Command Center Senior Manager

Role Overview

The Command Center Senior Manager provides senior leadership for 24x7 technology operations, overseeing Network Operations, Compute Operations, and Major Incident Management. The role is accountable for reliable service delivery, effective service restoration, and consistent operational execution across all shifts.

As the senior operational escalation point, this position leads the response to high-impact and business-critical incidents, coordinates with technology teams and service providers, and ensures clear communication with senior stakeholders. The role also drives operational readiness, ITIL-aligned service management, risk management, and continuous improvement initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

Command Center & Operations Leadership

• Lead day-to-day Command Center operations across a 24x7 environment, covering NOC and Compute Operations.
• Ensure consistent operational processes, service standards, and escalation procedures across all shifts.
• Monitor operational health, service performance, staffing coverage, and overall readiness.
• Partner with infrastructure and platform teams to address cross-functional and systemic operational concerns.

Major Incident Management

• Serve as a senior Incident Commander during critical service disruptions and high-severity outages.
• Provide direction to Shift Operations Managers during complex, prolonged, or business-critical incidents.
• Coordinate incident response across technical teams, global stakeholders, and external service providers.
• Ensure timely and accurate communication throughout major incidents.
• Review incident outcomes and ensure lessons learned and corrective actions are properly tracked.

Change & Problem Management

• Oversee high-risk, standard, and emergency changes affecting Command Center-supported services.
• Ensure changes are appropriately assessed, coordinated, and supported across shifts.
• Provide operational guidance regarding change-related risks and readiness.
• Lead oversight of recurring and high-impact operational problems.
• Ensure root cause analysis is initiated and followed through with the appropriate technical teams.
• Identify recurring trends and escalate systemic issues requiring long-term remediation.

Monitoring, Automation & Service Reliability

• Strengthen proactive monitoring and alerting capabilities to identify and address issues before they develop into major incidents.
• Identify gaps in monitoring coverage, service availability, and operational response.
• Champion automation and reliability-focused practices to improve service resilience.
• Work with relevant technology teams to address identified operational gaps.

Vendor Management

• Oversee operational relationships with technology service providers supporting Command Center functions.
• Monitor vendor adherence to agreed service levels and operational expectations.
• Coordinate vendor escalations during service disruptions and recurring operational issues.
• Partner with global leadership on vendor performance concerns and remediation plans.

Resource & Budget Management

• Manage Command Center staffing and workforce requirements to maintain continuous operational coverage.
• Ensure appropriate skills and resources are available across shifts.
• Manage departmental discretionary spending within approved budgets.
• Ensure operational expenditures support business priorities and comply with financial controls.

People Leadership

• Provide direct leadership to Shift Operations Managers.
• Establish expectations around operational discipline, accountability, and leadership performance.
• Coach and develop managers in decision-making, incident escalation, and people management.
• Support succession planning and ensure adequate leadership and skills coverage for 24x7 operations.
• Ensure agreed standard operating procedures are consistently followed.

Performance Management & Continuous Improvement

• Review operational metrics, incident trends, and service performance indicators.
• Identify opportunities to improve operational efficiency, service reliability, and response effectiveness.
• Drive consistent implementation of improvement initiatives across shifts.
• Escalate systemic risks, capacity constraints, and improvement opportunities to senior leadership.
• Collaborate with cross-functional IT and program teams to meet service levels and delivery timelines.
• Support compliance with audit, security, and architecture standards while maintaining operational readiness for audits.
• Prepare executive-level operational reports covering performance, risks, trends, and recommended actions.
• Develop detailed operational reviews and presentations for senior stakeholders when required.

Qualifications & Experience

Required Experience

• Minimum of 7 years of experience in technology operations, Command Center, NOC, or IT service operations supporting business-critical environments.
• Proven experience working within 24x7 operations, including shift-based support, incident escalation, and service restoration.
• At least 3 years of progressive people management experience, specifically managing managers or shift leads with accountability for performance, staffing, and leadership development.
• Strong experience in Major Incident Management, including leadership or oversight of high-impact, cross-functional incidents.
• Experience coordinating across multiple technical areas such as networking, compute, batch operations, and infrastructure.
• Strong experience with ITSM practices covering Incident, Major Incident, Change, and Problem Management.
• Experience working with global stakeholders or distributed leadership teams within large-scale enterprise environments.
• Experience managing technology vendors and service providers, including operational escalations and SLA-related concerns.
• Demonstrated ability to use operational metrics, incident trends, and performance data to identify risks and drive improvements.

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Equivalent education combined with significant relevant operational experience may also be considered.

Required Certification

• ITIL 4 Foundation certification is required.

Preferred / Advantageous Certifications

• ITIL 4 Managing Professional
• ISO/IEC 20000 Foundation
• COBIT Foundation
• Certified Major Incident Manager
• SRE Foundation or equivalent
• Relevant people leadership or management certifications
• Coaching or operational leadership development programs

Key Competencies

• 24x7 Command Center Operations Leadership
• Major Incident & Crisis Management
• NOC and Compute Operations
• ITIL Service Management
• Change & Problem Management
• Operational Risk & Governance
• People and Manager Leadership
• Vendor & SLA Management
• Service Reliability & Continuous Improvement
• Executive & Stakeholder Communication
• Operational Metrics & Performance Management
• Resource and Budget Management