Mgr, Network Operations

The Network Operations Manager is responsible for leading day‑to‑day network operations and ensuring the reliable, secure, and efficient operation of Berkshire Hathaway Energy's enterprise network infrastructure. Reporting to the Director, Network Services, this role manages a team of Network Operations Engineers responsible for monitoring, supporting, maintaining, and improving network services across corporate, data center, and field environments.

While the role is primarily focused on leadership and operations management, it requires sufficient technical depth to guide troubleshooting efforts and support complex operational decision-making.

MidAmerican Energy Company, a Midwest utility, provides regulated electric and natural gas service to more than 1.6 million customers in Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota. The company owns and operates a portfolio of power-generating assets, approximately 61% of which is wind generation.

• Bachelor's degree in information systems, computer science, or a related technical field, or equivalent work experience. Advanced degree preferred.
• A minimum of eight years related experience in a broad range of enterprise systems, infrastructure services, networking, and related areas of IT.
• Strong operational knowledge of enterprise WAN routing, LAN switching, wireless networking, network access controls, and data center connectivity.
• Demonstrated experience supporting 24x7 production network environments and leading incident response activities.
• Proven people management experience, including team leadership, coaching, performance management, and staff development.
• Experience developing and managing operational processes and procedures.
• Ability to define, track, analyze, and report operational metrics to drive accountability and continuous improvement.
• Strong understanding of change management and service management practices within enterprise IT environments.
• Strong troubleshooting, analytical, and problem‑solving skills with the ability to guide teams through complex operational issues.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate technical topics to both technical and non‑technical stakeholders.
• Ability to prioritize work, manage competing demands, and operate effectively in a fast‑paced operational environment.

Operational Leadership

• Lead and manage day‑to‑day network operations supporting enterprise WAN, LAN, wireless, data center, and network access environments.
• Ensure consistent execution of network monitoring, incident response, problem management, change activities, and operational maintenance.
• Oversee operational ownership of network platforms, ensuring availability, performance, security, and compliance with established standards.
• Act as an escalation point for high‑impact or complex network incidents, guiding troubleshooting efforts and ensuring timely resolution.
• Coordinate with network engineering, architecture, security, and infrastructure teams to ensure smooth handoff of new technologies into operations.
• Ensure operational readiness for new deployments, upgrades, and technology refreshes, including documentation, training, and process alignment.
• Strengthen and maintain a close operational partnership with the Network Operations Center (NOC) to ensure seamless coordination across monitoring, incident detection, escalation, communication, and resolution workflows. Establish clear roles, escalation paths, and handoff procedures; align operational standards and runbooks; and collaborate on continuous improvements to incident response, service reliability, and customer experience.

People Management and Team Development

• Directly manage a team of Network Operations Engineers.
• Hire, onboard, coach, and develop operations staff to support current and future operational requirements.
• Establish clear expectations, performance objectives, and accountability for team members.
• Conduct regular performance reviews, provide ongoing feedback, and support career development and progression.
• Identify skill gaps and develop training plans to improve technical capability, operational maturity, and consistency across the team.
• Promote a culture of operational excellence, teamwork, continuous improvement, and accountability.

Process, Metrics, and Continuous Improvement

• Develop, implement, and refine operational processes related to incident management, problem management, change management, and work request handling.
• Define and track key network operations metrics, including availability, incident response and resolution times, change success rates, backlog levels, and service reliability.
• Analyze operational metrics and trends to identify risks, inefficiencies, and improvement opportunities.
• Drive initiatives to reduce recurring incidents, improve service stability, and enhance operational efficiency.
• Ensure accurate and timely operational documentation, including procedures, runbooks, escalation paths, and service ownership information.

Collaboration and Governance

• Partner with the Director, Network Services to align network operations priorities with organizational objectives.
• Collaborate with IT service management, security, systems, OT, and application teams to ensure integrated and compliant operations.
• Coordinate with vendors and service providers for operational support, escalations, and maintenance activities.
• Support audits, compliance initiatives, and policy enforcement related to network operations.

Additional Responsibilities

Participate in after‑hours support and maintenance windows as required.

Perform additional operational leadership duties as assigned.

Operational Leadership

• Lead and manage day‑to‑day network operations supporting enterprise WAN, LAN, wireless, data center, and network access environments.
• Ensure consistent execution of network monitoring, incident response, problem management, change activities, and operational maintenance.
• Oversee operational ownership of network platforms, ensuring availability, performance, security, and compliance with established standards.
• Act as an escalation point for high‑impact or complex network incidents, guiding troubleshooting efforts and ensuring timely resolution.
• Coordinate with network engineering, architecture, security, and infrastructure teams to ensure smooth handoff of new technologies into operations.
• Ensure operational readiness for new deployments, upgrades, and technology refreshes, including documentation, training, and process alignment.
• Strengthen and maintain a close operational partnership with the Network Operations Center (NOC) to ensure seamless coordination across monitoring, incident detection, escalation, communication, and resolution workflows. Establish clear roles, escalation paths, and handoff procedures; align operational standards and runbooks; and collaborate on continuous improvements to incident response, service reliability, and customer experience.

People Management and Team Development

• Directly manage a team of Network Operations Engineers.
• Hire, onboard, coach, and develop operations staff to support current and future operational requirements.
• Establish clear expectations, performance objectives, and accountability for team members.
• Conduct regular performance reviews, provide ongoing feedback, and support career development and progression.
• Identify skill gaps and develop training plans to improve technical capability, operational maturity, and consistency across the team.
• Promote a culture of operational excellence, teamwork, continuous improvement, and accountability.

Process, Metrics, and Continuous Improvement

• Develop, implement, and refine operational processes related to incident management, problem management, change management, and work request handling.
• Define and track key network operations metrics, including availability, incident response and resolution times, change success rates, backlog levels, and service reliability.
• Analyze operational metrics and trends to identify risks, inefficiencies, and improvement opportunities.
• Drive initiatives to reduce recurring incidents, improve service stability, and enhance operational efficiency.
• Ensure accurate and timely operational documentation, including procedures, runbooks, escalation paths, and service ownership information.

Collaboration and Governance

• Partner with the Director, Network Services to align network operations priorities with organizational objectives.
• Collaborate with IT service management, security, systems, OT, and application teams to ensure integrated and compliant operations.
• Coordinate with vendors and service providers for operational support, escalations, and maintenance activities.
• Support audits, compliance initiatives, and policy enforcement related to network operations.

Additional Responsibilities

Participate in after‑hours support and maintenance windows as required.

Perform additional operational leadership duties as assigned.