Job Specification

Purpose of Position :

The Government Mobile Communications Project is a fifteen-year public/private partnership with Bell Mobility Radio Division. The key component is the implementation of a new common public safety radio network for the province, which is being utilized by Public Safety and Security (OPP and Corrections); Transportation (Highway Operations and Enforcement); Natural Resources (Conservation Officers) and Health and Long Term Care (Land Ambulance). This position manages the operational aspects of the new radio network, ensuring that the private sector partner (Bell Mobility Radio Division) meets the governments network operational/contractual requirements as well as ministry user expectations.

Duties / Responsibilities :

Within the Government Mobile Communications Office, Telecommunications Branch, iServ Ontario, The position will be responsible for the management of key elements associated with the operation of the new public safety radio network and ministry legacy radio systems:

1. Monitors and reviews new radio network operations and associated parameters to ensure contract service level compliance by the private sector partner (Bell Mobility Radio Division). This includes monitoring trouble reports, consultation with GMCP-participant ministries, review of both preventative and remedial maintenance activities to ensure that corrective steps have been taken to provide system availability and reliability. Acts as the intermediary between GMCP-participant ministries and the private sector partner and escalates critical and unresolved issues for senior management intervention and resolution.

2. Monitors and reviews ministry-generated user equipment maintenance cases within the Bell Mobility Radio Division Control Centre to ensure that Bell Mobility Radio Division meets contractual requirements and ministry expectations.

3. Undertakes analysis and assessment on the maintenance and reliability of ministry radio user equipment. Formulates recommendations and options to effectively respond to issues.

4. Develops and implements incident reporting and procedures. Acts in the combined role of Incident/Change/Problem manager to minimize and neutralize the serious impacts of major problems rapidly and effectively on critical systems and to ensure that there is effective communication, escalation during planned and unplanned network outages. Manages related communications, documentation, post-mortem evaluations, etc. taking the lead as appropriate to ensure continuity, coordination and consistency.

5. Prepares various research, evaluation and statistical reports and makes presentations for GMCP-participant ministries and executive decision making on network performance and user equipment maintenance performance.

6. Coordinate stakeholder consultation and reviews of major incident plan requirements and support contingency planning, testing and review activities to mitigate identified risks to an acceptable level.

Knowledge :

Work requires comprehensive and current knowledge of:
- telecommunications technology including public safety radio networks, operations and current/emerging technology
- trunk radio technology as it applies to radio-to-radio transmission
- performance measurement systems, tools and techniques (e.g. metrics) to develop performance measurement reports on the new network, user equipment performance and compliance with the contractual requirements
- service delivery processes, including service level monitoring, infrastructure performance monitoring, change management, security and contingency planning , problem tracking
- iSERV escalation procedures, so they may be implemented intelligently if first level problem determination/resolution fails
- industry standards and government I & IT strategies, plans, standards and directives to ensure plans, recommendations and advice support compliance

Work Also Requires:
- consultation, facilitation and negotiation skills to develop and implement consultative approaches to resolving operational and radio equipment procurement issues between the ministry users and the private sector partner
- superior organizational skills to operate in a self-directed fashion with multiple deadlines and activities ongoing at the same time
- knowledge of procurement/change order policies, processes and procedures
- impact and influence skills to adapt a presentation or discussion to appeal to the interest and level of others
- excellent stakeholder management and consultation skills to develop and maintain business relationships with the private sector partner and the ministry user groups
- extensive knowledge of problem solving approaches and analysis techniques to negotiate and resolve service operation and delivery issues in a contract management environment
- oral and written communication skills to prepare performance reports and make presentations

Judgement :

Position works under the general direction of the Deputy Director, Government Mobile Communications Project and within the broad framework of the public safety and emergency services radio communication network, corporate telecommunications policies and industry I & IT trends and standards. Position is the senior expert in the field of telecommunications and is relied upon to exercise a high level of independence and discretion. Position exercises a high degree of initiative and judgement in analyzing critical network performance related data and incident reports which impacts the ongoing performance of the network.

Judgement is exercised in investigating incidents, identifying need for the development and implementation of contingency plans and to ensure to provision of public safety radio service to the ministry users. Judgement is exercised in developing and utilizing consultative approaches to facilitate the resolution of network performance issues. Judgement is used to ensure that the interests of the government are addressed in a timely and effective manner in the restoration of radio communications from outages. Judgement is used in analyzing a variety of incidents to report on trends, issues and impacts; the development and coordination of contingency plans.

As a member of the GMCO team, provide input into policy and operational plans, priorities and project issue identification/resolution strategies.

Accountability - Programs :

Manages the oversight of public safety radio network performance, user equipment maintenance and out-of-scope user equipment procurement within the Government Mobile Communications Project Master Agreement for the participant Ministries (Public Safety & Security: OPP and Corrections; Natural Resources, Transportation and Health and Long Term Care). Develops performance measurement and reporting systems for network operations and user equipment maintenance.

Accountability – Personnel :

Position provides project leadership and management to project staff (internal or external resources) as required.

Accountability - Finance and Materials :

Advises management of fiscal and material resources including government assets in network operations. Develops and identifies options in light of current government investment in technology platforms and proposed new investments through change notices/orders created by GMCP- participant ministries.

Accountability - Impact of Errors :

Ineffective management of the radio network operations will result in unacceptable performance of the radio network, which would have serious impacts on Ontario government users and their public safety operations. Ineffective analysis of network and user equipment performance would result in serious ministry user complaints, disruption of public safety/emergency service operations, health and safety issues for ministry public safety employees and financial loss to the government.

Contact - Internal :

Frequent contact with GMCP-participant ministries at program and service support levels. Regular contact with MBS senior management to provide briefings and support for issues management and to make presentations on the performance of the new network.

Contact - External :

Frequent contact with the private sector partnew (Bell Mobility Radio Division) and other service providers. Regular contact with I&IT professionals/peers in other jurisdictions and the private sector to maintain knowledge of developments and trends within the field.