Find your next role

Reporting to the Director, Network and Field Operations, this position is a frontline leadership role accountable for delivering exceptional customer service through the installation, maintenance, and reliability of Northwestel’s access and network infrastructure. This position leads a team of 8–16 unionized technicians—including Service Technicians, Field Service Support Technicians, and Combo Technicians and collaborates closely with contractors, Safety Inspectors, and Project Managers to ensure safe, efficient, and high-quality service delivery.

Employment Equity

Northwestel values diversity in the workplace and is committed to the goals of Employment Equity. We strive to achieve a skilled workforce that is representative of the population we serve, and as a Northern company, we are committed to the employment and career development of our Indigenous peoples. Candidates must clearly indicate on their application if they are First Nation, Inuit, or Métis; a woman; a person with a disability; or a visible minority, if they wish to receive hiring preference.

Specific Accountabilities

Team Leadership & Performance

• Build and sustain a high-performing, customer-focused team aligned with Northwestel’s strategic priorities.
• Foster a culture of accountability, safety, and continuous improvement through coaching, mentoring, and performance management.
• Lead in accordance with the Collective Agreement, including vacation planning, attendance, and disciplinary processes.

Operational Excellence

• Ensure timely and effective installation and maintenance of network facilities to meet customer commitments.
• Monitor and manage team performance using established KPIs for quality, productivity, and customer satisfaction.
• Participate in annual operating and capital planning to support network reliability and growth.

Compliance & Safety

• Ensure all field activities comply with Northwestel’s safety standards, operational procedures, and service quality expectations.
• Promote a safety-first culture through regular tailgate meetings, field audits, and ongoing training.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Act as a liaison between frontline staff and internal departments including Engineering, Sales, Customer Service, and the Operations Shared Services teams.
• Engage with external stakeholders such as government agencies, utility partners, and large business customers to support service delivery and issue resolution.

Knowledge And Skills Required

• 2-year technical diploma with 5-years technical/trades experience and 2 years in a leadership role. Alternate combinations of experience and education may be considered.
• Proven leadership and team development skills, including the ability to mentor, coach and motivate a team.
• Excellent communication, organizational, and problem-solving abilities.
• Ability to build effective working relationships, both internally and externally.
• Skilled in resolving conflicts and fostering a positive work environment.
• Ability to develop long-term plans and strategies to drive innovation and growth.
• Demonstrated cultural sensitivity working with a diverse workforce and customer base.
• Strong knowledge of Microsoft Office and operational systems.
• Experience working in northern or remote communities is considered an asset.
• Strong knowledge of telecommunications technologies, network operations, and field service delivery.
• Excellent Microsoft Office Suite (PowerPoint, Word, Excel) skills.
• Knowledge of the elements of a health & safety program will be considered an asset.

Nature And Scope:

This is a people leadership position that is crucial for the provision of quality customer service as it contributes to the health of the telecommunications network by maintaining the circuits and installations within Northwestel. The incumbent must regularly interface with management and front-line staff to review both short- and long-term planning issues and determine staffing requirements as well as the training and development needs of themselves and their people. The Field Operations Manager must make many decisions in a deadline-oriented industry, drawing on their analytical and leadership experience to meet customer demands in a timely and cost-efficient manner.

Typical Contacts:

Internal

Internal contacts include: Providing an interface between front-line employees and other Northwestel departments and senior management; reviewing long-term plans with staff and management; Sales for previewing new communication systems; Engineering for previewing drafts for builds and specific customer installations; Customer Service to deal with customer questions or complaints; Technical Service for major quotations and coordinating employees to meet customer needs; Operations Support Centre for technician scheduling; Control Centre for planning work; and Contract Coordination, Network Operations Control Centre (NOCC) and Safety and Environment for information exchange.

External

External contacts include: Large business customers and product and system vendors to ensure unique and sophisticated systems are maintained; customers for receiving job requests, responding to questions and complaints and collecting market information to be used by other departments within Northwestel; the various levels of government (First Nation, Municipal, Territorial and Federal) for communication regarding safety and environmental and telecommunication service concerns; mining companies and remote communities where 24 hour service is mandatory for service requests and utility/power companies for joint ventures.

Working Conditions

This position travels 20-30% of the time, including remote locations, to manage a geographically dispersed workforce and may be required to travel in a small aircraft. This position is expected to spend 50-75% of the time in the field with direct reports. The Manager Field Operations must provide on-call support outside of regular hours to support both field technicians and Operations Support Centre staff, and may be required to work additional hours as conditions warrant.

What We Offer You

• Health & Wellness Benefits, Pension Plan, Discounts
• Team Incentive Bonus
• Paid Vacation with a Vacation Travel Allowance
• Work-Life Balance
• Community Involvement

Closing

Applications will be reviewed as they are submitted. Posting will remain active until the position is filled.

As a safety conscious COR™ Certified organization, we have an established and comprehensive safety program. We expect all employees to participate in our organizational health and safety programs, adhering to all safe work procedures focused on continuous improvement.