Customer Account Manager – SLED

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

📋 Description

• Oversee the customer relationship following implementation, focusing on recurring revenue strategies and ensuring continuity for significant and intricate Public Sector and Education accounts.

• Establish and sustain operational, commercial, and executive relationships with Public Sector and Education clients and account teams.

• Formulate multi-year account, renewal, and network strategies tailored to customer priorities, service requirements, contract status, funding cycles, procurement schedules, competitive risks, and financial exposure.

• Take charge of revenue protection, churn management, renewal processes, and expansion strategies for designated accounts.

• Manage complex renewals, RFP/RFQ submissions, and executive business reviews that involve multiple services, locations, or years.

• Create and implement customer strategies that align with E-rate funding cycles, eligible service categories, RFP schedules, budget cycles, and procurement necessities.

• Identify and promote growth opportunities in collaboration with the Sales team.

• Navigate state contract vehicles, cooperative purchasing programs, education consortiums, and other procurement strategies within the public sector.

• Oversee churn forecasts and mitigation strategies while balancing customer outcomes with pricing discipline, contractual terms, margins, capital recovery, and long-term account value.

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

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

• Coordinate customer demands across various departments including Sales, Sales Engineering, Finance, Billing, Legal, Deal Management, Service Assurance, Service Delivery, Product, and Operations.

• Guide clients on Zayo services and their relevance to Public Sector and Education requirements, procurement processes, and funding initiatives.

• Monitor funding, procurement, and market trends, translating these changes into actionable strategies for accounts.

• Lead customer business reviews and high-level engagements.

• Mentor junior Customer Account Managers (CAMs) and contribute to the development of renewal playbooks, training materials, negotiation practices, and operational standards.

⛳️ Requirements

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

• Proven track record in managing substantial, complex SLED accounts, encompassing public-sector, government, education, K-12, higher education, or similarly procurement-intensive organizations.

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

• Proficient understanding of the E-rate program, with the capability to align Zayo services and customer strategies with E-rate funding cycles, eligible service categories, application timelines, and associated procurement requirements.

• Strong grasp of SLED procurement processes, encompassing RFP/RFQ creation, formal bidding procedures, state contract vehicles, cooperative purchasing programs, and education consortiums.

• Familiarity with state and local government purchasing environments, along with the capability to navigate complex procurement, contracting, budgeting, and approval processes.

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

• Comprehensive 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.

• Executive-level communication, presentation, negotiation, and facilitation skills, with the ability to establish credibility with customer stakeholders ranging from operational users to senior decision-makers.

• Strong analytical, organizational, project management, and problem-solving abilities, capable of managing complex timelines and multiple competing priorities.

• Ability to work efficiently across Sales, Sales Engineering, Finance, Legal, Operations, Service Delivery, Product, and various cross-functional teams.

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

• Willingness and capability to travel as required by customer and business needs.

🏝️ Benefits

• Non-sales positions may qualify for participation in a discretionary annual incentive plan.

• Sales positions may be eligible for inclusion in a sales incentive plan.

• Health insurance coverage.

• Life insurance benefits.

• Disability retirement plans.

• Paid time off allowances.

• Comprehensive Health, Dental & Vision Insurance.

• Retirement 401(k) Savings Plan.

• Generous paid time off policy, including paid parental leave.