Technology Architect - Transport

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 passionate about leveraging technology innovation for the betterment of humanity. This exciting customer-facing Technology Architect role will work in partnership with our Sales, Solution Engineering & Customer Success Executives, leading innovative conversations that help shape the growth of our enterprise customers.

Technology Architects design and architect solutions utilizing our technology services platform. The successful Technology Architect must have a strong desire to leverage their technical and sales skills, including business acumen, to understand business requirements, develop a technical sales strategy, and effectively present solutions that address our customers’ requirements and provide business value.

The Transport Technology Architect works complex and/or significant and/or strategic opportunities involving Lumen’s Wavelengths, Dark Fiber products, Managed Optical Fiber Networks and Managed Optical OTN Networks. The ideal candidate for this position will have the ability to effectively communicate complex solutions with customers, sales and sales engineering teams, network planning, engineering, architecture teams, as well as interact with product managers in the above lines of business. The Transport Architect has significant network design experience and is considered a Subject Matter Expert on all facets of the Transport Architecture role, providing thought leadership back to Lumen’s internal groups on the industry and product suite.

Location

The Professional in this role will reside in the continental United States and can work from home.

The Main Responsibilities

1. Specialized Solution Design: This role is the go-to expert for Solution Engineers at Lumen when very deep knowledge and experience is needed for a particular technology or product. Clarifies ambiguous requirements with sales and clients, ensuring the solution resolves underlying client issues.
2. Specialist Expertise: Provide on-demand design, solution best practices and industry expertise, by proactively pulling in other specialists, expand the solution to be cross functional and multi-product.
3. Product Partnership: Partners with Product Management in areas of process and design improvement within specific product area and contacts impacted departments to recommend potential solutions. Proactively provides input on strategic and tactical plans for new product development to teams across the organization.
4. Customer Meetings: Leads and/or attends customer meetings in person and via collaboration tools. Provides broad scope responses to solution and technology questions. Demonstrates advanced solution selling abilities and effective, pro-active customer communications.
5. Custom Solutions: Exceptional understanding of technical and product boundaries within areas of specialization and understanding of multi-product solutions and how these products interact with each other.
6. Sales Enablement: Works to self-enable the Sales Teams by freely sharing knowledge of process, key contacts, technology, and product in their area of specialization over the phone, in writing or through live trainings.
7. Pre-sales responsible for needs identification, qualification, and solutions design with certain products/applications.

What We Look For in a Candidate

1. Technical Knowledge: Demonstrated understanding of advanced applications across multiple product areas with extensive knowledge of competitive offerings and trends.
2. Network Planning experience.
3. Optical Equipment (DWDM) experience.
4. Understanding of Layer 1 Technology and how it is used in Wide Area Networks.
5. Fundamental understanding of Layer 2 Technology and how it is used in Wide Area Networks.
6. Solid Understanding of Layer 1 OTUk and Wavelengths product set.
7. Solid Understanding of Layer 1 DWDM protection and encryption.
8. Solid Understanding of Outside Plant Fiber practices, and fiber network construction.
9. Communication: Ability to independently orchestrate & lead discussions with clients across many levels including C-level, VPs and Directors within IT.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. Work Style: Ability to work independently, part of a team or pull together and lead a team to build complex customer solutions.
14. Presentation Skills: Demonstrate expert level communication skills capable of creating engaging proposals and presenting to customers at any level of expertise.
15. Education: Bachelor's Degree in related fields or equivalent industry experience in the private sector or military.

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Compensation

The starting salary for this role differs based on the employee's primary work location. Employees typically do not start at the top of the range, though compensation depends on each individual's qualifications. The listing below is for the base salary and does not include other incentives that may be possible with this position.

Location Based Pay Ranges

1. $104,740 - $174,570 in these states: AR, ID, KY, LA, ME, MS, NE, SC, SD
2. $110,250 - $183,750 in these states: AL, AZ, FL, GA, IA, IN, KS, MO, MT, ND, NM, OH, OK, PA, TN, UT, VT, WI, WV, WY
3. $115,770 - $192,940 in these states: CO, HI, MI, MN, NC, NH, NV, OR, RI
4. $121,280 - $202,130 in these states: AK, CA, CT, DC, DE, IL, MA, MD, NJ, NY, TX, VA, WA

As with the pay range variety that's based on the region of a country, specific offers are determined by various factors such as experience, education, skills, certifications and other business needs.

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.