Customer Account Manager – SLED

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in California.

📋 Description

• Oversee the post-implementation customer relationship, recurring revenue strategy, and continuity for large and intricate Public Sector and Education accounts.

• Act as a strategic customer partner and revenue steward, handling renewals, retention, churn risk, expansion opportunities, and complex customer requirements across Zayo's services.

• Build and sustain operational, commercial, and executive relationships with Public Sector and Education customers and account teams.

• Formulate multi-year account, renewal, and network plans based on customer priorities, service needs, contract status, funding cycles, procurement timelines, competitive risks, and financial exposure.

• Manage revenue protection, churn management, renewal execution, and expansion strategies for assigned accounts.

• Lead intricate, multi-service, multi-location, or multi-year renewals, RFP/RFQ responses, and executive business reviews.

• Design and implement customer strategies in line with E-rate funding cycles, eligible service categories, RFP timelines, budget cycles, and procurement requirements.

• Identify and promote growth opportunities with Sales by understanding infrastructure needs, funding availability, upcoming procurements, technology initiatives, and service expansion chances.

• Navigate state contract vehicles, cooperative purchasing programs, education consortiums, and other public-sector procurement methods.

• Manage churn forecasts and mitigation plans, balancing customer outcomes with pricing discipline, contract terms, margin, capital recovery, and long-term account value.

• Develop and negotiate strategies for saving, replacement, portability, migration, network redesign, relocation, decommissioning, and contract restructuring.

• Provide senior commercial judgment regarding credits, ETL, portability, contract exceptions, rate increases, renewal pricing, and revenue treatment.

• Coordinate customer requirements and decisions across Sales, Sales Engineering, Finance, Billing, Legal, Deal Management, Service Assurance, Service Delivery, Product, and Operations.

• Advise customers on Zayo services and their alignment with Public Sector and Education requirements, procurement processes, and funding programs.

• Monitor funding, procurement, and market conditions, translating changes into actionable account strategies.

• Lead customer business reviews and executive engagements focused on service performance, business priorities, procurements, renewal readiness, funding opportunities, and future network needs.

• Mentor less-experienced CAMs and contribute to renewal playbooks, training, negotiation practices, and operating standards.

⛳️ Requirements

• Generally 6+ years of experience in Customer Retention, Strategic Account Management, Client Services, Sales, or a similar customer-facing role; senior positions typically require 8+ years.

• Proven success in managing large, complex SLED accounts, including public-sector, government, education, K-12, higher education, or other similarly procurement-intensive organizations.

• Demonstrated experience in managing complex, strategic, or high-revenue customer relationships with multiple stakeholders and extended buying cycles.

• Proven expertise in the E-rate program, including funding cycles, eligible service categories, application timelines, and related procurement requirements.

• Strong knowledge of SLED procurement processes, including RFP/RFQ development, formal bidding processes, state contract vehicles, cooperative purchasing programs, and education consortiums.

• Familiarity with state and local government purchasing environments and complex procurement, contracting, budgeting, and approval processes.

• Advanced experience in renewals, retention, commercial negotiations, RFP/RFQ response, contract execution, and revenue preservation.

• Strong understanding of churn, gross and net revenue retention, renewal performance, discount performance, and recurring revenue management.

• Significant experience in telecommunications or digital infrastructure is preferred.

• Excellent executive-level communication, presentation, negotiation, and facilitation skills.

• Strong analytical, organizational, project management, and problem-solving abilities.

• Capability to manage complex timelines and multiple competing priorities effectively.

• Ability to collaborate effectively across Sales, Sales Engineering, Finance, Legal, Operations, Service Delivery, Product, and other cross-functional teams.

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in Business, Sales, Public Administration, Education, or a related field is preferred.

• Willingness and ability to travel based on customer and business needs.

🏝️ Benefits

• Health insurance.

• Life insurance.

• Disability retirement plans.

• Paid time off.

• Excellent Health, Dental & Vision Insurance.

• Retirement 401(k) Savings Plan.

• Generous paid time off policy including paid parental leave.

• Discretionary annual incentive plan may be available for non-sales roles.

• Sales incentive plan may be available for sales roles.

• Reasonable accommodation during the employment selection process for individuals with disabilities.