Senior Manager Network Planning (Remote, US)

About this role

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 Manager, Network Planning provides enterprise-level leadership for network capacity, investment, and deployment planning across assigned technologies, markets, or programs. This role converts business demand, network performance, customer commitments, and technology strategy into prioritized, executable network plans. The Senior Manager leads managers and/or senior professional teams, establishes operating discipline, and is accountable for measurable planning outcomes, capital stewardship, delivery confidence, and executive visibility.

Operating with broad autonomy, this leader shapes multi-year planning strategy, resolves complex cross-functional dependencies, and influences decisions across Product, Architecture and Engineering, Finance, Sales, Operations, Procurement, and Implementation. The role requires strong technical judgment, business acumen, people leadership, and the ability to communicate risk, options, and recommendations clearly to senior executives.

Location and Schedule

This is a full time remote/work from home position in the USA. The typical schedule is Monday-Friday 8am-5pm. May require occasional weekends or evenings depending on the needs of the business.

The Main Responsibilities

Strategic Network Planning & Portfolio Leadership

• Lead strategy, priorities, and operating plans for a portfolio spanning capacity, modernization, optimization, and growth.

• Translate business strategy, product roadmaps, demand forecasts, and network constraints into multi-year investment plans with defined outcomes.

• Drive integrated planning across network domains to ensure end-to-end alignment and effective investment decisions.

• Establish governance, decision frameworks, and escalation paths while providing senior leaders with recommendations and tradeoffs.

Capital Governance & Business Outcomes

• Lead capital planning, prioritization, forecasting, and variance management to balance customer needs, growth, risk reduction, and network efficiency.

• Develop investment proposals with clear business rationale, scope, dependencies, milestones, benefits, and financial impact.

• Partner with Finance and delivery teams to manage commitments, spending, forecast accuracy, and recovery plans.

• Improve capital efficiency through optimization, architectural alternatives, commercial options, and process improvements.

Operational Execution, Risk & Delivery

• Convert planning decisions into executable projects with defined scope, ownership, funding, and delivery readiness.

• Manage dependencies across engineering, procurement, operations, implementation, vendors, and business stakeholders.

• Lead portfolio risk and issue management, including mitigation plans and executive escalation.

• Measure network health, forecast quality, delivery readiness, capital efficiency, and business impact.

Data, Automation & Decision Intelligence

• Champion data-driven planning through improved data quality, analytics, and decision transparency.

• Lead dashboards, scorecards, scenario modeling, and automated reporting to improve visibility and efficiency.

• Leverage analytics, AI-enabled tools, and predictive methods to identify constraints, evaluate alternatives, improve forecasts, and accelerate decisions.

• Ensure governance, validation, and accountability for automated and AI-assisted insights.

Executive Communication & Cross-Functional Influence

• Represent Network Planning in executive reviews, investment discussions, and cross-functional decision forums.

• Translate complex technical and financial information into clear business impacts, recommendations, risks, and actions.

• Build stakeholder alignment by framing options, facilitating decisions, and driving accountability.

• Influence outcomes through strong cross-functional partnerships.

People Leadership & Organizational Capability

• Lead, coach, and develop managers, planners, analysts, and technical professionals while setting clear performance expectations.

• Build a high-performing organization through talent planning, succession management, and development.

• Align resources to strategic priorities, address capability gaps, and adapt team structures as business needs evolve.

• Foster a culture of ownership, collaboration, transparency, and continuous improvement.

Scope & Decision Accountability

• Own outcomes across a significant network planning portfolio, multiple programs, or broad geographic and technology scope.

• Make and recommend decisions involving capital priorities, customer impacts, operational risk, technical options, and delivery constraints.

• Operate independently on complex issues, escalating with recommendations when enterprise tradeoffs are required.

• Retain accountability for portfolio health, execution, and results.

What We Look For in a Candidate

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Business, Finance, Data Science, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience.

• 8+ years of progressive experience in network planning, telecommunications, infrastructure strategy, engineering, operations, financial planning, or a related discipline.

• 3+ years of formal people leadership…