Supervisor of Field Operations

IT’S NOT GOING OUT OF OUR WAY; IT IS OUR WAY!  
At United Communications, we seek excellence in everything we do. We make it our mission to think ahead, make it easy, and make it personal. Every time. We’ve had the home team advantage for over 75 years, and we’re proud to serve the communities where we live, work, and play. 

Join the Home Team

• Award-Winning Culture: 2023 & 2024 Best Places to Work
  


• 4.7 Google Star Rating
  


• Competitive Compensation and Benefits
  


• Family-Oriented Culture, PTO, and Paid Holidays
  


• 401k + Match, HSA, and more!
  
  

WHAT WE’RE OFFERING
Deliver an amazing and painless customer experience by leading those responsible for customer-facing installation and repair activities. Improve the safety, quality, and efficiency of installation and repair services. Work across all departments to identify and eliminate pain points for our customers. Drive world-class Net Promoter Scores. Direct the work of eight or more full-time employees or their equivalent. The position requires agility, drive, collaboration, leadership, organization, and good judgment. Our working environment is innovative and cohesive, and requires positive team players.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Duties include the following, but other duties may be assigned as required.

• Ensure all safety policies are being followed and have a continual focus on the safety of employees, customers, and those around us.


• Ensure OSP field personnel are trained in safety policies and equipment, tools, and equipment needed for their job, best practices, and all required codes and regulations.


• Provide regular coaching and feedback to team members. Provide hands-on training, mentor new hire employees, and monitor skill development.


• Communicate important business initiatives and company messages to the team positively, conveying a connection to the business strategy, customers, and employees.


• Promote positive employee relations by fostering a team environment of open communication, approachability, and fair and consistent treatment of all employees.


• Respond to customer escalations to understand issues and offer solutions in driving customer satisfaction.


• Monitor performance levels and team member activities, administer all company policies; take appropriate action as necessary, supporting an employee and customer-centric organization.


• Conduct field audits to ensure quality and safety policies are followed at the highest standards.


• Celebrate and reinforce employee successes through recognition and promotion.


• Facilitate routine meetings with the team focused on improving the employee experience and the customer experience.


• Work cross-functionally to ensure that complex issues are resolved properly and promptly. Ensure proper follow-up with customers and others as needed.


• Consistently exercise independent judgment and discretion in matters of significance.


• Own the customer experience.


• Schedule flexibility is critical as the role may require nonstandard working hours.


• Must be able to work nights and weekends, variable schedule(s) as necessary.


• Prepare and manage schedules for cable placing, splicing, terminating, and testing of all OSP fiber and copper plant.


• Address and supervise all customer and property owner concerns for fiber and copper placement.


• On-call support will be required

WHAT YOU BRING

• Bachelor's Degree or the equivalent education and/or experience.


• Five years of telecom aerial or underground project leadership experience.


• Ability to utilize Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.


• Experience in service-specific troubleshooting methods.
  


• Demonstrates high ethical standards, a strong work ethic with an emphasis on team commitment, showing respect for others, the ability to acknowledge and build on others' ideas, and support for group decisions.


• Highly organized with the ability to effectively manage multiple priorities.


• Comfortable managing through ambiguity.


• Strong critical thinking skills.

• Ability and interest to work in a dynamic and rapidly changing technology environment, effectively dealing with multiple projects, stress, conflict, coaching, and monitoring subordinates.


• Possesses excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to effectively articulate complex situations to colleagues and customers with varying degrees of technical knowledge.


• Ability to solve problems with patience and a positive approach.


• Responsible and self-motivated. 


• Ability to operate motorized work equipment and office equipment, including personal computers, phone systems, software applications, hand tools, electric tools, and test sets.


• Valid driver's license and acceptable driving record.

SCHEDULE

Ability to work a flexible schedule to meet the needs of the business, including weekends and late shifts as customer demands warrant. A small percentage of out-of-town, overnight travel may be required.

WORK ENVIRONMENT
United maintains a professional office environment.  The employee must be able and willing to travel locally to reach customers and network locations or local events, and regularly work in outdoor weather conditions.  Compliance with all Company safety procedures is a requirement. Anticipated 75% field and 25% office responsibility.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The employee is regularly required to communicate with customers and co-workers in a clear and straightforward manner. 

The employee is regularly required to stand, walk, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl, and will be standing or walking regularly during the day.  The employee will frequently service network equipment and position self to access network equipment in small remote cabinets and buildings, with limited space to work.

The employee must regularly carry, move, install, and/or remove tools and equipment weighing 10 to 20 pounds (frequently 20 to 50 pounds and occasionally 50 to 100 pounds).  The employee must also be able to work with an 80-pound, 32-foot extension ladder, loading the ladder on and off the top of the vehicle, maneuvering, and carrying the ladder over terrain to get to the telephone pole or customer location.

The employee will need to obtain pole climbing certification and will be expected to train other employees in pole climbing and assist with recertifications.

The employee will regularly be required to use installation tools and hand tools and frequently perform jobs from high places (on poles and roofs), including climbing poles with proper equipment, ascending and descending ladders, and safely operating in bucket trucks (all varying in height from 3 to 50 feet).  Additionally, work may be performed near power lines and electricity.

The employee must be physically able to safely operate a variety of machinery and equipment, including electronic and diagnostic tools, company vehicles, and other telecommunications equipment.

Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision (specifically the ability to differentiate between different sizes and colors of wires), peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to focus.

The employee must occasionally be able to remain in a stationary position for extended periods and operate a computer and other office equipment.

WHO WE ARE
United launched high-quality telephone service for our rural Middle Tennessee communities in 1947 and has evolved to be an innovative internet service provider for consumers and businesses. Boasting the fastest internet speeds in the region, as recognized by Broadband Now, United also delivers a personalized user experience with local customer service, ranking as one of the industry’s best in customer satisfaction. United offers the latest technology in fiber optic, fixed wireless, and DSL internet, and it was one of the first companies in Tennessee to introduce a fiber-to-the-home product to residential customers. United has partnered with Middle Tennessee Electric Membership Corporation to extend broadband to more residents and businesses in under-connected areas.

UNITED COMMUNICATION'S CORE VALUES:
We enrich our communities and the lives of our neighbors through reliable connections and passionate service.

• Safety – we assure the safety of everything we do.
  


• Service – we are responsive, informed, and easy to do business with.
  


• United – we communicate and collaborate.
  


• Integrity – we keep our promises and do the right thing even when no one is watching.
  


• Driven – we serve to win customers.