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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