Principal Middle East Network Planner

Job description / Role

As a Network Planner for Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), you'll play a crucial role in expanding and scaling our next-generation cloud services. You'll be part of the Global Network Planning Group, making strategic decisions that shape our network infrastructure, data center connectivity strategy, and market presence. This position will have you build and maintain strong relationships with telecom providers, which is crucial for OCI's growth and operational efficiency. The below key responsibilities and qualifications highlight the strategic nature of these partnerships and the need for a proactive, collaborative approach to vendor management in the telecom space.

Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they can perform every job description task. We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job, and that candidate may come from a less traditional background. Because of this, we encourage you to apply even if you do not meet all the requirements that are listed within this job description. If you are interested in applying, we encourage you to think broadly about your background and skill set(s) for the role.

Responsibilities

- Lead colocation business development initiatives for network growth, by evaluating and selecting optimal data center partners and locations
- Negotiate colocation agreements, including power, space, and connectivity requirements and commercial deals that meet technical requirements and support growth
- Develop TCO models for deal analysis in new and existing markets
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to align on long term colocation strategy with business objectives
- Facilitate open communication channels between OCI's technical teams and colocation providers' operations teams
- Represent OCI to senior technical leaders and executives at partner companies
- Establish and maintain strategic relationships with a diverse portfolio of colocation partners and data center operators
- Negotiate favorable terms, SLAs, and pricing structures with colocation providers, ensuring alignment with OCI's growth plans
- Stay informed about industry trends, mergers and acquisitions, and new market entrants in the colocation space
- The ability to document your decisions and recommendations to internal technical leadership as well as VPs and SVPs

- 6-10+ years of experience in telecom, data center, or cloud infrastructure industries
- Extensive knowledge of Internet interconnection, submarine cables, wavelengths, and fiber
- Strong understanding of data center operations, subsea services, and industry trends
- Experience in data center site selection and evaluation processes
- Strong negotiation skills for fiber agreements, IP transit, wavelengths, and dark fiber contracts
- Familiarity with financial modeling for deal evaluation and TCO analysis
- Proficiency in Jira, Excel, PowerPoint, and Confluence
- Willingness to travel for site due diligence and industry conferences
- Strong negotiation skills with a focus on creating win-win scenarios in long-term partnerships
- Ability to build and maintain professional networks within the subsea and data center industry
- Understanding of data center contract structures, including power pricing models, SLAs, and expansion options
- Familiarity with industry standards and certifications relevant to data center operations (e.g., Uptime Institute Tiers, ISO certifications)

At OCI, we combine the agility of a startup with the resources of a global enterprise. We value diversity, inclusion, and continuous learning. Join our team to shape the future of cloud computing and data center strategy in a dynamic, flexible environment where your contributions truly matter.

Career Level - IC4

About the Company

Oracle offers an integrated array of applications, databases, servers, storage, and cloud technologies to empower modern business. For most companies, flexibility is critical. Oracle provides a wide choice of software, systems, and cloud deployment models - including public, on-premises, and hybrid clouds - to ensure that technology flexes to the unique needs of a business.

Oracle Cloud is a complete, integrated stack of platform, infrastructure, and application services. With advanced scalability and security, Oracle Cloud enables technical agility across the enterprise, connects people to information for clearer insights, and fosters efficiency through simplified workflows.

More than 420,000 customers across 145 countries have harnessed Oracle technology to accelerate their digital transformation.