Lead Sales Engineer

Job Description

About CenturyLink
CenturyLink (NYSE: CTL) is the second largest U.S. communications provider to global enterprise customers. With customers in more than 60 countries and an intense focus on the customer experience, CenturyLink strives to be the world’s best networking company by solving customers’ increased demand for reliable and secure connections. The company also serves as its customers’ trusted partner, helping them manage increased network and IT complexity and providing managed network and cyber security solutions that help protect their business.

The Lead Sales Engineer sells services and retains revenue by providing technical customer support to assigned accounts. The Lead SE interacts with customers to execute the technical aspects of the sales strategy by developing appropriate solutions and building technical relationships. The SE converts ambiguous customer needs into specific, deliverable requirements and solutions, to help qualify and quantify opportunities. The Lead Sales Engineer 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.

• Attend customer meetings in person and via the phone
• Prepare moderately complex technical proposals, presentations, and custom designs
• Provide moderate scope responses to product and industry questions and demonstrate proficient solution selling and effective, pro-active customer communications.
• Analyze customers’ business needs and develop intermediate range strategies based on knowledge of customer’s current communication network, equipment, business, and how to competitively meet customer’s needs.
• Advise customers and sales on technical aspects of company products, including fit to customer’s needs, features, availability, etc.
• Utilize expertise to help streamline and improve Sales and SE processes
• Regularly recommend improvements to management team, and outline changes needed to the process, products, and pricing based on the requirements.
• Escalation route for Sales Engineer I & II – serve as customer advocate as necessary for pre-sales activities and minimal post-sales activities.

• Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering or similar and 8+years of experience; or 10+ years of relevant experience, including customer facing experience
• Advanced presentation skills
• Success building relationships in person and virtually via phone or skype
• Advanced understanding of voice/data/internet applications, communications technology, network design, and technical terminology experience for company products and services
• A strong understanding of Wavelength and Ethernet services including design concepts (e.g. physical fiber route diversity, equipment diversity, and building diversity). Ability to communicate equipment used to support Wavelength or Ethernet services (e.g. DWDM, L2 Switch) and how resiliency works within these networks in the event of a fiber cut.
• Understanding of managed or unmanaged IP-VPN services, SDWAN (e.g Viptela, Meraki), Hosted Voip platforms. Managed meaning CenturyLink procures the managed router or device and operates the devices on the behalf of the customer. Be able to discuss QoS, CoS, queueing, policing, and shaping of traffic
• Proven success working through complex issues with a methodical approach
• Ability to work under pressure, under tight deadline, with multiple projects simultaneously
• Advanced ability to graphically depict solutions in a compelling manner
• Proactive focus to extract hidden, ambiguous or unrealized customer requirements, to gain and deliver consensus on these requirements with the customer
• Intermediate understanding of company financial measures, telecommunications industry and sales cycles
• Ability to travel as needed (Approx. 50%)
• Security clearance may be required

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in a related field

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Alternate Location: US-Minnesota-Eagan; US-Minnesota-Eden Prairie; US-Minnesota-Maple Grove; US-Minnesota-Minneapolis; US-Minnesota-Minnetonka; US-Minnesota-Plymouth; US-Minnesota-Roseville; US-Minnesota-Saint Cloud; US-Minnesota-St Paul; US-Minnesota-Woodbury

Requisition # : 214680

This job may require successful completion of an online assessment. A brief description of the assessments can be viewed on our website at http://find.centurylink.jobs/testguides/

EEO Statement

We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all persons regardless of race, color, ancestry, citizenship, national origin, religion, veteran status, disability, genetic characteristic or information, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, family status, pregnancy, or other legally protected status (collectively, “protected statuses”). We do not tolerate unlawful discrimination in any employment decisions, including recruiting, hiring, compensation, promotion, benefits, discipline, termination, job assignments or training.

Disclaimer

The above job definition information has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job. Job duties and responsibilities are subject to change based on changing business needs and conditions.