Account Director Senior Large Enterprise Forward Deployed

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 RoleDriving Technology Adoption, Consumption, and GrowthLumen is evolving what and how we sell—bringing deeper technology fluency, consultative discovery, and business-outcome conversations into every customer engagement. Our Acceleration and Growth team offers distinct opportunities to help customers adopt, use, and expand technology that advances their priorities. This is an opportunity to be part of meaningful change by shaping how we engage, advise, and support customers as their environments become more complex. If you are energized by uncovering new possibilities, building executive alignment, and turning technology investments into measurable outcomes, this role offers the chance to help lead that change.As an Account Director Senior Large Enterprise Strategics, you will own growth across large, important, and potentially global enterprise accounts by translating customer business priorities into measurable outcomes enabled by Lumen’s network, cloud, security, managed services, and orchestration portfolio.As the Account Director Senior, you operate independently from acquisition through modernization, activation, adoption, consumption, and expansion. You set account strategy, shape and negotiate commercial terms, mobilize cross-functional resources, and advise executive stakeholders. Your broad command of customer economics, markets, technology, and complex buying environments makes you a trusted expert to customers and colleagues.The Main ResponsibilitiesOwn and execute a self-directed strategy for a portfolio of large, important, or global accounts, grounded in each customer’s business model, financial priorities, operating risks, technology estate, market context, and competitive position.Anticipate needs before they become formal requirements; develop points of view and use cases that connect modernization to growth, efficiency, resilience, risk reduction, and innovation.Build qualified pipeline through executive relationships, account intelligence, focused prospecting, partners, marketing, and business development.Prioritize investments and resources based on customer potential, solution fit, buying signals, competitive dynamics, and revenue opportunity.Lead discovery across executive, business, technical, operational, and financial stakeholders to define the problem, value at stake, decision path, and urgency to act.Integrate relevant capabilities across Lumen and its partners into a coherent outcome; direct architects and specialists through clear commercial and customer objectives while they own technical design and validation.Build quantified business cases covering expected value, investment, implementation requirements, risk, and cost of inaction.Develop customers’ and colleagues’ understanding of business, market, and solution tradeoffs; influence executive sponsors, economic buyers, technical decision makers, and internal champions.Own new-logo acquisition and expansion against assigned sales, revenue, and consumption goals.Lead complex, high-value sales cycles through qualification, validation, pricing, negotiation, procurement, legal review, and close.Exercise substantial commercial discretion—and, within company governance, full authority to shape and negotiate product, service, pricing, and contract terms.Establish mutual action plans, decision criteria, stakeholder commitments, milestones, and activation dates; surface risks and dependencies early.Plan and manage the account resource model, mobilizing sales, technical, delivery, customer success, channel, and partner teams without relying on formal authority. Retain commercial ownership through implementation and activation; hold downstream partners accountable for customer readiness, delivery commitments, adoption, and value realization.Use consumption data and customer signals to remove adoption barriers, address underutilization, anticipate revenue risk, and identify expansion across workloads, locations, and business units.Convert demonstrated value into modernization, additional use cases, broader executive relationships, recurring revenue, and sustained growth.Serve as a recognized expert across business, financial, market, customer, and portfolio domains; coach peers and contribute account insight that improves sales approaches and solution fit.Activate channel and technology partners through joint targeting, account planning, and selling, with clear ownership and measurable outcomes.Use AI, agents, and automated workflows to improve research, prioritization, outreach, follow-through, and opportunity management; validate outputs and apply sound judgment.Maintain rigorous qualification, stakeholder maps, next steps, forecasts, and CRM records. What We Look For in a Candidate8+ years of enterprise sales experience and sustained quota achievement, with evidence of performance at the scope and complexity described above.Success acquiring and expanding large, important, or global enterprise accounts and closing complex deals with multimillion-dollar total contract value.Broad expertise across customer business and financial drivers, enterprise technology markets, complex buying environments, and relevant solutions such as networking, cloud, security, managed services, or enterprise software.Demonstrated authority and judgment in structuring and negotiating complex product, service, pricing, and contract terms with senior customer leaders.Technical fluency to lead credible discovery, recognize solution opportunities, and direct architects and specialists effectively.Experience planning account strategy independently and orchestrating colleagues and partners across the full customer lifecycle without formal authority.Understanding of recurring-revenue and consumption-based models, including how activation, adoption, and usage create customer value and revenue growth.Practical experience using AI and automation to improve sales execution, with disciplined validation of outputs.Executive presence, sound judgment, and an ownership mindset; you make decisions, surface risk early, give direct feedback, and take responsibility for outcomes. CompensationThis 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$126,518 - $168,683 in these states: GA $132,847 - $177,122 in these states: NC$139,166 - $185,552 in these states: NJ NY 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:BenefitsBonus StructureWhat to Expect NextRequisition #: 344255Life at LumenLife 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 ScreeningIf 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 OpportunitiesWe 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 NoticeLumen 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:DisclaimerThe 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.