Customer Account Manager, SLED

Company Description

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.

Position Overview

Responsible for leading the post-implementation customer relationship, recurring-revenue strategy, and customer continuity for large and complex Public Sector and Education accounts, including state and local government agencies, K-12 school districts, higher education institutions, and related public-sector organizations.

This role serves as a strategic customer partner and revenue steward, managing renewals, retention, churn risk, expansion opportunities, and complex customer requirements across Zayo's services. The CAM works closely with Sales and cross-functional partners to align customer priorities, procurement requirements, funding cycles, and network needs with Zayo's capabilities.

The role requires strong knowledge of the SLED market and the ability to navigate complex procurement environments, including E-rate funding cycles, RFP/RFQ processes, state contract vehicles, cooperative purchasing programs, and education consortiums. The CAM is expected to translate these market and procurement dynamics into proactive account, renewal, and growth strategies.

Responsibilities

- Develop and maintain strong operational, commercial, and executive relationships with Public Sector and Education customers and their account teams.

- Develop multi-year account, renewal, and network plans informed by customer priorities, service needs, contract position, funding cycles, procurement timelines, competitive risk, and financial exposure.

- Own revenue protection, churn management, renewal execution, and expansion strategy for assigned accounts.

- Lead complex, multi-service, multi-location, or multi-year renewals, RFP/RFQ responses, and executive business reviews.

- Develop and execute customer strategies aligned to E-rate funding cycles, eligible service categories, RFP timelines, budget cycles, and procurement requirements.

- Identify and advance growth opportunities in partnership with Sales by understanding customer infrastructure needs, funding availability, upcoming procurements, technology initiatives, and service expansion opportunities.

- Navigate and leverage state contract vehicles, cooperative purchasing programs, education consortiums, and other public-sector procurement mechanisms to support renewals and growth.

- Manage material churn forecasts and mitigation plans while balancing customer outcomes with pricing discipline, contract terms, margin, capital recovery, and long-term account value.

- Develop and negotiate save, replacement, portability, migration, network-redesign, relocation, decommission, and contract-restructuring strategies appropriate to the customer and procurement environment.

- Provide senior commercial judgment on credits, ETL, portability, contract exceptions, rate increases, renewal pricing, and appropriate revenue treatment.

- Coordinate complex customer requirements and decisions across Sales, Sales Engineering, Finance, Billing, Legal, Deal Management, Service Assurance, Service Delivery, Product, and Operations.

- Serve as a knowledgeable customer advisor on Zayo services and their alignment to Public Sector and Education requirements, procurement processes, and funding programs.

- Monitor changes in relevant funding, procurement, and market conditions and translate those changes into actionable account strategies.

- Lead customer business reviews and executive engagements focused on service performance, business priorities, upcoming procurements, renewal readiness, funding opportunities, and future network requirements.

- Mentor less-experienced CAMs and contribute to renewal playbooks, training, negotiation practices, and operating standards, particularly for Public Sector and Education accounts.

Qualifications

- Typically, 6+ years of experience in Customer Retention, Strategic Account Management, Client Services, Sales, or a comparable customer-facing role; senior assignments typically require 8+ years.

- Demonstrated success managing large, complex SLED accounts, including public-sector, government, education, K-12, higher education, or similarly procurement-intensive organizations.

- Demonstrated experience managing complex, strategic, or high-revenue customer relationships with multiple stakeholders and extended buying cycles.

- Demonstrated expertise in the E-rate program, including the ability to align Zayo services and customer strategies with E-rate funding cycles, eligible service categories, application timelines, and related procurement requirements.

- Strong understanding of SLED procurement processes, including RFP/RFQ development, formal bid processes, state contract vehicles, cooperative purchasing programs, and education consortiums.

- Familiarity with state and local government purchasing environments and the ability to navigate complex procurement, contracting, budgeting, and approval processes.

- Advanced experience in renewals, retention, commercial negotiations, RFP/RFQ response, contract execution, and revenue preservation.

- Strong understanding of churn, gross and net revenue retention, renewal performance, discount performance, and recurring-revenue management.

- Significant telecommunications / digital infrastructure experience preferred.

- Executive-level communication, presentation, negotiation, and facilitation skills, with the ability to build credibility across customer stakeholders ranging from operational users to senior decision makers.

- Strong analytical, organizational, project-management, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to manage complex timelines and multiple competing priorities.

- Ability to work effectively across Sales, Sales Engineering, Finance, Legal, Operations, Service Delivery, Product, and other cross-functional teams.

- Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in Business, Sales, Public Administration, Education, or a related field preferred.

- Willingness and ability to travel based on customer and business needs.

Estimated base salary range: $75,390 - $107,700 USD / annually.

#LI-REMOTE

The base pay range shown is a guideline and reasonable estimate for this role. It takes into account the wide variety of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions. Actual compensation offered may vary from the posted range based upon geographic location, work experience, skill level, certifications, and other business and organizational needs. Non- sales roles may be eligible to participate in a discretionary annual incentive plan. Sales roles may be eligible to participate in a sales incentive plan.

Additionally, this position may be eligible for certain benefits, such as health insurance, life insurance, disability retirement plans, paid time off.

The posting will be active for a minimum of 3 days. The active posting will continue to extend by 3 days until the position is filled.

Benefits, Rewards & Wellness

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

Zayo is an equal opportunity employer to all protected groups, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. If you are an individual with a disability and would like to request a reasonable accommodation as part of the employment selection process, please contact us.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

As part of the application, hiring, onboarding, and/or employment process, Zayo or its affiliates, partners, and vendors may collect, store, and use biometric identifiers and biometric information (collectively, “Biometric Data”), such as fingerprints, facial geometry scans or other unique biological characteristics. Zayo uses CLEAR1, a third-party identity verification service, to verify applicant identity during the hiring process. CLEAR1 may collect Biometric Data, including facial geometry scans and/or other biometric identifiers, to authenticate your identity. Biometric Data will be retained pursuant to CLEAR1’s policies, which can be found here: https://www.clearme.com/clear1-credential-policy-crp. Zayo will not sell, lease, trade, or otherwise profit from any applicant's or employee's Biometric Data. By proceeding with your application, you acknowledge this disclosure. Prior to any collection of Biometric Data — including through CLEAR — you may be presented with a separate consent form and asked to provide your written authorization in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws, including the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA), the Texas Capture or Use of Biometric Identifier Act (CUBI), and other applicable biometric privacy statutes.