Samartflo Workload Manager

Job Title: Manager - IT Operations (Smartflo)

Department: Information Technology

Location: Hyderabad, Telangana, India

Reports To: Head of IT Operations / Senior Manager - IT

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: 
  • Linux administration (RHEL, CentOS, Ubuntu).
  • Docker containerization.
  • Kubernetes orchestration.
  • OpenShift Container Platform.
  • 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.