Account Director II- Regional Enterprise- Forward Deployed, East

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. The work is challenging, expectations are clear, and trust is built into how we operate. If you’re ready to take ownership, deliver meaningful impact, and help shape the future of AI‑ready connectivity, join us today.

The Role

Own expansion and modernization across a portfolio of complex, high-profile Regional Enterprise accounts by connecting customer priorities to measurable outcomes enabled by network, cloud, security, managed services, and related technology solutions. You independently plan the account approach, create demand, shape commercial outcomes, and lead cross-functional pursuit teams without formal authority. Your deep understanding of customer business and financial priorities, market context, and relevant solutions makes you a trusted specialist who develops customers’ and colleagues’ understanding.

The Main Responsibilities

- Own and execute account strategies for complex or high-profile Regional Enterprise customers, including accounts with significant revenue, broad geographic reach, and diverse needs.
- Analyze each customer’s business model, financial priorities, operating challenges, technology environment, and buying signals to identify whitespace, stakeholders, use cases, and funding paths.
- Build qualified expansion pipeline through executive relationships, proactive discovery, account intelligence, partners, marketing, and focused prospecting.
- Prioritize opportunities and resources based on customer value, solution fit, competitive dynamics, risk, and revenue potential; provide input that improves colleagues’ account approaches.
- Lead consultative discovery with executive, business, technical, operational, and financial stakeholders to define desired outcomes, value at stake, decision criteria, and urgency.
- Translate customer needs into outcome-based solution narratives and quantified business cases addressing value, investment, implementation considerations, risk, and cost of inaction.
- Serve as a recognized expert in one or more business, sales, product, or service areas; develop customer and colleague understanding through informed points of view and best practices.

- Direct and coordinate Solutions Engineering, Customer Success, Product, Delivery, Marketing, channel, and partner resources around clear customer and commercial objectives.

- Own expansion opportunities through qualification, solution validation, proposal, negotiation, close, and transition to activation.
- Exercise broad authority and moderate-to-considerable discretion, within company governance, to shape and negotiate product, service, pricing, and commercial terms with senior customer stakeholders.
- Establish mutual action plans, stakeholder commitments, milestones, and next steps; identify customer risk, competitive threats, and dependencies early.
- Lead small-to-medium cross-functional pursuit teams without supervisory authority and hold contributors accountable for agreed actions and customer outcomes.
- Maintain rigorous account plans, stakeholder maps, pipeline coverage, qualification, forecasts, next steps, and CRM records.
- Use AI, agents, and automated workflows to improve research, prioritization, meeting preparation, follow-through, and opportunity management; validate outputs and apply sound judgment.
- Share customer and market insight, coach peers on proven practices, and help improve sales execution and solution fit.

What We Look For in a Candidate

- 6+ years of complex B2B sales experience, or equivalent evidence of capability, with sustained success growing existing customer relationships and achieving sales goals.
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent education and experience; practical experience with AI-enabled sales tools is preferred.
- Experience owning complex or high-profile accounts and advancing multi-stakeholder technology opportunities from discovery through negotiation and close.
- Deep expertise in one or more relevant domains, such as customer business and financial drivers, networking, cloud, security, managed services, or enterprise technology sales.
- Demonstrated judgment and discretion in structuring and negotiating product, service, pricing, or commercial terms with senior customer stakeholders.
- Ability to plan account strategy independently, influence colleagues’ approaches, and lead cross-functional teams without formal authority.
- Strong executive communication, business-case development, forecasting, pipeline management, and CRM discipline.

#projectvelocity

Compensation

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

Location Based Pay Ranges

$109,649 - $146,192 in these states: FL  GA  IN  KS  OH  PA  SC  TN  WI 
$115,133 - $153,507 in these states: MI  MN  NC 
$120,617 - $160,812 in these states: DC  IL  MA  MD  NJ  NY  VA

Lumen offers a comprehensive package featuring a broad range of Health, Life, Voluntary Lifestyle benefits and other perks that enhance your physical, mental, emotional and financial wellbeing. We're able to answer any additional questions you may have about our bonus structure (short-term incentives, long-term incentives and/or sales compensation) as you move through the selection process.   Learn more about Lumen's: Benefits (https://jobs.lumen.com/global/en/benefits-statement) Bonus Structure (https://jobs.lumen.com/global/en/compensation-information)

What to Expect Next

Requisition #: 343666

Life at Lumen

Life at Lumen is human and connected, even in a fast moving, AI‑focused organization. We set clear expectations and trust people to meet them. With real support and shared accountability, teams collaborate better, move faster, and deliver meaningful outcomes.

Our Lumen 8 behaviors guide how we interact, make decisions, and work together, shaping a culture built to perform and win.

To learn more about Life at Lumen and how we live the Lumen 8, please visit:  
https://jobs.lumen.com/global/en/life-at-lumen

Background Screening

If you are selected for a position, there will be a background screen, which may include checks for criminal records and/or motor vehicle reports and/or drug screening, depending on the position requirements. For more information on these checks, please refer to the Post Offer section of our FAQ page . Job-related concerns identified during the background screening may disqualify you from the new position or your current role. Background results will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Equal Employment Opportunities

We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all persons regardless of race, color, ancestry, citizenship, national origin, religion, veteran status, disability, genetic characteristic or information, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, family status, pregnancy, or other legally protected status (collectively, “protected statuses”). We do not tolerate unlawful discrimination in any employment decisions, including recruiting, hiring, compensation, promotion, benefits, discipline, termination, job assignments or training.

Privacy Notice

Lumen is committed to protecting the privacy and security of personal information collected during the recruitment and hiring process. Our Applicant Privacy Notice explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect applicant information, as well as how individuals may request access to or deletion of their personal data.

To review Lumen’s Global Employment Applicant and Talent Community Privacy Notice, please visit:
https://jobs.lumen.com/global/en/privacy-notice

Disclaimer

The job responsibilities described above indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not intended to include a comprehensive inventory of all duties and responsibilities for this job. Job duties and responsibilities are subject to change based on evolving business needs and conditions.

In any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.

Please be advised that Lumen does not require any form of payment from job applicants during the recruitment process. All legitimate job openings will be posted on our official website or communicated through official company email addresses. If you encounter any job offers that request payment in exchange for employment at Lumen, they are not for employment with us, but may relate to another company with a similar name.