Head of Operations – Benchmarks & Diagnostics
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Head of Operations – Benchmarks & Diagnostics
Department: Education & Certification (E&C)
About TM Forum
TM Forum is the global industry association that drives collaboration and collective problem-solving to maximize the business success of communication and digital service providers and their ecosystem of suppliers. We are a global alliance of 800+ organizations across the connectivity ecosystem - counting the world’s top 10 Communication Service Providers (CSPs) and all the key hyperscalers as active, strategic members.
About the Evolving Education & Certification (E&C) Function
The E&C department is the educational engine of TM Forum, equipping the telecommunications workforce to drive industry transformation. Today, our core focus is delivering a comprehensive curriculum around the Open Digital Architecture (ODA), AI, and network automation to help member organizations successfully transition from legacy systems to agile, cloud-native operations.
As the industry’s needs grow, we are expanding beyond foundational training to offer advanced diagnostic tools, maturity assessments, and industry benchmarking services, such as the Autonomous Networks (AN) Benchmark. Alongside C-level strategy workshops, these new services help organizations clearly diagnose their specific operational gaps. Once we pinpoint what a company needs to change, our education and certification programs provide the skills and training their people need to execute that transformation.
The Role
As the Head of Operations - Benchmarks & Diagnostics, you are the operational leader driving TM Forum’s benchmarking and maturity initiatives, including our expanding Autonomous Network (AN) products and services.
Reporting to the VP of Education & Certification, you will own the end-to-end customer journey – responsible for excellence in service delivery. Crucially, you will direct the top-tier external consulting partners contracted to build and run our benchmark databases and interactive tools. Working hand-in-hand with our internal member engagement team, you will personally guide senior operational leaders at the world's largest telcos through the entire benchmarking lifecycle - from initial readiness and self-assessment to independent validation, data reporting, and capability building.
Key Responsibilities
Product & Service Management (Benchmarking & Diagnostics)
Lead the operational strategy and launch of new benchmarking products and services, including the upcoming AN Benchmark.
Direct and manage the top-tier external consulting partners responsible for building, hosting, and running our benchmark databases and interactive tools.
Establish data governance frameworks to secure highly sensitive benchmarking data, translating technical capabilities into business outcomes to produce standardized industry reports.
Cultivate and manage ongoing relationships with CTO-nominated technical and operational leads from participating global operators.
Success looks like: Seamlessly directing the operational build of new benchmarking services alongside external partners, smoothly onboarding founding members, and delivering the first set of market reports.
Customer Journey & Process Architecture
Own and optimize the end-to-end journey for measuring / using ‘AN Levels’ and other maturity measures – starting with the AN Level Assessment Validation (ANLAV) journey from ‘Readiness’ to ‘Self-assessment’ to️ ‘Validation’ to ‘Publication’ to ‘Improvement’ - ensuring adherence to SLAs and a premium enterprise customer experience.
Design, enforce, and continuously scale standardized operational frameworks and rules of engagement for all maturity and diagnostic services.
Strategically align Education and Services by ensuring member organizations fulfill prerequisite capability and certification models prior to initiating benchmarking validation.
Success looks like: Building and scaling a robust operational infrastructure that seamlessly guides members from initial assessment to independent validation and strategic action.
Stakeholder & Commercial Operations
Orchestrate the global delivery process by managing a matrix of internal technical experts, external freelance validators, and consulting partners.
Oversee the commercial lifecycle of diagnostic services, including revenue tracking, partner contribution management, and holistic vendor management.
Drive the member recognition strategy, ensuring successful industry-wide publication of benchmark achievements and integration into TM Forum’s overarching rewards programs.
Success looks like: Establishing a solid operational rhythm with external experts and internal commercial teams, ensuring all validations are commercially sound, well-managed and executed.
Required Skills & Experience
Operations Leadership: Proven experience directing B2B service delivery pipelines, professional services, or customer success operations for large enterprise clients.
Strategic Project Management: Exceptional ability to lead cross-functional initiatives and launch new products/services on strict deadlines.
Data & Governance: Strong capability for handling, analysing and standardizing complex data for executive reporting (eg extracting into, and manipulating data in Excel), establishing data integrity frameworks, managing confidential information etc.
Executive Stakeholder Management: Gravitas and high-level communication skills; comfortable advising and guiding senior technical stakeholders.
Commercial Acumen: Demonstrated experience managing vendor relationships, consulting partners, commercial tracking, and P&L/budget oversight.
Desired (But Not Mandatory) Skills
Background in the telecommunications industry, with an understanding of network operations, IT architecture, or Autonomous Networks.
Experience working with industry benchmarking, maturity models, or standardized auditing/validation processes.
Familiarity with organizational change management models (e.g., ADKAR).
Diversity & Inclusion at TM Forum
At TM Forum, we’re building a workplace where everyone can belong, feel respected, supported and able to do their best work. We welcome talent from all walks of life to join our global community, which is made stronger by the different perspectives, backgrounds and experiences each person brings. We hire based on skills, potential and values, never on assumptions about who someone is or where they come from. We actively work to ensure our recruitment and people practices are fair, inclusive and free from bias.
- Team
- Education & Coaching
- Role
- Head of Operations – Benchmarks & Diagnostics
- Locations
- United Kingdom
- Remote status
- Fully Remote
About TM Forum
We are a global alliance of 800+ organizations across the connectivity ecosystem. Members include the top 10 Communication Service Providers, top three hyperscalers, and a wide range of vendors, consultancies, and system integrators.
Together, we are building a sustainable future for the sector in connectivity and beyond