ZAIN2296 - Carrier Relations & Interconnect Team Leader

Department/Section: Commercial / Wholesale
Job Title: Carrier Relations &Interconnect Team Leader
Reports to: Interconnect & Carrier Relations Wholesale Manager

Job Purpose:

Job Purpose: Is responsible for supporting the Carriers Relations Wholesale Manager in managing the department’s commercial and administrative functions. The role focuses on leading end-to-end negotiations, building strong relationships with national and international telecommunications bodies, and ensuring the smooth execution of interconnect agreements.

Key Accountabilities and Tasks:

• • Business  Relations  Management :Manage partnerships with international telecom

  
  

  businesses, ensuring effective coordination with relevant internal and external

  
  

  stakeholders.

  
  

  • Agreements Management :Oversee the evaluation and implementation of new

  
  

  interconnect agreements, covering legal, regulatory, commercial, and technical

  
  

  aspects. This includes preparing, executing, and following up on capacity orders,

  
  

  invoice verifications, and related documentation.

  
  

  • Routing & Traffic Management :Ensure international call routing efficiency by

  
  

  monitoring cost and quality KPIs.

  
  

  • Project management :Lead and accomplish carrier relations projects, ensuring

  
  

  alignment with business goals.

  
  

  • Business Partners  Management :Manage and nurture business relations with

  
  

  partners, including third-party suppliers and contractors.

  
  

  • Reporting :Prepare and deliver regular carrier relations reports and ad-hoc reports,

  
  

  ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and business relevance.

  
  

  • Strategy Execution; Support the execution of the department’s strategy and road

  
  

  map, aligning with Zain's overall business plan.

  
  

  •  Business Performance :Monitor business performance to ensure alignment with

  
  

  strategic objectives.

  
  

  • Business Stability :Collaborate with internal departments to minimize risks to

  
  

  business stability.

  
  

  •  Be accountable for achieving interconnect revenue targets.

  
  

  • Team Management :Lead, motivate, and develop the carrier relations team to ensure

  
  

  early identification and resolution of issues.

  
  

  •  Risk Mitigation :Regularly review contingency plans to mitigate risks as Zains

  
  

  customer base and business expand.

  
  

  •  Business excellence: Develop and implement processes, procedures, and systems to

  
  

  optimize team operations.

  
  

  • Compliance: Ensure compliance with regulatory and information security

  
  

  requirements.

  
  

Typical Performance Measures:

• Achievement of departmental targets

  
  

• Effectiveness in managing commercial agreements

  
  

• Successful implementation of departmental strategy

  
  

• Oversight of Zain's wholesale agreements

  
  

• Leadership of partnership, business development, and roaming operations teams

  
  

Dimensions:

• • Reports to : Interconnect & Carrier Relations Wholesale  Manager.

  
  

  •  Specialist Role: Requires a minimum of 3 years of professional experience in a relevant

  
  

  field.

  
  

  •  Team Leadership: Responsible for the management and performance of the Interconnect &

  
  

  Carriers Relations team.

  
  

  •  Financial Accountability: Accountable for interconnect revenue and costs.

  
  

  •  Vendor Management: Oversight of third-party suppliers and contractors.

  
  

Qualifications/Experience:

•  Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Business Administration, or a related

field.

•  Minimum of 3 years of experience in telecom, with a focus on interconnect and carrier

relations.

•  Demonstrable knowledge of telecommunications and commercial processes.

• Fluent in written and spoken English; MBA is an advantage.

Key Behaviours for Success:

•  Strong leadership and team collaboration.

•  Effective and swift decision-making.

•  Excellent communication, both oral and written, in local language and business English.

•  Demonstrates sound business acumen and empathy for operational issues.

•  Proactive in building relationships and using initiative.

•  Adherence to company policies and objective handling of local/cultural issues.

•  Resilient, strategic thinker with conceptual and analytical thinking abilities.

•  Strong tolerance for ambiguity and concern for impact.

•  Results-driven with a strategic influencing capability.

•  People development and orientation towards team growth..

Key Behaviours for Success:

·  Strong leadership and team collaboration.

·  Effective and swift decision-making.

·  Excellent communication, both oral and written, in local language and business English.

·  Demonstrates sound business acumen and empathy for operational issues.

·  Proactive in building relationships and using initiative.

·  Adherence to company policies and objective handling of local/cultural issues.

·  Resilient, strategic thinker with conceptual and analytical thinking abilities.

·  Strong tolerance for ambiguity and concern for impact.

·  Results-driven with a strategic influencing capability.

·  People development and orientation towards team growth..

Knowledge:

• • Deep understanding of carrier relations management.

  
  

  • Strong knowledge of telecom service agreements, industry standards, and settlement procedures.

  
  

  • Experience in planning and executing section plans, including budgeting.

  
  

  • Ability to establish and maintain strong relationships with stakeholders and telecom operators.

  
  

  • Comprehensive knowledge of Sudans telecom market and Zains business strategy.

  
  

  • High-level analytical skills.

  
  

  • Technical understanding of telecom networks, interconnection setups, and related IT systems..

  
  

Skills:

•  Strong consultancy and presentation skills.

•  Highly developed communication and reporting skills in both Arabic and English.

•  Project management expertise, with the ability to apply best practices.

•  Excellent negotiation and contract management skills with external suppliers.

•  Leadership and management skills, especially within a matrix environment.

•  Strong conflict resolution and change management capabilities.

•  Relationship-building skills with internal and external stakeholders.

•  Proficient in MS Office; data mining software knowledge is an advantage..