridges and problem-solving sessions, leveraging deep technical understanding of Linux, container, and

orchestration layers, until a definitive resolution is achieved.

- Ensure timely Root Cause Analysis (RCA) is performed for critical issues, leading to the implementation of preventative measures and improved reliability.

- Provide clear, concise, and timely communication back to business stakeholders, service teams, and senior management regarding issue status, resolution, and RCA.

Smartflo Platform Operations & Uptime :

- Lead and manage the daily operational activities for the Smartflo application, ensuring 24x7 availability, performance, and reliability.

- Proactively monitor Smartflo services, and its underlying infrastructure (built on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, and potentially OpenShift or OpenStack) to identify and resolve issues before they impact customers.

- Oversee incident management, problem management, and change management processes for the Smartflo platform, adhering to ITIL best practices.

Containerization & Orchestration Management :

- Deep expertise in managing and troubleshooting containerized applications using Docker.

- Operational proficiency with Kubernetes clusters, including deployment, scaling, healing, and network policies.

- Experience with OpenShift (Red Hat's enterprise Kubernetes platform) is highly desirable, including cluster administration, application deployment, and platform features.

Infrastructure & Cloud Platform Management :

- Strong operational knowledge of Linux operating systems (RHEL, Ubuntu, CentOS) including system administration, performance tuning, and troubleshooting.

- Oversee the operational aspects of Smartflo's cloud infrastructure (e.g., Azure), including IaaS (Virtual Machines, Networking, Storage) and PaaS services.

- Familiarity with OpenStack environments for managing private cloud infrastructure is a plus, particularly if Smartflo leverages on-premise components.

- Ensure optimal configuration, patching, and security across the entire infrastructure stack.

Performance & Scalability Management :

- Monitor Smartflo's performance metrics and resource utilization across Linux hosts, Docker containers, and Kubernetes/OpenShift pods/nodes.

- Develop and implement strategies for capacity planning and scaling the Smartflo infrastructure.

- Optimize system configurations and processes for improved efficiency and cost-effectiveness within containerized and cloud-native environments.

Process Improvement & Automation :

- Identify opportunities for process automation within IT operations, leveraging scripting (e.g., Python, Bash) and automation tools for managing Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, and OpenShift environments.

- Develop and maintain operational runbooks, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and documentation.

Stakeholder & Vendor Management :

- Act as a primary point of contact for internal stakeholders regarding Smartflo operational status.

- Manage relationships with technology vendors and service providers related to Linux, cloud platforms, container technologies, and orchestration solutions.

Team Leadership & Development :

- Lead, mentor, and develop a team of IT Operations engineers and specialists, fostering expertise in cloud-native and container technologies.

- Ensure the team is adequately skilled and trained on Smartflo technologies and relevant operational tools (Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, OpenShift, OpenStack).

Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity :

- Develop, maintain, and regularly test Disaster Recovery (DR) and Business Continuity Plans (BCP) for the Smartflo platform, considering the distributed nature of containerized applications and cloud infrastructure.

Qualifications :

- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related field.

- Minimum of 8-12 years of progressive experience in IT Operations, with at least 3-5 years in a managerial or lead role.

- Mandatory experience in managing and operating Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) or cloud telephony platforms.

- Experience with Smartflo or similar platforms (e.g., Cisco Webex Calling, Microsoft Teams Phone System, RingCentral, 8x8) is highly preferred.

- Extensive hands-on operational experience with :

1. Linux administration (RHEL, CentOS, Ubuntu).

2. Docker containerization.

3. Kubernetes orchestration.

4. OpenShift Container Platform.

5. Cloud platforms (Microsoft Azure is preferred).

- Experience with OpenStack is a significant advantage.

- Strong understanding of telecommunications protocols (SIP, RTP, SMPP, SMPPs, SS7 concepts) and their operational implications.

- Solid understanding of IT infrastructure components : networking (TCP/IP, routing, firewalls, VPNs, load balancing, WAFs), storage, and databases (e.g., MySQL).

- Experience with monitoring tools (e.g., Prometheus, Grafana, ELK stack, Zabbix) and ITSM tools (e.g., ServiceNow).

- Knowledge of ITIL framework and practices (Incident, Problem, Change Management).

- Proficiency in scripting (e.g., Python, Bash, PowerShell) for automation.

- Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and troubleshooting skills, particularly in complex, distributed systems.

- Strong leadership, communication (written and verbal), and interpersonal skills, with the ability to coordinate across multiple technical teams and communicate effectively with business stakeholders.

- Ability to work under pressure, manage multiple priorities, and lead during critical incidents, demonstrating end-to-end ownership.

Desired Skills :

- Certifications in ITIL, Azure, Red Hat (RHCSA/RHCE, OpenShift), Kubernetes (CKA/CKAD).

- Experience with Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools (e.g., Terraform, Ansible).

- Experience with CI/CD pipelines (e.g., Jenkins, GitLab CI).

- Understanding of security best practices in cloud-native and container environments