Senior Manager Custom Networks Transformation (Remote, US)

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 RoleThe Senior Manager, Transformation Lead for Custom Networks is responsible for supporting strategic planning, governance, and execution across a portfolio of initiatives that improve operational performance, customer experience, and financial outcomes. This role partners with line leaders and initiative owners to establish a disciplined operating cadence, drive cross-functional alignment, and ensure initiatives are integrated into the broader operating roadmap while delivering measurable value.The Main ResponsibilitiesStrategic Planning & Roadmap IntegrationSupport cross-functional teams through the full lifecycle of transformation initiatives, from idea intake and gating through execution, tracking, and value capture.Maintain and refine the Custom Networks transformation roadmap in partnership with leadership, ensuring alignment to operating priorities, goals, metrics, and customer delivery outcomes.Help ensure initiatives integrate into the broader operating roadmap and are clearly coordinated with deployment, engineering, permitting, project controls, and partner management functions.Operating Cadence, Governance, and Execution LeverageCoordinate the weekly transformation cadence, including leadership reviews, workstream sessions, and escalation paths; ensure the right participants attend and actions are tracked to closure.Serve as a central coordinator for priorities across multiple workstreams, maintaining visibility into what is active, what is next, what is blocked, and where leadership decisions are needed.Apply governance practices that strengthen accountability, transparency, and consistent reporting across the organization.Tracking, Reporting, and Value CaptureOperate performance tracking mechanisms, including KPIs, milestone plans, cost/schedule health, risks/issues, and reporting routines to monitor initiative effectiveness and delivery health.Manage gating workflows with stakeholder inputs and approvals to ensure readiness, impacts, dependencies, and decisions are understood before initiatives move forward.Partner with Finance and other stakeholders to support benefits tracking and ensure operational improvements are connected to measurable outcomes such as cost reduction, productivity, cycle time, and customer experience.Technology Enablement & Automation (where applicable)Identify opportunities to leverage automation and technology solutions, including process automation and AI-enabled approaches, to reduce operational friction and improve customer and employee experience.Partner with IT, tool owners, and product teams to document requirements, support solution adoption, and enable scalable process improvements.Stakeholder Leadership & Change EnablementBuild and maintain strong relationships with internal stakeholders and cross-functional leaders; foster collaboration and remove barriers to execution.Act as a trusted partner to initiative owners and sponsors by strengthening plans, clarifying actions, identifying risks, and helping move work forward through effective governance.Support a structured approach to organizational change and adoption, reinforcing disciplined execution, transparency, and continuous improvement.Risk Assessment & MitigationIdentify delivery, financial, process, tooling, and adoption risks; coordinate mitigation plans and escalate issues with clear options and recommended next steps.What We Look For in a CandidateRequiredBachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.8+ years relevant experience in program/project management, business operations, transformation, governance, or related disciplines.Demonstrated ability to drive cross-functional execution through governance, operating cadence, action tracking, and stakeholder coordination.Strong communication, organization, problem-solving, and influence skills with the ability to engage senior leaders and cross-functional partners.Experience developing clear executive-ready materials, status updates, action logs, and performance reporting.PreferredAgile/Lean-Agile, scaled delivery, and change management experience.Experience with automation, process improvement, and/or technology-enabled transformation.Familiarity with enterprise tool implementation impacts a