AVP, Telco Cloud Infrastructure Planning & Engineering

Job Description The AVP – Cloud Infrastructure Planning & Engineering leads the strategic planning, design, and engineering of Telco Cloud infrastructure supporting Core Network functions including BNG, 5G Core (5GC), and any other cloud requirements. This role is critical in ensuring seamless integration and interoperability across vendors (e.g., Nokia, Huawei, and others), particularly in the context of ongoing infrastructure evolution and vendor transition programs. The platform will be built on NFV (OpenStack) and CNF (Kubernetes/container-based architectures), aligned with European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) standards to ensure consistency, portability, and future scalability. This includes integration with orchestration platforms (e.g., NFV MANO, Kubernetes orchestration) to accelerate service deployment and operational efficiency. The AVP will lead infrastructure strategy, design and execution, ensuring a smooth migration and coexistence between legacy and next-generation platforms, while maintaining service continuity, performance, and customer experience. This role will also drive vendor-agnostic architecture, API-driven integration, and automation to minimize vendor lock-in and maximize operational flexibility and cost efficiency (CAPEX & OPEX). It requires strong technical leadership and ownership with the ability to independently lead planning, architecture, and execution—leveraging API-driven integration, automation, and AI-based operations to accelerate service delivery and operational excellence. The position drives cloud modernization, infrastructure governance, capacity planning, redundancy strategy, and cross-functional alignment. It ensures optimal infrastructure lifecycle management, cost-performance efficiency, and adoption of emerging technologies including AI-driven automation and SDN evolution. In addition, the AVP will work closely with cross-functional teams—including planning, operations, IT, procurement, and vendors—to ensure alignment across all phases of infrastructure lifecycle. The role is responsible for leading the preparation of technical documentation, supporting tender processes (RFP/RFQ), and ensuring proper governance, reporting, and administrative compliance. Key Responsibilities Key Responsibilities Key Result Areas Lead planning and engineer Telco cloud infrastructure for NFV (OpenStack) and CNF (Kubernetes) Reliable, scalable, and high-performance cloud platforms Develop hardware optimization plans for VM and container workloads Improved utilization and cost efficiency Lead E2E cloud infrastructure capacity planning and engineering Accurate forecasts and infrastructure readiness for demand growth Design Kubernetes and OpenStack cluster architecture High availability, scalability, and service resilience infrastructure design Create long-term roadmap and implementation plans for Telco cloud infrastructure Strategic alignment and modernization readiness Lead integration planning for network and service orchestration frameworks Streamlined deployment and automation Develop multi-scenario hardware strategy including Intel, AMD, and ARM architectures Platform flexibility and cost-performance optimization Design hardware roadmap aligned with business and technology evolution Strategic modernization and lifecycle sustainability Monitor infrastructure usage and define optimization actions Improved resource efficiency and budget utilization Lead redundancy and geo-redundancy planning across cloud deployments Enhanced network resilience and fault tolerance Drive AI-based initiatives for cloud infrastructure and SDN operations Automation, predictive analytics, and operational intelligence Establish and maintain design principles covering capacity and redundancy planning Consistent, scalable, and resilient cloud infrastructure design Oversee integration with orchestration and automation frameworks Streamlined deployment and operational efficiency Key Responsibility_2 Drive AI-based initiatives for infrastructure and SDN optimization Predictive analytics and operational intelligence Establish infrastructure design principles and governance standards Consistent, scalable, and compliant architecture Define and implement end-to-end orchestration strategy aligned with ETSI NFV MANO and cloud-native frameworks Standardized orchestration framework adopted across NFV and CNF environments Reduced service deployment time (e.g., from days to hours/minutes) Improved consistency and repeatability of service provisioning Seamless integration between infrastructure, network functions, and orchestration platforms Enable automated provisioning of virtual machines (VMs) and containerized workloads using orchestration tools Zero-touch or low-touch provisioning capability for VM and container workloads Reduced manual intervention and operational errors Faster time-to-market for new services Increased infrastructure utilization and efficiency Integrate infrastructure with orchestration and automation platforms to support end-to-end service lifecycle management Full lifecycle automation (Day 0, Day 1, Day 2 operations) Improved interoperability across multi-vendor environments Streamlined service activation, scaling, and decommissioning Reduced dependency on vendor-specific tools (vendor-agnostic architecture) Drive zero-touch provisioning and closed-loop automation for infrastructure operations Implementation of closed-loop automation with monitoring and auto-remediationReduced incident resolution time (MTTR improvement)Increased operational efficiency through AI-driven insightsEnhanced service reliability and customer experience Collaborate and align with all relevant stakeholders, including planning, operations, IT, procurement, finance, and external vendors, to ensure end-to-end infrastructure delivery Strong alignment across cross-functional teams and vendors Timely decision-making and issue resolution across departments Improved delivery timelines and reduced project delays High stakeholder satisfaction and effective communication at all levels (technical & executive) Key Responsibility_3 Lead the preparation of technical documentation, support tender processes (RFP/RFQ), and ensure governance and compliance across infrastructure initiatives High-quality and complete technical documentation for RFP/RFQ submissionsSuccessful tender participation with strong technical evaluation outcomesCompliance with internal governance, audit, and regulatory requirementsStandardized documentation framework across infrastructure projects Oversee day-to-day coordination, reporting, and administrative activities related to infrastructureplanning and engineering Timely and accurate reporting to management and stakeholders Well-managed documentation, tracking, and administrative processes Improved operational transparency and accountability Efficient coordination of ongoing activities and issue tracking Operate with strong ownership and autonomy in driving planning, decision-making, and execution across infrastructure initiatives Effective delivery of initiatives with minimal supervision Proactive problem-solving and decision-making Strong accountability in achieving project and organizational goals Consistent execution aligned with strategic objectives Skill Telco Cloud Infrastructure ArchitectureNFV (OpenStack) & CNF (Kubernetes) EngineeringCluster Design & High Availability ArchitectureCapacity Forecasting & Infrastructure ModelingHardware Architecture (Intel / AMD / ARM)Geo-Redundancy & Disaster Recovery PlanningInfrastructure Monitoring & OptimizationSDN Integration & Orchestration FrameworksAI-driven Infrastructure AutomationVirtualization & Cloud-Native EngineeringCross-Functional & Vendor CollaborationContainerization & Kubernetes ecosystemAPI architecture & integration (REST, automation frameworks)Infrastructure as Code (IaC) & automationIndependent decision-making & execution capabilityCommunication skill and negotiationProject management Leadership Competency Competency Definition Expected Behaviour Strategic Thinking Aligns cloud infrastructure goals with business and technology vision Develops multi-year infrastructure evolution and roadmap plans aligned with company strategy Execution Leadership Drives delivery from planning to implementation Ensures infrastructure and timely delivery of platform readiness Collaboration & Influence Works effectively across functions Aligns planning, IT, operations, and vendors Technical Leadership Provides deep infrastructure expertise Leads infrastructure strategy and standards adoption Innovation & Adaptability Adopts modern and emerging technology in design Champions AI, automation, and future-ready infrastructure models Decision Making Makes informed and data-driven decisions Balances trade-offs in hardware selection, performance, and cost Communication & Reporting Communicates plans and progress effectively Prepares and delivers updates to stakeholders and executive leadership Qualifications Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field Minimum 10 years of experience in Telecom infrastructure planning and engineering Strong leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills Proven expertise in OpenStack and Kubernetes deployment, design, and performance tuning Solid understanding of Core Network functions (e.g., BNG, 5G/4G Core, etc) Familiarity with ETSI NFV architecture (MANO) and industry standards for multi-vendor environments European Telecommunications Strong knowledge of API-driven architecture and integration (REST APIs, automation frameworks) Standards Institute Strong experience in capacity planning, redundancy design, and hardware optimization Experience in defining design principles and standardizing infrastructure architecture practices Strong understanding of orchestration frameworks and infrastructure automation Familiarity with infrastructure hardware platforms across Intel, AMD, and ARM Experience in applying AI techniques to cloud or SDN operations Excellent communication, leadership, and stakeholder management skills Strong experience in vendor management and multi-vendor Demonstrated ability to lead initiatives independently, with strong ownership and decision-making capabilities