Manager, Change and Configuration Management

Job description

AST SpaceMobile and our global partners are building the first and only space-based cellular broadband network to be accessible by standard smartphones. Called SpaceMobile, this ultra-powerful network is being designed to provide connectivity at 4G/5G speeds everywhere on the planet – on land, at sea and in flight. Position Overview We are seeking a Manager, Change and Configuration Management to govern, coordinate, and continuously improve the enterprise Change Management program across the organization's Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) infrastructure and services. This role ensures that all network, platform, software, cloud, satellite, ground station, and operational changes are planned, assessed, approved, implemented, and reviewed in a manner that minimizes customer impact and operational risk. This person serves as a key liaison between Engineering, Network Operations, Service Assurance, Information Technology, Cybersecurity, Product Management, and Customer Operations teams to maintain the stability, availability, serity, and performance of critical NTN services. The ideal candidate possesses extensive experience in telecommunications or satellite operations, proven leadership capabilities, strong governance expertise, and a comprehensive understanding of ITIL-based service management practices. Key Responsibilities: Develop, implement, and maintain enterprise Change Management policies, standards, procedures, and controls. Lead the Change Advisory Board (CAB) and Emergency Change Advisory Board (ECAB) processes. Ensure all changes are properly documented, reviewed, approved, communicated, and executed. Establish governance frameworks for planned, emergency, standard, and high-risk changes. Monitor adherence to organizational and regulatory requirements. Evaluate operational and customer service risks associated with infrastructure, software, network, and platform changes. Conduct impact assessments for proposed changes affecting NTN services and supporting systems. Ensure rollback and contingency plans are established before implementation activities begin. Identify and mitigate risks that may impact service availability, network resiliency, or regulatory compliance. Coordinate activities among Network Engineering, Satellite Operations, Ground Systems, Cloud Operations, Cybersecurity, Service Assurance, and Product teams. Facilitate scheduling to avoid conflicting maintenance activities and service disruptions. Manage communication plans for internal stakeholders, customers, and partners when significant changes are scheduled. Resolve conflicts between competing operational priorities and implementation windows. Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance change success rates and reduce service-affecting incidents. Analyze change-related performance metrics and trends. Identify recurring operational issues and implement corrective actions. Recommend automation opportunities to improve workflow efficiency and governance compliance. Partner with Service Assurance teams to analyze incidents linked to change activities. Perform post-implementation reviews and root cause analyses when changes result in service degradation or outages. Ensure lessons learned are documented and incorporated into future processes. Support availability, reliability, and performance objectives across NTN services. Maintain complete audit trails and documentation for all approved changes. Support internal audits, customer audits, and regulatory assessments. Ensure compliance with cybersecurity, operational resilience, and telecommunications industry requirements. Generate reports demonstrating adherence to change management standards and key performance indicators. Develop and maintain reporting on change success rate, failed change rate, emergency change rate, mean time to implement changes, change-related incidents, CAB effectiveness, change backlog and aging, service impact trends, and operational risk assessments. Qualifications Education: Bachelor's degree in Telecommunications, Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, Business Management, or a related field. Experience: 7+ years of experience in Change Management, Service Management, Network Operations, Service Assurance, or Engineering. 3+ years of management or leadership experience. Experience supporting telecommunications, satellite communications, aerospace, wireless, or cloud-based service provider environments. Experience with large-scale operational and infrastructure change programs. Demonstrated understanding of highly available mission-critical network environments. Preferred Qualifications: Master's degree in Business Administration (MBA), Telecommunications Management, Engineering, or a related discipline. Soft Skills: Strong leadership and governance skills, with the ability to lead cross-functional advisory boards (CAB/ECAB) and drive accountability across teams. Excellent communication skills, with the ability to manage stakeholder and customer communications during significant change events. Strong analytical and risk-assessment skills, with the ability to evaluate the operational and customer impact of proposed changes. Ability to resolve conflicts between competing operational priorities and implementation windows. Technology Stack: ITIL-based service management frameworks and Change Management processes (CAB/ECAB workflows). Change and incident management platforms for tracking, reporting, and audit trail documentation. Reporting and analytics tools for change performance metrics and KPIs. Physical Requirements Ability to lift up to 25 lbs. Ability to use a computer for extended periods. Ability to be available outside standard business hours to support emergency change (ECAB) processes as needed. This job description may not be inclusive to the duties and responsibilities listed. Additional tasks may be assigned to the employee from time to time or the scope of the job may change as needed by business demands . AST SpaceMobile is an Equal Opportunity, at will Employer; employment is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.