Carrier & Vendor Relations Manager

Required Skills & Experience

-10+ years of experience in telecom procurement, carrier/vendor management, network connectivity sourcing, or telecommunications service delivery. -3+ years of experience leading and developing teams while managing vendors and cross-functional stakeholder relationships. -Experience sourcing and procuring telecommunications services, including fiber, Ethernet, internet connectivity, wireless services, dark fiber, wavelengths, or related network solutions. -Strong knowledge of telecom contracts, including MSAs, SOWs, SLAs, pricing structures, renewals, and vendor negotiations. -Experience managing carrier and vendor performance through defined SLAs, KPIs, escalations, and service reviews. -Understanding of connectivity commercial models and trade-offs, such as leased services, dark fiber, and long-term network agreements. -Strong project coordination, communication, and stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence internal and external partners. -Proficiency with business and project tracking tools such as Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, Smartsheet, or similar platforms.

Nice to Have Skills & Experience

-Experience supporting data centers, hyperscale environments, mission-critical facilities, or large-scale infrastructure projects. -Familiarity with dark fiber markets, route diversity planning, carrier hotels, meet-me rooms, and interconnection strategies. -Experience with satellite connectivity, wireless backup solutions, or private wireless spectrum programs. -Knowledge of telecom expense management (TEM) platforms and contract or inventory management systems. -Experience establishing vendor governance frameworks, sourcing standards, scorecards, and SLA management programs. -Familiarity with outside plant (OSP), inside plant (ISP), optical transport, or network infrastructure concepts. -Procurement, supply chain, or project management certifications such as CPSM, CIPS, CPM, or PMP. -Experience supporting fast-growing organizations managing multiple concurrent sites or campus developments.

Job Description

The Manager, Carrier & Vendor Relations is responsible for leading the sourcing, procurement, contracting, and ongoing management of telecommunications carriers and connectivity vendors supporting large-scale data center and mission-critical infrastructure environments. This role oversees the full lifecycle of connectivity services, including fiber, internet, wireless, satellite, and related network services, while ensuring commercial, operational, and service-level objectives are achieved.

As a player-coach leader, this individual manages a small team responsible for carrier procurement, backup connectivity solutions, and contract administration. The role drives vendor negotiations, carrier performance, service delivery readiness, contract governance, and cross-functional coordination with engineering, operations, legal, finance, and project delivery teams to support multiple concurrent campus developments and operational initiatives.