Manager - Service Operations

Manager - Service Operations

Lumos is looking for a full-time Manager of Service Operations! If you're an experienced telecom field service leader who's excited for a fast-paced experience, ready to help us grow, and ready to recommend process changes that ensure we're harnessing our technology to the best of our ability while broadening our ability to set up and maintain our service, we want to hear from you!

The Manager of Service Operations leads teams of employees & contractors that ensure customers have a great & professional experience when Lumos is onsite turning up service or troubleshooting. The Manager may have multiple supervisors as direct reports and ensures their teams deliver exceptional customer service, adhere to customer-driven schedules and Service Level Agreements (SLAs), and manage escalations timely. This position requires 24/7 on-call availability and is the first or second person in Service Operations coordinating customer service solutions after hours.

***Hybrid Opportunity – Remote with frequent travel throughout the Chicago Metro area.***

Lumos is on a mission to deliver lightning-fast, 100% Fiber Optic internet to the communities that need it most. After the merger of Lumos Networks and North State in 2022, we quickly rose to become a leading fiber internet provider. And as of April 1, 2025, we've joined forces with T-Mobile to launch T-Fiber—a joint venture that blends Lumos' infrastructure expertise with T-Mobile's national reach to bring fiber to more homes than ever before.

We currently connect over 475,000 homes, businesses, and multi-family buildings across nine states in the East and Midwest. With major growth in markets like Ohio, Alabama, Florida, and Georgia—and a shared goal of reaching 12 to 15 million homes by 2030—Lumos is playing a vital role in closing the digital divide.

At Lumos, we are driven by our commitment to a brighter tomorrow. We take pride in being the first to deliver 100% Fiber Optic Internet for families, small businesses, and communities. We know the possibilities of tomorrow can't be built on the infrastructure of yesterday. And when we deliver uninterrupted Internet and limitless capacity, we create new opportunities for everyone.

We believe that the past is over, and the future is fast. That's why we are who we are: the disruptors of the status quo. Guided by our purpose and startup mindset, we step up, move first, and adapt as we go. Here, there's no hierarchy, only hustle.

We are all servant leaders, confident in our purpose and humble enough to pay close attention to the details. We all have the power to help solve problems and find solutions for our customers and teammates - and we do - by putting people first and doing whatever it takes to build loyalty with our customers and within our team.

We're passionate about our customers' experience. Their futures don't stand still, and neither do ours. We'll never stop reinventing ourselves to meet our customers' evolving needs - because we know that our work, delivering 100% fiber optic internet, truly changes people's lives.

Essential Functions

• Leads teams in the achievement of service & quality objectives consistently embodying Lumos' servant leadership mindset.
• Manages overall operational and daily work of the department: planning & implementing systems that fulfill the mission and goals of the department.
• Supports supervisors on quality assurance, safety, productivity monitoring, & training, continuously driving alignment with SLAs & budgets.
• Performs proactive & reactive field visits: assessing customer service with site visits to obtain direct feedback on their experience with tech installation or repair, perform compliance reviews of vendor-provided services, and coordinate appropriate installation & repair activities.
• Ensures teams follow service and safety standards as required by State Corporation Commission, industry & manufacturer guidelines, OSHA, National Electric Safety Code, Departments of Transportation, and local building codes covering our multi-state network.
• Demonstrates leadership & vision managing people, major projects, and initiatives.
• Accountable for CAPEX and OPEX budgets, as well as multiple service quality standards including Troubles/100 Lines, Repeat Troubles, Drop Wire Troubles, Inside Wire Troubles and certain levels of complaints.
• Works with day-to-day fiduciary functions to ensure effective expense measures are in place.
• Establishes performance measures, goals, objectives, and priorities and reports on them.
• Accountable for building & leading a high-performing team.
• Evaluates and recommends changes and improvements to management regarding departmental policies, procedures, and issues to improve productivity and efficiencies.
• Performs other duties as assigned, including departmental & cross-functional projects.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities Required

• Exceptional customer service & interpersonal presence.
• Excellent people leader - open to direction & collaborative work styles.
• Able to successfully build and maintain relationships within and across teams, demonstrating servant leadership behaviors & project management skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Maintains flexibility and grace under pressure in a fast-paced, ever-changing environment – managing multiple projects and priorities simultaneously, approaching others in a tactful manner, accepting responsibility for own actions, and following through on commitments.

Other Experience & Requirements

• 10+ years' Service Operations experience in telecommunications required.
• High school diploma or equivalent required; Bachelor's degree preferred.
• Active, fully unencumbered driver's license.
• Demonstrates self-motivation and team player attributes with a positive, collaborative management approach and attitude.
• Proactive, independent, and ability to take initiative to keep on-task and on-target.

Physical Requirements

• Frequently operates computer, keyboard, and related peripherals.
• Ability for travel as required by the role.
• Able to walk safely and in alignment with specific safety guidelines.
• Near-constant use of sight, speech, hearing, comprehension, and reasoning.

Pay Range:

The annualized salary for this role ranges from: $85,000.00 - $95,000.00. Actual rate offered influenced by multiple factors including: education, training, relative skills & abilities, business needs, market factors, and work location. Pay Ranges are subject to modification.

Benefits & Perks

• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision coverage.
• Competitive compensation packages, including bonus options for eligible positions.
• Paid Time Off & Paid Holidays.
• Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs).
• 100% employer-paid life and disability insurance.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) with access to professional support for life's challenges.
• 401K plan w/ up to 5% employer contribution and a self-directed brokerage option.
• Wellness program offering education and cash incentives for gym attendance and nutrition programs.
• Employee referral bonuses.
• Discounts on Lumos Fiber Internet for employees who live in our service areas.

At Lumos we recruit, hire, employ, train, promote, and compensate individuals based on job-related qualifications and abilities. We have a longstanding policy of providing a work environment that respects the dignity and worth of each individual and is free from all forms of employment discrimination, including harassment, because of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. We will provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities or based on a sincerely held religious belief, in accordance with applicable laws.