Senior Director Custom Networks Programs

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 Senior Director Custom Networks Programs provides senior leadership for large-scale, high-value customer programs ($10B+), ensuring disciplined execution, contractual compliance, and delivery certainty from initiation through completion.

Drives and develops directions for multiple functions across multiple teams. Acts as the senior escalation and decision authority, proactively managing risk, change, and recovery plans to protect customer outcomes and business commitments.

Drives cross‑functional alignment across multiple functions and executive‑level reporting to ensure transparency, accountability, and consistent delivery performance at the customer level.

Location

This is a work from home position within the U.S.

The Main Responsibilities

• Ownership of program intake and change control, ensuring scope, execution plans, and financial impacts are aligned at inception and throughout the lifecycle.
• Lead a high-performing team, including managers and senior professionals, accountable for delivery, governance, and operational excellence across customer programs.
• Identify and leverage synergies across customer programs to improve efficiency, consistency, and execution clarity across regional and national teams.
• Drive cross‑functional alignment across regional, national and partner teams to ensure cohesive execution and disciplined delivery.
• Lead executive‑level governance and reporting, providing transparent, actionable insight into customer delivery performance, risks, and dependencies.
• Serve as the senior escalation point for delivery risk, deviations from plan, and scope change, driving decisive resolution, recovery strategies, and corrective action.
• Provide strategic input to executive management on program performance, key risks, investment trade-offs, and actions required to protect delivery and business outcomes.
• Establish, standardize, and govern program management frameworks, governance practices, and performance disciplines across customer programs to improve consistency, scalability, predictability, and executive decision-making.
• Influence internal stakeholders to remove execution barriers, accelerate decision-making, and maintain delivery against committed customer outcomes.
• Shape the governance strategy, operating model, and decision framework across regional, national, and partner functions to ensure aligned execution against enterprise and customer commitments.

What We Look For in a Candidate

• Bachelor's degree and/or equivalent experience, with 12+ years of relevant experience in program, portfolio, or PMO leadership roles, including 5+ years leading managers or senior professionals in complex delivery environments.
• Executive communicator, capable of clear, concise reporting at customer and leadership levels, translating delivery complexity into actionable insight.
• Deep expertise in enterprise‑level program and portfolio governance, including intake, prioritization, and disciplined change control across large customer scopes.
• Exceptional ability to influence senior internal stakeholders, drive alignment across functions, and remove execution barriers without direct authority.
• Demonstrated success leading managers and senior professionals, building high-performing teams, and driving accountability through layered leadership structures.
• Broad business acumen with the ability to balance customer commitments, enterprise priorities, financial impacts, and operational trade-offs in complex decision-making environments.

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

• $174,876 - $233,168 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
• $183,621 - $244,827 in these states: CO HI MI MN NC NH NV OR RI
• $192,364 - $256,486 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.

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.

Additional Information

• #LI-Remote
• Requisition #: 342396
• Background Screening: If selected, a background screen will be conducted.
• Equal Employment Opportunities: We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all persons.
• Privacy Notice: Lumen is committed to protecting the privacy and security of personal information.
• Disclaimer: The job responsibilities described above indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification.
• Fraud Warning: Lumen does not require any form of payment from job applicants during the recruitment process.