Director, Strategic Telecom Sourcing

Summary

Join Samsara's Telecom Sourcing team as Director, Telecom Sourcing, leading efforts in establishing and nurturing strategic relationships with global cellular providers. You will build a scalable business management system, negotiate complex agreements, and collaborate with various teams (Finance, Engineering, GTM) to ensure Samsara's products remain connected and operational. This pivotal role influences telco technology decisions, secures optimal agreements, and guarantees world-class service levels. The position is remote with some travel required, offering the opportunity to significantly impact the reliability and cost-effectiveness of Samsara's global network infrastructure. You'll be part of a high-calibre team in a hyper-growth environment, with opportunities for career development.

Requirements

• 10+ years of experience in telecommunications sourcing, procurement, or a related field
• Proven experience managing complex carrier relationships and negotiating high-value contracts
• Demonstrated ability to manage a defined set of responsibilities and outcomes, and able to build the team needed to execute on strategy/roadmap
• Established people/team management skills with emerging organizational leadership skills
• Experience building long-term relationships with key customers (internal and external) and guiding others to design and deliver solutions
• Ability to plan strategy and roadmap for the next 1-2 years with relevant input and think outside of one's own team to influence, create, and drive strategies

Responsibilities

• Manage a team and portfolio of projects which will span disciplines, or specific areas of high impact, complexity or risk
• Build a scalable, robust business management system to track and steer key connectivity metrics
• Build and maintain strategic relationships with global cellular providers, acting as the primary point of contact for all telecom-related sourcing, and influencing their IoT support roadmaps, coverage / roaming relationships, and technology investments
• Negotiate complex agreements with providers to secure favorable terms, pricing, and service level agreements (SLAs) that align with Samsara's growth and operational needs
• Partner closely with the Finance organization on forecasting connectivity costs and managing budget allocations for telecom services
• Collaborate with the Engineering organization to align sourcing strategies with technical roadmaps and product initiatives, ensuring seamless integration and performance
• Partner with go-to-market (GTM) teams to provide supportability insights based on technology and coverage availability
• Build and implement proactive measures to ensure the consistent achievement of service level commitments from telecom providers. Work closely with carriers and customer support teams through network outages and restoration
• Champion, role model, and embed Samsara’s cultural principles (Focus on Customer Success, Build for the Long Term, Adopt a Growth Mindset, Be Inclusive, Win as a Team) as we scale globally and across new offices

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, Engineering, or a related field
• MBA or relevant Master’s degree preferred
• Strong understanding of wireless communication technologies (e.g., LTE, 5G, IoT connectivity)
• Experience in a fast-paced, high-growth technology company
• Demonstrated ability to cultivate high-performing talent and engaged teams

Benefits

• Health benefits
• Samsara for Good charity fund
• Employee-led remote and flexible working