Lean Portfolio Manager

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

The Lean Portfolio Manager leads portfolio strategy, governance, and execution across Product Infrastructure. Working across Product Management, Engineering, Operations, Finance, and executive leadership, this role aligns enterprise initiatives and product-development investments with corporate priorities and measurable business outcomes.

The Lean Portfolio Manager acts as a trusted advisor to Product Infrastructure leadership, driving governance, prioritization, investment decisions, and coordinated delivery across multiple programs and product lines. The role provides portfolio-level visibility, risk management, resource alignment, and executive communications while enabling teams to move strategic initiatives successfully from concept through launch.

By centralizing portfolio governance, prioritization, risk and dependency management, executive reporting, and continuous improvement, this role allows product managers to concentrate on product strategy, customer needs, and roadmap decisions. It also gives Product Infrastructure leadership clearer insights and decision support, improves execution consistency, and reduces fragmented administrative work.

Location

This role is designated as a fully remote position within the United States.

The Main Responsibilities

Portfolio Strategy & Governance

• Lead enterprise portfolio planning, prioritization, and governance processes across Product Infrastructure.
• Establish and manage portfolio roadmaps aligned with long-term business and product strategy.
• Facilitate executive decision-making through portfolio reviews, investment recommendations, and strategic trade-off analysis.
• Develop portfolio health metrics, KPI dashboards, and executive reporting structures.

Business Case & Investment Management

• Coordinate business-case inputs, including risk assessments and executive recommendations, by partnering with Product, Finance, Engineering, Network, and Operations to validate assumptions, financial impacts, and decision requirements.
• Lead NPI governance and coordinate development execution across each gate, and other required decision points.
• Monitor benefits realization and performance against approved business cases.

Program & Cross-Functional Leadership

• Provide portfolio-level oversight for complex, enterprise-wide programs involving multiple organizations and stakeholders.
• Partner deeply with Product Managers across Product Infrastructure, providing portfolio governance, prioritization, dependency management, risk visibility, and executive coordination so they can focus on product strategy, customer outcomes, and roadmap execution.
• Identify dependencies, risks, constraints, and resource requirements across initiatives.

Execution Excellence

• Establish repeatable portfolio management practices, governance frameworks, and operating rhythms.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on reducing cycle times, increasing transparency, and improving execution effectiveness.
• Develop standards, templates, processes, and methodologies supporting product and portfolio management maturity.

Executive Communications & Leadership Support

• Create and deliver executive briefings, leadership presentations, portfolio reviews, and strategic updates.
• Support strategic planning, organizational alignment, portfolio operating rhythms, and executive decision support for Product Infrastructure leadership.
• Prepare executive-level materials for executive leadership, SteerCo, Board, and operating reviews.

What We Look For in a Candidate

Required Qualifications:

• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in Portfolio Management, Program Management, Product Management, Business Operations, or Strategy.
• Demonstrated experience managing large-scale, enterprise-level portfolios and cross-functional initiatives.
• Strong financial acumen with experience coordinating investment inputs, validating assumptions and financial impacts with cross-functional partners, and translating analysis into executive recommendations.
• Experience enabling executive leadership teams through strategic planning, portfolio governance, executive reporting, decision support, and portfolio operating rhythms; this role does not own day-to-day operational management.
• Proven ability to influence senior leaders and drive alignment without direct organizational authority.
• Expertise in portfolio management methodologies, governance frameworks, and strategic planning.
• Exceptional communication, presentation, facilitation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong analytical judgment and the ability to translate complex information into executive-ready insights.
• Experience within telecommunications, technology, infrastructure, SaaS, networking, or related industries preferred.
• Ability to balance strategic thinking with detailed execution oversight.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Portfolio Management Professional (PfMP), PMP, Agile, Lean Six Sigma, or equivalent certifications.
• Experience supporting business-case governance, coordinating financial inputs, and partnering with Finance and Product Management on investment analysis.
• Knowledge of product lifecycle management and NPI governance.
• Experience with Power BI, Clarity PPM, JIRA, Confluence, SharePoint, Visio, Microsoft Copilot, and executive reporting tools.
• Executive presentation development and storytelling expertise.
• Organizational change management and operational transformation experience.

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

$132,232 - $176,310 in these states: AL AR AZ FL GA IA ID IN KS KY LA ME MO MS MT ND NE NM OH OK PA SC SD TN UT VT WI WV WY $138,844 - $185,124 in these states: CO HI MI MN NC NH NV OR RI $145,456 - $193,940 in these states: AK CA CT DC DE IL MA MD NJ NY TX VA WA

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:

LI-Remote

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Requisition #: 344236

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:

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.

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To review Lumen’s Global Employment Applicant and Talent Community Privacy Notice, please visit:

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.