Sr Lead Sales Engineer

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. 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

Responsible for selling services and retaining revenue by providing technical customer support to assigned accounts. The Sr Lead Sales Engineer interacts with customers to execute the technical aspects of the sales strategy by developing appropriate solutions and building technical relationships. The SE is able to focus ambiguous customer needs into specific, deliverable requirements and solutions to help qualify and quantify opportunities. The SE resolves technical issues arising during the sales engagement, helps clients define specifications and requirements, develops solutions, and provides technology presentations to both technical and management-level audiences. The SE acts in a leadership role across the organization providing mentorship and training to other SE’s.

The Main Responsibilities

Essential Duties:

• Customer Meetings and Meeting Preparation: Leads and attends customer meetings in person and via the phone. Prepares highly complex level technical proposals and presentations. Provides broad scope responses to product and industry questions. Demonstrates advanced solution selling abilities and effective, pro-active customer communications. Interacts with all levels of customer's management team.
• Customer Solution Development: Analyzes customers business needs and develops intermediate range strategies based on knowledge of customer’s current communication network, equipment, and business on how company can competitively meet customer’s needs. Independently completes highly difficult custom designs.
• Internal and External Training: Advises customers and sales on technical aspects of company products including fit to customer’s needs, features, availability, etc. Serves as mentor, team lead, and technical advisor to more junior colleagues by providing first level escalation, direction, and assistance. Actively involved in industry organizations and forums.
• Thought Leadership/Process Improvement: Internal feedback loop to product and sales leadership teams on customer experience, product features/functionality, and service implementation/management. Provides training to internal groups.
• Customer Advocate: Escalation route for Sales Engineering Specialists - acts as customer advocate as necessary for pre-sales activities and minimal post-sales activities.

Knowledge, Skills or Abilities:

• Communication: Advanced written and verbal communication skills. Must have the ability to build relationships over the phone. Must have proactive communication style ensuring timely status of projects to account team and customers. Must be able to extract hidden or unrealized customer requirements and gain consensus on these requirements with the customer. Ability to focus ambiguous customer needs into specific, deliverable requirements. Able to develop relationships and communicate with high level customer technical staff and executives.
• Technical Skills: Advanced understanding of voice/data/internet applications, communications technology, and network design with expert understanding of 1 or more specialized products. Advanced understanding of technical terminology related to company products and services. Requires general knowledge of voice and data communications equipment. Advanced understanding of sales cycles and solution selling process, preferably at multiple levels, i.e., Internet and Enterprise. Advanced level presentation skills.
• Problem Solving: Expert analytical skills. Must be able to work through complex issues with a methodical approach. Expert ability to graphically depict solutions in a compelling manner.
• Work Style: Able to work independently and as part of a team. Able to work under pressure with tight deadlines. Able to work on multiple projects simultaneously. Must be detail oriented.
• Computer Skills: Advanced MS Office Suite knowledge and usage. Able to learn internal company systems, such as Siebel, Granite, and Network Engineer.
• Business Acumen: Must have an intermediate understanding of company financial measures. Must have advanced understanding of telecommunications industry and sales cycles.
• Able to travel as needed (Approx. 50%).
• Security clearance may be required.

 

What We Look For in a Candidate

Basic Qualifications: