NaaS Technology Architect

About Lumen

Lumen connects the world. We are igniting business growth by connecting people, data and applications - quickly, securely, and effortlessly. Together, we are building a culture and company from the people up - committed to teamwork, trust and transparency. People power progress.

Lumen's commitment to workplace inclusion and employee support shines bright. We've made the Newsweek 2024 Greatest Workplaces for Diversity list and achieved a perfect score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index (CEI) for the fifth consecutive year. Plus, we're the top employer in the communications and telecom industry, ranking 12th overall across all industries in The American Opportunity Index.

We're looking for top-tier talent and offer the flexibility you need to thrive and deliver lasting impact. Join us as we digitally connect the world and shape the future.

The Role

Lumen Technology Architects are driven by a commitment to harnessing technological advancements for the benefit of humanity. In this dynamic, customer-facing role, Technology Architects collaborate with our Sales, Solution Engineering, and Customer Success teams, spearheading innovative discussions that drive the growth of our enterprise clients.

Technology Architects are responsible for designing and architecting solutions using our technology services platform. A successful candidate in this role will possess a strong inclination to integrate technical expertise with sales capabilities, coupled with business insight, to comprehend business needs, formulate a technical sales strategy, and present solutions that meet customer requirements and deliver business value.

Location

The Professional in this role should reside in the continental USA and be willing to travel when required for client and internal meetings. Chicago,IL is a preferred business location for this role.

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The Main Responsibilities

• Specialized Solution Design: This role serves as the expert for Solution Engineers at Lumen, offering in-depth knowledge when it comes to specific technologies or products. It clarifies unclear requirements with sales and clients, ensuring the solution addresses core client issues, and provides guidance and alternatives to customer requirements.

• Specialist Expertise: In the specialist vertical, offer design, solution best practices, and industry knowledge to sales teams during the customer lifecycle. Involve other specialists to create cross-functional, multi-product solutions. Stay updated on industry technology trends via self-study and training and share this knowledge with supported teams and peers.

• Product Partnership: Collaborates with Product Management to enhance processes and design within specific product areas and advises relevant departments on solutions. Actively contributes strategic and tactical insights for new product development across the organization.

• Customer Meetings: Participates in customer meetings both onsite and through collaboration tools. Develops and presents technical proposals and presentations tailored to the audience's business understanding. Offers comprehensive answers to questions about solutions and technologies.

• Shows strong skills in solution selling and proactive communication with customers. Engages with all levels of the customer's management team.

• Custom Solutions: Thorough grasp of technical and product limitations within specialization areas and knowledge of multi-product interactions, including standard offerings, special approvals, and non-viable solutions. Collaborate with the account team to guide custom requests through the approval process.

• Sales Enablement: Assists Sales Teams by sharing expertise on processes, key contacts, technology, and products via phone, written communication, or live training sessions.

What We Look For in a Candidate

• General Experience: Minimum of 5 years pre-sales role responsible for needs identification, qualification, and solutions design with certain products/applications.

• Technical Knowledge: Networks-as-a-Service, NFV, MEF/Carrier Ethernet, TCP/IP, BGP, Internet, MPLS, SASE, DDOS, Network Security, Cloud Connect to GCP, Azure, AWS, Oracle

• Communication: Ability to independently orchestrate & lead discussions with clients across many levels including C-level, VPs and Directors within IT.

• Sales Ability: Proven track record of success attaining sales quota through leveraging technical relationships to up-sell existing customers and calling on new leads/prospects to generate business within an assigned territory utilizing solution selling methodologies.

• Communication: Advanced written and verbal communication skills. Proven ability to work with multiple levels of decision making. Clearly articulate technical solutions in writing, on the phone, using video, or in person.

• Problem Solving: Expert problem-solving skills and ability to methodically understand and resolve complex issues across multiple products to integrate into a seamless customer solution. Must demonstrate the ability to focus ambiguous customer needs into specific, deliverable requirements. Must demonstrate creative solution development.

• Work Style: Ability to work independently, part of a team or pull together and lead a team to build complex customer solutions. Must be able to build strong team relationships and easily transfer technical information. Ability to work under pressure with tight deadlines and on multiple projects simultaneously. Must be very detail oriented and demonstrate a high degree of accuracy. Attention to detail with good organizational capabilities. Ability to prioritize with good time management skills.

• Presentation Skills: Must possess expert level communication skills capable of creating engaging proposals and presenting to customers at any level of expertise.

• Advanced knowledge and usage of computer business applications such as Outlook, Word, Excel, Visio, and PowerPoint required.

• Education: Bachelor's Degree in a related field or equivalent industry experience in the private sector or military

• Industry certification: In one or more specialized technologies are a plus

• Business Travel required

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:

$115,763 - $154,350 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, and WY.

$121,559 - $162,068 in these states: CO, HI, MI, MN, NC, NH, NV, OR, and RI.

$127,344 - $169,785 in these states: AK, CA, CT, DC, DE, IL, MA, MD, NJ, NY, TX, VA, and WA.

Lumen offers a comprehensive package featuring a broad range of Health, Life, Voluntary Lifestyle benefits and other perks that enhance your.