Telecom Planner Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Our digital solutions team is more than a traditional IT organization. We are a team of passionate, collaborative, agile, inventive, customer-centric, results-oriented problem solvers. We are intellectually curious, love advancements in technology and seek to adapt technologies to drive Staples forward. We anticipate the needs of our customers and business partners and deliver reliable, customer-centric technology services.

The Manager of Telecom leads the day-to-day operations, support, financial oversight, and vendor management of the company’s telecommunications environment. This role manages telecom engineers, analysts, and/or business analysts who support enterprise voice, unified communications, contact center technologies, telecom expense management, carrier relationships, and vendor performance.

This position helps ensure telecom systems are reliable, secure, cost-effective, and able to support users across stores, contact centers, corporate offices, and other business locations.

What you’ll be doing:

• Manage daily telecom operations, including voice services, unified communications, contact center platforms, telecom expense management, vendor support, and service delivery.
• Support the implementation, and lifecycle management of telecom platforms, including Cisco CUCM, Cisco UCCE, Jabber, Webex Calling, Finesse, IVR platforms, and related technologies.
• Ensure enterprise voice and contact center systems are reliable, secure, scalable, and performing effectively across stores, contact centers, corporate offices, and other locations.
• Support telecom upgrades, migrations, modernization efforts, infrastructure improvements, and other operational projects.
• Manage telecom incidents, escalations, root cause analysis, and problem resolution to reduce business disruption and improve service reliability.
• Maintain documented operating procedures and administer approved telecom standards under leadership direction.
• Partner with IT, Network Engineering, Security, Infrastructure, Applications, Service Desk, Finance, Procurement, and business teams to support end-to-end telecom services.
• Oversee telecom expense management, including invoices, budgets, forecasts, financial reporting, carrier billing, inventories, and cost optimization.
• Ensure telecom invoices are reviewed, billing issues are resolved, contract terms are followed, and service inventories remain accurate.
• Identify opportunities to reduce telecom costs, improve vendor performance, optimize services, and strengthen operational controls.
• Manage telecom vendors, carriers, and service providers, including performance monitoring, issue escalation, service reviews, and relationship management.
• Provide operational reporting and recommendations to support budget tracking, resource planning, and approved work plans
• Set priorities, allocate resources, track deliverables, and ensure telecom work is completed on time, within budget, and aligned to business needs.
• Maintain reports, dashboards, metrics, and analysis to monitor telecom performance, expenses, vendor activity, and service health.

What you bring to the table:

• Strong leadership and coaching skills.
• Strong problem-solving and troubleshooting skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills.
• Ability to work with technical and non-technical partners.
• Strong analytical skills and attention to detail.
• Service-oriented mindset.
• Ability to improve processes, reduce costs, and drive results.
• Strong vendor management and relationship-building skills.

What’s needed- Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in telecommunications, Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, Business, Finance, or a related field; or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience
• 7+ years of experience in telecommunications engineering, telecom operations, unified communications, contact center technologies, telecom infrastructure, or telecom expense management.
• 3+ years of experience leading or managing technical employees, analysts, vendors, service providers, or cross-functional project teams.
• Experience supporting enterprise voice, unified communications, or contact center environments in a multi-site organization.
• Experience with Cisco CUCM, Cisco UCCE, Webex, Jabber, Finesse, IVR platforms, or similar technologies.
• Experience managing telecom vendors, carriers, service providers, contracts, licensing, escalations, or service performance.
• Experience with telecom expense activities such as invoice review, budgeting, forecasting, reporting, billing issue resolution, service inventories, or cost optimization.
• Experience using Excel, Power BI, Microsoft Office, or similar tools for reporting, analysis, and operational tracking.

What’s needed- Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience supporting telecom services in a retail or multi-location environment.
• Experience with Cisco CUCM, Cisco UCCE, Webex Calling, Jabber, Finesse, IVR, carrier services, SIP, PRI, voice gateways, or related telecom technologies.
• Experience maintaining telecom standards, procedures, documentation, dashboards, approved plans, or governance processes.
• Experience supporting Finance and Procurement with telecom budgets, invoice review, vendor coordination, and reporting
• Experience supporting telecom modernization, platform migration, service optimization, infrastructure lifecycle, or technology transformation initiatives.
• ITIL, project management, Cisco collaboration, telecom expense management, contact center, or related technical certification preferred.

We Offer:

• Inclusive culture with associate-led Business Resource Groups
• 22 days of PTO and Holiday Schedule (7 observed paid holidays + 1 floating holiday)
• Online and Retail Discounts, Company Match 401(k), Physical and Mental Health Wellness programs, and more!

The salary range represents the expected compensation for this role at the time of posting. The specific base pay may be influenced by a variety of factors to include the candidate's experience, skill set, education, geography, business considerations, and internal equity. In addition to base pay, this role may be eligible for bonuses, or other forms of variable compensation.