Manager, Network Connectivity & Carrier Strategy

OpenKrill; United States; Remote; USD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) match

Development reimbursement

Holidays & PTO

Sabbatical

Remote office stipend

Internet stipend

Gym reimbursement

Wellable subscription

Job summary

Vultr seeks a Manager, Network Connectivity & Carrier Strategy to own connectivity for new data center sites worldwide. You will assess fiber options, negotiate with carriers, and shape backbone expansion on aggressive timelines.

You’ll manage a small carrier-relations team and partner with Network Architecture and Operations to turn greenfield sites into production-ready facilities. The ideal candidate has deep fiber construction knowledge, strong carrier instincts, and a track record of

Qualifications

• 10+ years in network infrastructure, telecommunications, or data center connectivity.
• Proven fiber, transport, peering, transit, and colocation deal experience.
• Experience building carrier relationships at engineering and exec levels.
• Strong knowledge of fiber construction economics and logistics.
• Ability to piece together multi-party connectivity deals with national carriers.
• Proficient in network signaling and routing concepts (BGP, MPLS).

Responsibilities

• Own the end-to-end site connectivity selection process for new data center sites.
• Map regional fiber infrastructure and assess buildability and timelines.
• Negotiate MSAs, NDAs, colocation agreements, and wavelength contracts.
• Lead engineering sessions to translate concepts into budgets and timelines.
• Manage a small team of carrier relations professionals and coaches.
• Advise leadership on where to build next based on fiber availability and economics.
• Partner with Network Engineering on connectivity design and POP turn-up.
• Track carrier performance and drive an engagement playbook.

Skills

Network infrastructure

Fiber construction

Carrier negotiations

People management

BGP & MPLS

Executive communication

Travel willingness

GIS

Scripting

Network monitoring

Tools

GIS

Scripting

Network monitoring

Job description

WHO WE ARE

Vultr is on a mission to make high-performance cloud infrastructure easy to use, affordable, and locally accessible for enterprises and AI innovators around the world. With 33 global cloud data center locations, Vultr is trusted by hundreds of thousands of active customers across 185 countries for its flexible, scalable, global Cloud Compute, Cloud GPU, Bare Metal, and Cloud Storage solutions. In December 2024 Vultr announced an equity financing at a $3.5 billion valuation. Founded by David Aninowsky and self-funded for over a decade, Vultr has grown to become the world's largest privately-held cloud infrastructure company.

Vultr Cares

• 100% company-paid insurance premiums for employee medical, dental and vision plans.
• 401(k) plan that matches 100% up to 4%, with immediate vesting
• Professional Development Reimbursement of $2,500 each year
• 11 Holidays + Paid Time Off Accrual + Rollover Plan
• Commitment matters to Vultr! Increased PTO at 3 year and 10 year anniversary + 1 month paid sabbatical every 5 years + Anniversary Bonus each year
• $500 stipend for remote office setup in first year + $400 each following year
• Internet reimbursement up to $75 per month
• Gym membership reimbursement up to $50 per month
• Company paid Wellable subscription

Join Vultr

Vultr is seeking a Manager, Network Connectivity & Carrier Strategy to own how our new data center sites connect to the world. You will run the site connectivity selection process end to end. Assessing fiber and carrier infrastructure in each market, negotiating with national and regional carriers, deciding where we place network pops, and shaping backbone expansion strategy as we grow across the world. The ideal candidate brings deep fiber construction knowledge and carrier-deal instincts: you know who builds where, who answers the phone, and how to piece together solutions that deliver diverse, defensible connectivity on aggressive timelines. You will manage a small team of carrier relations professionals and partner daily with Network Architecture & Engineering and Network Operations to turn greenfield sites into on-net, production-ready facilities. This is your opportunity to join our fast growing team and leave your mark on the physical internet itself, where Vultr builds, how it connects, and how fast it grows.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the end-to-end site connectivity selection process: assessment, requirements, carrier outreach, engineering, procurement, and turn-up for every new data center site
• Map regional fiber and carrier infrastructure using tools like FiberLocator, PeeringDB, state 811/one-call records, and local knowledge to assess what is buildable, by whom, and on what timeline
• Negotiate MSAs, NDAs, colocation agreements, dark fiber IRUs, and wavelength/transport contracts with national and regional carriers
• Lead engineering sessions with carriers to turn concepts into construction budgets, build timelines, and route-diversity commitments
• Manage and grow a small team of carrier relations TPMs/reps; set their priorities, coach their carrier engagements, and hold delivery to timeline
• Advise executive and network leadership on where to build next: synthesize carrier capability, fiber availability, power/land economics, and regional demand into expansion recommendations
• Partner with Network Engineering/Architecture on connectivity design and with operations on POP turn-up and backbone integration
• Track carrier performance, delivery accuracy, responsiveness, construction quality then drive the carrier engagement playbook: who to call, how to call, when to pivot
• Evaluate self-build fiber opportunities with local construction partners where regulatory and economics favor partnership over turnkey carrier builds

Qualifications

• 10+ years in network infrastructure, telecommunications, or data center connectivity, including 5+ years negotiating fiber, transport, peering, transit, and colocation deals
• Deep knowledge of fiber construction economics and logistics: route surveys, make-ready, right-of-way, permits, ILA/hut placement, splice and amp engineering, and what a construction timeline realistically looks like
• Demonstrated ability to piece together multi-party connectivity deals, dark fiber IRUs, wavelength leases, colo agreements, with national and regional carriers, including self-built metro fiber arrangements
• Track record of building carrier relationships at the engineering and executive level: you get calls returned, quotes turned around, and commitments honored
• Strong grasp of long-haul and metro transport technology: 800/400G-ZR/ZR+, DWDM, amplification, distance limits, and route diversity design
• Experience advising on network POP/site placement strategy (carrier hotels, IX presence, PeeringDB literacy) and rural/metro build trade-offs
• Knowledge of relevant IP networking technologies and best practices, including BGP, Segment Routing, MPLS, and Traffic Engineering; SLOs and SLAs
• Knowledge of relevant software development and tooling, including GIS, scripting, agentic coding, network traffic analysis, network simulation, and synthetic monitoring.
• 3+ years of people management, or clear readiness to manage; comfortable running a small team of carrier relations professionals
• Excellent written and verbal communication - able to produce crisp briefs for executives and detailed requirements docs for engineering teams
• Willing to travel to carrier meetings, site walks, and construction reviews (up to 25%)

Compensation

$150,000 - $200,000+

Final compensation will vary depending on years of experience, background/skill set, location, and applicable laws.

INCLUSION & PRIVACY

We are an equal opportunity employer and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds and experiences, and we prohibit discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected status under applicable laws. Vultr will consider qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records in accordance with applicable laws and will not conduct a background check until after an offer of employment has been extended and accepted.

We also take your privacy seriously. We handle personal information responsibly and follow applicable laws, including U.S. privacy rules and India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023. Your data is used only for legitimate business purposes and is protected with proper security measures.

Where allowed by law, applicants may request details about the data we collect, access or delete their information, withdraw consent for its use, and opt out of nonessential communications. For more details, please see our Privacy Policy https://www.vultr.com/legal/privacy/.