Vice President – National Sales – SLED – Public Sector

Overview

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 Vice President of Sales, Public Sector — SLED is responsible for leading Lumen’s State, Local Government, and Education (SLED) sales organization, driving revenue growth, market expansion, and customer outcomes across all SLED verticals including public safety and healthcare. The Vice President role is a leader of senior leaders, owning a national territory covering all 50 states. This executive will set sales strategy, lead and develop high‑performing sales leaders and teams, and partner closely across Lumen’s Public Sector ecosystem—including engineering & architectures, capture, proposals, operations, customer success, product, and compliance—to deliver differentiated solutions for public sector customers.

This role requires deep experience selling complex technology and managed services to state and local governments and education institutions, strong knowledge of procurement vehicles and regulatory environments, and a proven track record of leading large, matrixed sales organizations within the SLED market.

• Sales Strategy & Growth

• Own and execute the go‑to‑market strategy for the SLED segment, aligned with Lumen Public Sector and enterprise growth objectives.

• Drive sustainable, market leading sales and revenue growth across networking, edge, security, cloud connectivity, and managed services portfolios.

• Identify and create market opportunities, shaping with customers modernization, digitization, multi-cloud and AI enablement initiatives, as you prioritize vertical and account investment, and guide long‑range sales planning.

• Establish clear performance metrics, forecasts, and pipeline health standards to ensure predictable, growing results.

• Leadership & Team Development

• Lead, mentor, and develop a senior leadership team of regional and vertical sales leaders.

• Champion, embody and strengthen the Lumen8 culture, driving accountability, collaboration, and customer centricity across the SLED sales organization.

• Partner with Talent Acquisition and HR to attract, develop, and retain top Public Sector sales talent.

• Champion and enable diversity, equity, and inclusion within the sales organization.

• Customer & Partner Engagement

• Serve as an executive sponsor for key state, local government, and education customers.

• Build trusted executive‑level relationships with customer decision‑makers, procurement officials, and partners.

• Represent Lumen at industry events, customer forums, and Public Sector engagements.

• Cross‑Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with Capture & Proposals, Solutions Engineering, Compliance, Operations, Customer Success, and Program Management to deliver end‑to‑end customer outcomes.

• Partner with Product and Marketing teams to provide SLED market insights and influence roadmap priorities.

• Ensure seamless handoffs from sales to delivery, with ongoing collaborative account management.

• Compliance & Operational Excellence

• Ensure sales activities and staff comply with Public Sector regulations, contracting rules, and ethical standards.

• Partner with Pricing, Legal, Contracts and Public Policy to shape governance, legislation, policy, and growth enabling contractual terms, while maintaining prudent risk management.

• Drive disciplined sales processes, CRM adoption, forecasting accuracy, and operational rigor.

• Bachelor’s degree OR equivalent experience; MBA or advanced degree preferred.

• 15 years of progressive sales leadership experience, with significant experience as a senior leader in SLED Public Sector sales.

• Proven track record of leading large, complex sales organizations and achieving multi‑year revenue growth.

• P&L ownership of $500 million minimum

• Deep understanding of SLED…