Senior Manager Custom Networks Transformation

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 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.

Strategic Planning & Roadmap Integration

* Support 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 Leverage

* Coordinate 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 Capture

* Operate 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 Enablement

* Build and maintain strong relationships with internal stakeholders and cross-functional leaders; foster collaboration and