NOC Analyst

ROLE PURPOSE

You are the first line of defence for client services. You watch dashboards and alerts around the clock, log every incident properly, fix what the runbooks allow, and escalate the rest quickly with the facts the next line needs. When a service is affected, you make sure the right people know.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Monitoring and event handling

1. Monitor application, infrastructure, network, database and cloud dashboards and alert consoles for the whole shift.

2. Acknowledge alerts within SLA. Separate real incidents from noise, duplicates and planned maintenance.

3. Watch the business-critical jobs and transactions agreed with the client, such as end-of-day batch runs, backups, interfaces and payment channel success rates.

4. Run scheduled health checks and record the results in the shift log.

Incident logging and triage

5. Log every incident in the ITSM tool with time detected, affected service, symptoms, evidence (screenshots, log extracts) and actions taken.

6. Set category and priority using the agreed priority matrix.

7. Carry out first-line triage and approved runbook actions: service checks, restarts, log checks and connectivity tests.

8. Escalate unresolved incidents within the defined window, with a clear handover note, to the NOC Supervisor or the resolver team named in the escalation matrix. Raise P1 and P2 incidents to the NOC Supervisor straight away, day or night.

9. Pass suspected security events to the security team or SOC under the agreed procedure.

Communication

10. Notify clients and internal stakeholders of service-affecting events on approved templates, and send updates at the agreed interval.

11. Keep tickets updated through their lifecycle, and confirm restoration with the service owner before closure.

Shift discipline and improvement

12. Complete shift handovers and the daily NOC shift report.

13. Follow the change and maintenance calendar. Make no change outside an approved runbook or change record.

14. Flag recurring alerts, missing runbooks and gaps in monitoring cover to the NOC Supervisor.

15. Draft new runbook steps from incidents you handle, for the Supervisor's review.

REQUIREMENTS

Degree in Computer Science, IT, Engineering or a related field.

1 to 2 years in a NOC, service desk or IT operations role.

Working knowledge of networking (TCP/IP, DNS, HTTP), Windows and basic Linux commands.

SQL basics: able to run simple queries and read the results.

Familiarity with monitoring tools (e.g. SolarWinds, Zabbix, PRTG, Dynatrace) and a ticketing system.

Clear written English for tickets, handovers and client notifications.

Willing to work rotating 12-hour day and night shifts, weekends and public holidays.

CERTIFICATIONS

Required: ITIL 4 Foundation, which may be obtained within 6 months of joining.

Preferred: CompTIA A+, Network+ or Security+; Microsoft Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900) or AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner.

COMPETENCIES

Careful, accurate record-keeping.

Calm under pressure, especially on night shifts with less cover.

Clear written and spoken communication.

Follows process and knows when to escalate rather than improvise.

Keen to learn the client's systems and take on more technical work.

SUCCESS MEASURES (KPIS)

KPI

How it is measured

Frequency

Alert acknowledgement

Alerts acknowledged within SLA

Weekly

Escalation timeliness

Incidents escalated within the defined window

Weekly

Ticket quality

Score from the Supervisor's weekly audit

Weekly

Priority accuracy

Tickets with correct priority at first assignment

Monthly

First-line resolution

Incidents resolved by the analyst using runbooks

Monthly

Client notification

Service-affecting notifications sent on time

Monthly

Handover quality

Handovers completed to template

Weekly

WORKING CONDITIONS

12-hour rotating day and night shifts, including weekends and public holidays.

Screen-based work in the NOC. Night-shift arrangements, such as transport, follow HR policy (TBC)