IT Solution Analyst(Service Availability Lead)

Strategic Staffing Solutions is currently looking for an IT Solutions Analyst for a W2 contract opportunity.

IT Solutions Analyst- Service Availability Lead

Location: Denver, CO, Minneapolis, MN

Work Arrangement: Hybrid - 3 days per week onsite (Tuesday-Thursday)

Schedule: 24x7 Operations - Fixed Assigned Shifts

Experience: 5-10 years

Employment Type: Contract


Top Skills:

• 5-10 years of professional experience in one or more of the following areas:



• 
  
  
  
  • Change Management
  
  
  
  • Risk Management
  
  
  
  • Incident Management
  
  
  
  • Network Operations
  
  
  
  • IT Operations
  
  
  
  • Service Operations
  
  
  
  



• ITIL certification required.



• Strong understanding of network operations and service availability.



• Experience working in a 24x7 operational environment.

Job Summary:We are seeking an experienced Service Availability Leads to support a 24x7 network operations environment. This role is responsible for maintaining network availability and stability by leading change management, risk management, and incident management activities.The Service Availability Lead will serve as a key operational partner to technical teams, engineering, project teams, contractors, and business stakeholders. The position requires a strong understanding of network operations, the ability to assess technical and operational risk, and the confidence to make sound, risk-based decisions.

The role will primarily focus on Change Management and Risk Management (approximately 70%), with Incident Management (approximately 30%).

The ideal candidate is a confident communicator, quick thinker, and decisive problem solver who can remain effective under pressure, lead remediation efforts, and quickly pivot between competing operational priorities.

Key Responsibilities

Change Management

• Review change requests submitted through ServiceNow.



• Validate implementation plans, testing plans, risk assessments, and rollback procedures.



• Ensure change requests contain sufficient technical and operational information before approval.



• Identify gaps, risks, dependencies, and potential impacts to network availability.



• Return incomplete or inaccurate change requests for correction.



• Facilitate Change Advisory Board (CAB) and Technical CAB meetings.



• Review and communicate change tickets during technical calls.



• Coordinate required approvals and ensure compliance with established change management processes.



• Support emergency change requests and operational escalations.



• Understand the technical and business rationale behind each change before providing approval or risk recommendations.

Risk Management

• Evaluate proposed changes and operational activities for technical, business, and service availability risks.



• Identify potential conditions that could negatively impact network stability or availability.



• Recommend appropriate risk mitigation strategies.



• Partner with engineering, network operations, project teams, and contractors to reduce operational risk.



• Lead or support remediation efforts when risks are identified.



• Help identify opportunities to reduce self-inflicted outages and improve operational processes.



• Make informed, risk-based recommendations and confidently communicate the rationale behind decisions.

Incident Management

• Lead response activities for critical incidents and service outages.



• Coordinate technical teams during incident investigation, troubleshooting, and service restoration.



• Facilitate incident bridge calls and technical discussions.



• Communicate service-impact information and expected restoration timelines to appropriate stakeholders.



• Provide timely updates during service disruptions.



• Escalate issues appropriately based on severity, risk, and business impact.



• Support remediation efforts following significant incidents.



• Help ensure the network remains stable and available during service-impacting events.

Service Availability & Network Operations

• Proactively identify and mitigate risks that could result in network outages.



• Monitor and support overall service availability and network stability.



• Participate in technical operational calls and availability discussions.



• Quickly pivot between different operational teams and priorities as incidents, changes, and risks arise.



• Work closely with contractors responsible for implementing and executing technical changes.



• Coordinate through team collaboration channels with technical and operational stakeholders.



• Support a continuous improvement culture focused on network reliability and operational excellence.

Day-to-Day Activities

• Review and evaluate change tickets submitted through ServiceNow.



• Participate in Technical CAP/CAB calls to discuss upcoming changes and associated risks.



• Answer technical and operational questions throughout the day.



• Provide approvals or risk-based recommendations for changes and incident-related activities.



• Coordinate with contractors responsible for implementing approved changes.



• Communicate with multiple technical teams through collaboration channels.



• Respond to incidents and operational escalations as needed.



• Assess risks and determine appropriate mitigation or escalation.



• Pivot between departments and operational priorities within a 24x7 operations environment.



• Lead or participate in remediation efforts following service-impacting events.

Required Qualifications

• 5-10 years of professional experience in one or more of the following areas:



• 
  
  
  
  • Change Management
  
  
  
  • Risk Management
  
  
  
  • Incident Management
  
  
  
  • Network Operations
  
  
  
  • IT Operations
  
  
  
  • Service Operations
  
  
  
  



• ITIL certification required.



• Strong understanding of network operations and service availability.



• Experience working in a 24x7 operational environment.



• Demonstrated experience evaluating technical and operational risk.



• Ability to review technical change requests and identify gaps in:



• 
  
  
  
  • Implementation plans
  
  
  
  • Testing plans
  
  
  
  • Risk assessments
  
  
  
  • Rollback procedures
  
  
  
  



• Strong understanding of change management processes.



• Ability to lead or facilitate operational meetings and technical discussions.



• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.



• Confident public speaker who can communicate effectively with technical and business stakeholders.



• Strong organizational and multitasking skills.



• Ability to work independently with limited supervision.



• Ability to make informed decisions under pressure.



• Ability to quickly learn new processes and adapt to changing operational requirements.



• Experience with ServiceNow.



• Experience in telecommunications, infrastructure, utilities, or other large-scale operational environments.



• Experience supporting major incidents and service outages.

Key Skills & Competencies

• Change Management



• Risk Management



• Incident Management



• Network Operations



• Service Availability



• ITIL



• ServiceNow



• Technical Risk Assessment



• Incident Response