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Telecom Operations Lead

United States
 

TextNow is the largest provider of free phone service in North America. We're building a more affordable, accessible wireless experience for millions of people, and we're looking for people who thrive on solving complex problems, moving quickly, and making a measurable impact.

As our Telecom Operations Lead, you'll own the operational health of TextNow's telecom partner ecosystem. Sitting at the intersection of Engineering, Product, Finance, Legal, and our carrier partners, you'll ensure our network operations remain reliable, cost-efficient, and compliant while driving strategic telecom initiatives from planning through execution.

This is a highly cross-functional role where you'll translate carrier partnerships, regulatory requirements, and telecom economics into operational excellence that keeps our platform running and continuously improves the experience for millions of users.

What You'll Do:

Lead Telecom Operations

  • Own day-to-day relationships with telecom vendors, carriers, roaming partners, and network providers.

  • Manage vendor performance, SLAs, escalations, Quarterly Business Reviews, and partner accountability.

  • Proactively identify operational risks, outages, pricing changes, and commercial opportunities.

Optimize Telecom Costs

  • Partner with Finance to maintain telecom cost models and monitor COGS performance.

  • Analyze cost variances, forecast usage, and identify opportunities to reduce costs through routing optimization, vendor negotiations, and commercial improvements.

  • Report on savings and continuously improve telecom unit economics.

Drive Compliance

  • Partner closely with Legal and Compliance to execute telecom regulatory initiatives.

  • Coordinate work related to STIR/SHAKEN, CALEA, KYC/CTIA, lawful intercept, 911, number portability, roaming, and FCC requirements.

  • Translate regulatory requirements into actionable work for Engineering, Product, and external partners.

Deliver Strategic Initiatives

  • Lead the business execution of telecom initiatives including native calling, international roaming, carrier integrations, and new network partnerships.

  • Coordinate cross-functional teams, manage partner deliverables, and proactively communicate project status, risks, and milestones.

What You'll Bring:

  • 8+ years of experience in telecom operations, carrier partnerships, or vendor management within a telecom, MVNO, or MVNE environment.

  • Experience managing telecom vendors, SLAs, contract negotiations, and executive partner relationships.

  • Strong understanding of telecom cost structures, financial analysis, and unit economics.

  • Knowledge of telecom regulations including STIR/SHAKEN, CALEA, KYC/CTIA, 911, lawful intercept, number portability, and FCC requirements.

  • Proven ability to lead cross-functional initiatives across Engineering, Product, Finance, Legal, and external partners.

  • Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

  • Bachelor's degree in Business, Telecommunications, Engineering, Finance, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

What Success Looks Like:

You'll be successful by delivering measurable operational outcomes, including:

  • Reliable vendor performance and well-managed carrier relationships.

  • Improved telecom COGS through ongoing optimization initiatives.

  • Strong partnerships with Legal, Finance, Engineering, and Product.

  • Successful delivery of strategic telecom initiatives on time and with proactive risk management.

  • Becoming the trusted operational owner for TextNow's telecom ecosystem.

The expected base salary range for this role is:

  • Canada: CAD $176,000 – $224,000 annually

  • United States: USD $154,000 – $220,000 annually

  • New York City, Connecticut, New Jersey, Seattle, Los Angeles & San Diego: USD $169,000 – $242,000 annually

  • San Francisco Bay Area: USD $184,000 – $264,000 annually

Final compensation will be determined based on a number of factors, including skills, experience, location, and on-the-job performance. We're committed to paying competitively to hire and retain high-caliber talent. We recognize that exceptional talent may fall outside of these ranges; we encourage all qualified candidates to apply even if their compensation expectations are outside of the listed range.

This posting is for a current, active vacancy.

 

More About TextNow

Our Culture

We're proud of the culture that we've built at TextNow, but one of the most common questions we hear is, "How do you continue to sustain it as the world and the company continues to change?" The reality is that we're only able to keep up because each and every TextNovian contributes to our culture by being involved, living our values, sharing feedback, embracing change, and more.

Our Values

Customer Obsessed
We strive to have a deep understanding of our customers.

Do Right By Our People
We treat each other with fairness, respect, and integrity.

Accept the Challenge
We adopt a "Yes, We Can" mindset to achieve ambitious goals.

Act Like an Owner
We treat this company like it's our own... because it is!

Give a Damn
We are deeply committed and passionate about our work and achieving results.

Our Benefits and More

This is a brief overview of the benefits that TextNow offers its employees. More complete details can be found in TextNow's Benefit Guide and legal plan documents, which are available to employees on or shortly after their start date with TextNow.

Highlights include:

  • Free phone service

  • Strong work-life blend

  • Flexible work arrangements (work-from-home, remote, or access to one of our office spaces)

  • Employee stock options

  • Unlimited vacation

  • 12 paid holidays per year

  • Competitive pay

  • Health, dental, and vision benefits

  • Short-term & long-term disability

  • $750 annual wellness benefit or healthcare spending account

  • RRSP matching (Canada) | 401(k) (USA)

  • Parental leave for eligible employees

  • Learning & Development opportunities

  • Company off-sites and team events throughout the year

More information about our total rewards package will be available during the hiring process.

Dogfooding & Customer Obsession

At TextNow, every employee actively uses our app for calling and texting. Dogfooding helps us experience our product the same way customers do, allowing us to identify issues early and build even better experiences.

Diversity & Inclusion

Our aim is to make every person who joins TextNow feel like they belong, are valued, and can bring their authentic selves to work. We're all accountable for creating an inclusive culture where everyone can thrive.

Equal Opportunity

TextNow is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, or any other protected characteristic.

Applicants who require reasonable accommodation during the hiring process may contact our Talent Team.

AI Usage

We use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are made by people. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact our Talent Team.

TextNow Candidate Policy

By submitting an application to TextNow, you agree to the collection, use, and disclosure of your personal information in accordance with the TextNow Candidate Policy.

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