Job title: Senior Manager - International Partnerships
Job type: Permanent
Emp type: Full-time
Industry: IT & Telecommunications
Salary type: Annual
Salary: Negotiable
Location: UAE
Job published: 30/10/2025
Job ID: 178114

Job Description

Job Title: Senior Manager – International Partnerships

Location: United Arab Emirates
Function: Partnerships / Network Strategy

Role Overview

The Senior Manager – International Partnerships will own and manage strategic relationships with carriers, hyperscalers, data center operators, and platform providers across MEA, Europe, and the US. This role is critical for securing the external network reach, capacity, and delivery capabilities required to support hyperscaler, enterprise, and data center connectivity products. The role combines strong technical understanding of global networks with commercial negotiation and partner management expertise.

Key Responsibilities

Partnership Ownership

  • Build, manage, and optimize strategic partnerships with carriers, hyperscalers, data center operators, and platform providers.

  • Secure access to external network capacity, routes, peering, and infrastructure to support high-capacity connectivity products.

  • Lead negotiations on commercial terms including pricing, lease vs IRU structure, bandwidth tiers, latency/resilience commitments, SLAs, delivery timelines, and ongoing obligations.

Technical & Operational Enablement

  • Collaborate with partners to design and deliver connectivity solutions meeting stringent technical requirements:

    • Hyperscaler connectivity: dark fibre, DWDM, high-throughput/low-latency paths between compute zones and data center campuses.

    • Global enterprise connectivity: cross-border access and managed international transport.

    • Data center interconnect: inter-DC capacity, campus-to-campus links, and cross-connect models.

  • Validate partner capabilities—latency, route diversity, on-net locations, and delivery timelines—and integrate them into product offerings for market readiness.

Sales & Product Support

  • Support Sales and Product teams on complex opportunities that rely on partner infrastructure and capabilities.

  • Ensure the correct partner constructs are included in deals to meet customer requirements and commercial targets.

  • Provide internal visibility of partner assets (routes, landing points, on-net buildings, data center presence, peering points) to inform product planning and positioning.

Performance Monitoring & Governance

  • Monitor partner performance against contractual and operational obligations.

  • Drive remediation for SLA or delivery breaches and escalate where necessary.

  • Maintain up-to-date knowledge of partner networks, coverage, and technical capabilities.

Strategic Impact

  • Enable the expansion of multi-terabit connectivity across global regions.

  • Ensure partner ecosystems align with the company’s long-term growth and product roadmap.

  • Act as the primary liaison for external enablement and international partnership strategy.

Key Requirements

Education & Experience

  • Bachelor’s degree in Telecommunications, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related field.

  • 7+ years’ experience in international partnerships, network strategy, or product enablement within hyperscaler, enterprise, or carrier-grade connectivity environments.

  • Proven track record in negotiating and managing global network partnerships and agreements.

Technical Expertise

  • Strong understanding of: DWDM, dark fibre, DCI, IP/MPLS, global WAN, peering networks, and high-capacity connectivity architectures.

  • Ability to translate technical partner capabilities into commercially viable solutions.

  • Experience coordinating with Product, Network, and Engineering teams to validate delivery feasibility.