JOB DESCRIPTION

Department	Ground Infrastructure Operations (GIO)	Position Type	Contract
Work Location	[Insert Location / Remote]	Reports To	Ground Infrastructure Operations Manager

Position Summary

The Telecommunications Vendor Manager is responsible for coordinating and managing day-to-day operational activities involving telecommunications vendors, circuit service providers, maintenance contractors, and internal infrastructure teams supporting Ground Infrastructure Operations (GIO). This role serves as a central point of coordination for vendor communications, service issue follow-up, maintenance scheduling, site access management, operational documentation, and new ground station readiness activities. The individual will monitor operational ticket queues, track vendor deliverables and outstanding service issues, coordinate site access requirements, and ensure timely communication and documentation across internal teams and external service providers.
The ideal candidate has experience working in telecommunications, network infrastructure, data center operations, or a related technical operations environment, with strong organizational, vendor management, communication, and problem-solving skills.

Key Responsibilities

1. Daily Ticket Queue Management and Triage

• Conduct daily reviews of the Ground Infrastructure Operations (GIO) ticket queue to ensure open tasks, alerts, and work items are current, accurately documented, and appropriately tracked.
• Coordinate follow-up activities associated with routine operational alerts, maintenance findings, and service interruptions.
• Track outstanding action items, vendor responses, outage reports, and site maintenance findings through resolution and ticket closure.
• Ensure tickets are updated with relevant communications, supporting documentation, status changes, and resolution details.
• Coordinate with GIO on-call engineers and internal stakeholders when issues require additional technical attention or escalation.

2. Telecommunications Vendor and Service Provider Management

• Monitor designated team mailboxes and coordinate follow-up communications with telecommunications circuit providers, network vendors, and service contractors.
• Track open circuit issues, pending Reason for Outage (RFO) reports, scheduled maintenance notifications, service interruptions, and outstanding vendor commitments.
• Obtain vendor status updates and ensure all communications and responses are recorded in the appropriate operational tickets.
• Follow established vendor escalation procedures when service providers fail to respond or meet expected response timelines.
• Maintain effective working relationships with telecommunications vendors and service providers to support timely issue resolution and operational continuity.

3. Scheduled Maintenance Calendar Management

• Maintain and update team calendars to reflect planned network changes, telecommunications circuit maintenance, vendor maintenance windows, and other scheduled operational activities.
• Ensure calendar entries include the appropriate ground station site codes, scheduled dates and times, and applicable time zones.
• Coordinate updates when maintenance schedules change, are postponed, or are completed.
• Communicate relevant scheduling changes to internal stakeholders and affected operational teams.

4. Ground Station Site Access Management

• Coordinate, prepare, track, and route site access requests for internal teams, maintenance vendors, and contractors supporting ground station operations.
• Process access requests associated with Preventive Maintenance Inspections (PMI), grounds maintenance, troubleshooting, infrastructure repairs, and other operational activities.
• Review incoming access requests and address access-related issues on a daily basis.
• Maintain accurate site access records, visitor information, and badge check-in/check-out logs in accordance with established procedures.
• Ensure shift handover notes and access-related documentation are current and available to the appropriate operational personnel.
• Coordinate with site contacts and internal stakeholders to help ensure access requirements are addressed before scheduled work begins.

5. Enabling New Ground Station Maintenance Activities

• Review construction information packages and supporting documentation for newly delivered ground station sites.
• Coordinate with project managers and deployment teams to obtain missing or incomplete site information.
• Review and update site documentation to include relevant power infrastructure, generator specifications, maintenance requirements, and vendor service provider information.
• Ensure required site information is available and properly documented to support the transition into ongoing grounds maintenance operations.
• Coordinate with appropriate vendors and internal teams to help facilitate the scheduling and initiation of maintenance activities.

6. Runbook and Operational Procedure Management

• Periodically review existing operational runbooks, troubleshooting procedures, and telecommunications circuit vendor escalation lists.
• Identify outdated, incomplete, or missing information requiring updates.
• Coordinate proposed revisions with the appropriate technical and operational teams.
• Incorporate approved changes into established documentation repositories.
• Help ensure operational procedures remain accurate, accessible, and aligned with current GIO processes.

7. New Ground Station Readiness Verification

• Support operational readiness verification activities for newly deployed ground stations.
• Validate site installation readiness by following established operational runbooks and readiness checklists.
• Verify required network connectivity, device telemetry, monitoring visibility, and alarm functionality.
• Identify and document outstanding readiness issues, deficiencies, or missing information.
• Coordinate follow-up with deployment teams, technical personnel, and vendors to track outstanding items through resolution.
• Maintain completed readiness checklists and supporting documentation to assist with the transition of new sites into operational support.

Qualifications and Experience

• 3+ years of experience in telecommunications, network infrastructure, vendor management, technical operations, data center operations, or a related field.
• Experience coordinating telecommunications vendors, circuit providers, maintenance contractors, or third-party service providers.
• Familiarity with telecommunications circuits, network connectivity, service interruptions, and Reason for Outage (RFO) processes.
• Experience with ticketing systems, operational queues, service request tracking, and issue escalation procedures.
• Understanding of network infrastructure, ground station operations, data center environments, or distributed infrastructure deployments.
• Experience coordinating site access, preventive maintenance activities, and vendor field service visits.
• Ability to review technical documentation, operational procedures, construction packages, and maintenance records.
• Strong proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, particularly Outlook, Excel, and Teams.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to coordinate effectively across internal teams and external vendors.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting satellite ground infrastructure, telecommunications network operations, or geographically distributed infrastructure environments.
• Familiarity with ground station infrastructure, RF equipment, network devices, telemetry, monitoring, and alarm systems.
• Experience supporting infrastructure deployment, site acceptance, operational readiness, or transition-to-maintenance activities.
• Familiarity with IT Service Management (ITSM) platforms and structured ticket escalation processes.
• Experience managing vendor performance, service commitments, and operational service-level expectations.

Core Competencies

• Vendor Relationship Management: Ability to establish and maintain productive working relationships with telecommunications providers and service contractors.
• Operational Coordination: Ability to manage multiple workstreams, track deliverables, and ensure timely completion of operational tasks.
• Attention to Detail: Maintains accurate records, ticket updates, maintenance schedules, and site documentation.
• Communication: Communicates effectively with technical teams, vendors, project managers, and operational leadership.
• Problem Resolution: Proactively identifies outstanding issues, follows through on corrective actions, and escalates matters appropriately.
• Organization and Prioritization: Effectively manages competing priorities in a fast-paced infrastructure operations environment.

Overall Role Objective

Ensure the effective coordination of telecommunications vendors, service providers, ground station maintenance activities, and operational support functions. The Telecommunications Vendor Manager helps maintain operational visibility, vendor accountability, accurate site documentation, and readiness across the Ground Infrastructure Operations network.