SR SPECIALIZED SALES-CLOUD

Lumen is the trusted network for the AI-powered world, connecting people, data, and applications through our expansive fiber network and connected ecosystem. We enable secure, high-performance connectivity across cloud, edge, and AI workloads for enterprises, governments, and communities. At Lumen, you’ll work on infrastructure customers rely on today and build for what’s next, where performance, security, and resilience matter. This is a high accountability environment where bold ideas drive real innovation for our customers, partners, and industry.

About the role

The Data Center Specialized Sales Team has three areas of focus:

• Act as a change champion with a strong passion for coaching, industry, and consultative sales experience. Provide consistent best practice reinforcement and mentoring to sales professionals, shifting mindset, elevating skills, and ensuring teams leverage proper resources to feel supported and set up for success.
• Create a foundation for outcome-based solutions by evangelizing and advocating Lumen’s business impact and thought leadership to Data Center customers. Identify business outcomes and demonstrate how Lumen’s growth services can deliver those outcomes to uncover and enable new opportunities for Lumen account teams.
• Coach the sales and customer success organization through local enablement programs, working with stakeholders to mentor teams, increase knowledge and capability, and support the transformation of the organization to grow pipeline and increase the mix of solutions sold.

Responsibilities

• Support early-stage customer development, with a focus on Data Center service offerings and connectivity solutions. Work alongside the sales team to position Lumen services directly with customers.
• Serve as a virtual member of the team, accountable for the technology outcome vision for customers. Work closely with account teams as part of the early opportunity pursuit function, including early-stage engagement, opportunity discovery, development, and support post-sale.
• Develop knowledge and understanding of customers’ business, industry, technology trends, and competitors.
• Facilitate the pursuit strategy, identification, and development of opportunities for sales and customer success representatives.
• Establish business relationships at senior levels of a customer to facilitate the introduction of how solutions align with customer outcomes.
• Orchestrate and deliver content, information, and tools to prepare sellers to meet Lumen’s business goals, including building client relationships, identifying client needs, and demonstrating how Lumen’s platform can meet those needs.
• Support thought leadership to generate new areas for Lumen to upsell and cross-sell.
• Interface with the product organization to capture customer input on areas of improvement needed to drive greater adoption of Lumen Data Center offerings.
• Continually evaluate and deploy new and improved enablement methods and initiatives.
• Collaborate with Product, Marketing, and Sales Operations to create content.
• Drive initiatives, track and measure performance, and design and lead Solutions Development/Unfreezing/Advisement Workshops.
• Track and measure the results of enablement programs and regularly report results to key business stakeholders.

Requirements

• Ability to speak, articulate, and collaborate with the C-suite of customers on NaaS (Network as a Service).
• Strong technical knowledge of Data Center operations and sales.
• Ability to orchestrate and provide the “bridge” between Product, Enablement, Sales, and Customers.
• Consultative, inquisitive approach to customer engagement (listen to understand, not to respond).
• Proven track record of managing successful GTM (Go-To-Market) programs, especially as they relate to the launch of Minimum Viable Products (MVPs).
• Ability to translate high-level vision into customer use-cases and case studies, as well as translate Lumen’s technical capabilities into customer technology applications.
• Technical understanding of the digital marketplace/workflow.
• Strong consultative selling expertise with the ability to lead with questions and curiosity, not product.
• Program management experience as it relates to sales enablement and business development motions.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of applicable education and experience required; MBA or related graduate degree preferred.
• Strong relationship skills.
• Experience selling Data Center Services, managed services, and applications.
• Exceptional strategic planning and solution management experience.
• Experience as a strategic member of a sales team who contributes significantly to the growth and development of the business.
• High energy level and demonstrated drive to succeed.

Pay

This information reflects the anticipated base salary range for this position based on current national data. Minimums and maximums may vary by location. Individual pay is based on skills, experience, and other relevant factors.

• $148,441 - $197,921 in NJ, NY
• $141,694 - $188,925 in VA, NC
• $134,946 - $179,928 in GA

Lumen offers a comprehensive package featuring a broad range of health, life, voluntary lifestyle benefits, and other perks that enhance physical, mental, emotional, and financial wellbeing. Additional details about our bonus structure (short-term incentives, long-term incentives, and/or sales compensation) will be provided during the selection process.