Telecommunications Manager

Position Summary

The Telecommunications Manager oversees all telecommunications services and systems for the firm, including management of the current Avaya telephony platform and strategic planning for future technology adoption. This role leads a telecom team, manages vendor relationships, ensures billing compliance, and develops a multi-year roadmap to guide the firm through technology transitions—with emphasis on security, compliance, and business continuity.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Planning & Technology Leadership

• Manages and optimizes the firm's Avaya telephony platform while evaluating emerging technologies (cloud PBX, UCaaS) for future growth
• Develops and executes transition plans from legacy systems to modern platforms with minimal disruption to operations
• Creates a multi-year telecommunications roadmap aligned with firm objectives
• Led assessment and selection of telephony solutions that support secure communications, remote work, and hybrid arrangements

• Operations & Implementation

• Oversees provisioning, installation, and maintenance of all telecommunications hardware, software, and services
• Collaborates with carriers to ensure target dates and quality standards are met
• Integrates telephony systems with legal practice management software and collaboration platforms (Microsoft Teams, Zoom)

• Vendor & Budget Management

• Manages all telecom vendor relationships and contracts
• Reviews, analyzes, and audits telecommunications invoices for accuracy and compliance
• Resolves billing disputes; escalates unresolved issues as needed
• Develops and manages telecommunications budgets
• Negotiates contracts and identifies cost-saving opportunities

• Team Leadership

• Directs and develops the telecommunications team to meet performance and availability commitments
• Ensures staff training, motivation, and professional development
• Fosters a customer-service orientation across all telecom support functions

• Compliance & Business Continuity

• Maintains up-to-date documentation of all systems, user guides, and training materials
• Participates in disaster recovery and business continuity planning and testing
• Ensures compliance with legal industry standards (HIPAA, GDPR, ABA guidelines) as they relate to telecommunications

Qualifications

• Skills & Competencies

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Superb customer service skills including the ability to understand both internal and external client needs and expectations and provide excellent service to meet or exceed client expectations
• Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills
• Strong project management skills including prior experience managing IT projects
• Excellent attention to detail and problem-solving skills
• Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills
• EFFECTIVELY plans, organizes and manages resources to successfully complete specific objectives for self and/or others
• Requires critical thinking and decision-making skills such as the ability to successfully assess options and implications in order to identify value added solutions
• Clearly defines job expectations for individuals and teams, coaches for success, provides training and effectively evaluates performance
• Strong aptitude for learning new technologies as they are incorporated into the computing environment
• Demonstrated ability to lead migrations from legacy telephony systems to cloud or hybrid platforms
• Strong understanding of secure telephony solutions, encryption, and privacy controls

• Education & Prior Experience

• Bachelor’s degree preferred
• 8+ years managing enterprise telephony systems, preferably in a law firm or professional services environment
• Expert-level knowledge of the Avaya telephony platform required
• Extensive experience with additional telephony platforms, including cloud-based and UCaaS solutions (e.g., Microsoft Teams, Zoom, SIP, RingCentral, Cisco)
• Proven track record of successful technology adoption and change management
• Experience with vendor management, contract negotiation, and telecommunications budgeting
• Avaya certifications (ACIS, ACSS, or equivalent), Microsoft Teams Voice/Telephony certifications, UCaaS or cloud telephony certifications preferred