Senior Manager, Solutions Engineering – Public Sector SLED

Zayo provides mission-critical bandwidth to the world’s most impactful companies, fueling the innovations that are transforming our society. Zayo’s 141,000-mile network in North America and Europe includes extensive metro connectivity to thousands of buildings and data centers. Zayo’s communications infrastructure solutions include dark fiber, private data networks, wavelengths, Ethernet, and dedicated Internet access. Zayo serves wireless and wireline carriers, media, tech, content, finance, healthcare and other large enterprises.

About the role

Zayo is seeking a Senior Manager, Solutions Engineering – Public Sector SLED to be primarily responsible for enabling Solutions Engineers (SEs) to maximize their potential in driving top line revenue in partnership with Sales. This First-Line Manager (1LM) position will coach SEs to navigate their day-to-day responsibilities and ongoing career trajectory, requiring both tactical and strategic understanding of the SE role, including technical expertise, business and customer expertise, and workflow and process expertise.

The Senior Manager, Solutions Engineering is expected to occasionally act as a “player-coach” by engaging in opportunity-oriented work while also providing management-level engagement in deal-level and customer-level interactions, both internally and externally. This role involves driving mentor-like relationships with direct reports, handling confidential or sensitive matters with professionalism, and focusing on talent development, engagement, and retention within the team.

Reporting to the Vice President of Solutions Engineering, this role ensures compliance with pre-defined SE team performance metrics and contributes to the development of strategy, tools, and measurements for organizational growth. The Senior Manager will also lead strategic projects aligned with the broader mission of the SE Organization.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of (typically five to ten) Solution Engineers, maximizing their potential to drive new revenue and fulfill the mission of the SE Organization.
• Serve as the primary mentor for direct reports, guiding both day-to-day and long-term role responsibilities to maximize engagement and retention.
• Act as the primary point of technical and solutioning escalation for customers and internal stakeholders within the team.
• Serve as a feedback loop between SEs and higher leadership to ensure clear dissemination of organizational direction and capture of SE feedback.
• Manage the day-to-day responsibility queue of the SE team to ensure completion of all tasks in a manner that meets or exceeds SLA targets.
• Provide management-level technical consultation to customers and internal stakeholders to accelerate the sales cycle and drive opportunities from development to close.
• Coach direct reports and others within the ecosystem to navigate complex solutioning scenarios.
• Ensure fulsome communication between Sales and SE ecosystems to dynamically respond to Sales priorities.
• Engage directly in solutioning on an as-needed basis.
• Provide guidance to Sales and SEs on the most complex solutioning scenarios.
• Stay abreast of the competitive landscape and emerging technologies to best position Zayo in the marketplace.
• Define opportunities for coaching Sales and SEs in technical, product, or business-oriented areas.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• Minimum of twelve (12) years’ experience in a technical or sales role within the telecommunications industry, with at least seven (7) years as a peer leader in technical sales engineering or Solution Engineering.
• Minimum of ten (10) years' experience in the Public Sector, SLED vertical.
• Previous experience in a leadership role, especially in Sales or Sales/Solution Engineering leadership, preferred.
• Demonstrated leadership and coaching capabilities.
• Expert-level technical and design skills with MAN and WAN technologies required.
• Experience with Colocation and Cloud IaaS offerings a plus.
• Excellent presentation skills (development and delivery) with experience presenting to CIO, CTO, and other stakeholders.
• Ability to handle sensitive issues with discretion and confidentiality.
• Ability to handle ambiguity and quickly react to changes in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to explain technical concepts in simple terms.
• Consistent focus on results and goal achievement.
• Ability to travel as needed.

Skills

• Expertise in networking protocols, design, and products across the OSI model.
• Understanding of Fiber Optic network design and implementation.
• Expert-level understanding of the telecom ecosystem and customer technology ecosystems.
• Strong knowledge of State, Local, and Education procurement processes and regulations.

Pay

Estimated Base Salary Range: $140,000.00 - $170,000.00 USD annually. The base pay range is a guideline and may vary based on geographic location, work experience, skill level, certifications, and other business and organizational needs. Non-sales roles may be eligible for a discretionary annual incentive plan, while sales roles may participate in a sales incentive plan.

Benefits

• Excellent Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance.
• Retirement 401(k) Savings Plan.
• Generous paid time off policy, including paid parental leave.