It Procurement Executive

About the Role

At Exotel, we build high-scale cloud communications and conversational AI platforms. We are looking for a sharp, tech-savvy Technical Procurement Lead to manage vendor selection, contract negotiation, and lifecycle management for our core Infrastructure (Telco) and AI/SaaS stack.

About Exotel

You will act as the bridge between Engineering, Product, Legal, Finance, and external vendors. You shouldn't just process purchase requestsyou should understand what our engineering teams are building, translate vague tool requirements into clear vendor evaluations, optimize cost structures (from GPU consumption to enterprise SaaS licensing), and automate procurement operations.

Key Responsibilities

1. AI SaaS & Tech Vendor Selection (50%)

• Partner with Product and AI/ML Engineering teams to translate ambiguous requirements into technical specifications for Speech-to-Text (STT), Text-to-Speech (TTS), LLMs, and AI tooling.
• Evaluate pricing architectures: understand token-based consumption, API rate limits, GPU credit models, and basic vs. enterprise/dedicated hosting tiers.
• Conduct structured vendor research, build evaluation matrices across technical performance, compliance (SOC 2, ISO, GDPR), and total cost of ownership (TCO).
• Run RFPs, present comparative analyses, and recommend optimal vendor suites to leadership.

2. Telco & Infrastructure Procurement (50%)

• Manage procurement for telecom resources, bandwidth, direct inward dialing (DIDs), carrier connectivity, and hardware/cloud infra.
• Negotiate commercial terms, volume discounts, SLAs, and payment terms with global telecom operators and SaaS providers.
• Drive vendor onboarding, contract execution, and SLA tracking in partnership with Legal and Finance teams.

3. Procurement Automation & Process Optimization

• Automate internal procurement workflows (intake requests, approval chains, renewal alerts) using no-code tools (Zapier/Make), scripts, or internal tooling.
• Track software usage, GPU credit burn rates, and license utilization to eliminate shelfware and prevent unexpected overage charges.

What We are Looking For

• Experience: 3 to 6 years in Technical Procurement, FinOps, IT Sourcing, or Tech Operations within a SaaS, Cloud, or Telecom environment.
• AI & SaaS Nuance: Demonstrated understanding of modern AI pricing (OpenAI, Anthropic, ElevenLabs, Deepgram, AWS/GCP GPU credit structures).
• Vendor Management: Proven track record in vendor negotiation, contract drafting support, and vendor lifecycle management.
• Cross-functional Execution: Strong ownership to shepherd deals through Legal (DPAs, SLAs), Security assessments, and Accounts Payable.
• Automation Mindset: Comfort using automation tools, APIs, or scripts to reduce manual admin work.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience in Cloud Telephony, CCaaS, or AI-first tech companies.
• Hands-on experience with spend management tools (e.g., Spendflo, Vendr, Tropo, or Jira Service Management).