Customer Account Manager – SLED

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

📋 Description

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

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

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

• Lead intricate, multi-service, multi-location, or multi-year renewals, along with RFP/RFQ submissions and executive business assessments.

• Formulate and implement customer strategies that align with E-rate funding cycles, eligible service categories, RFP timelines, budget cycles, and procurement requirements.

• Identify and promote growth opportunities in collaboration with Sales by understanding customer infrastructure needs, funding availability, upcoming procurements, technological initiatives, and service expansion prospects.

• Navigate and utilize state contract vehicles, cooperative purchasing programs, education consortiums, and other public-sector procurement avenues to facilitate renewals and growth.

• Oversee material churn forecasts and develop mitigation plans while balancing customer outcomes with pricing discipline, contract conditions, margins, capital recovery, and long-term account value.

• Develop and negotiate save, replacement, portability, migration, network redesign, relocation, decommission, and contract restructuring strategies.

• Provide senior commercial insight on credits, ETL, portability, contract exceptions, rate increases, renewal pricing, and appropriate revenue treatment.

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

• Act as a knowledgeable advisor to customers regarding Zayo services and their alignment with Public Sector and Education needs, procurement processes, and funding programs.

• Monitor shifts in relevant funding, procurement, and market conditions, translating these changes into actionable account strategies.

• Lead customer business reviews and executive engagements centered on service performance, business objectives, upcoming procurements, renewal preparedness, funding opportunities, and future network needs.

• Mentor less experienced CAMs and contribute to renewal playbooks, training, negotiation practices, and operational standards, especially for Public Sector and Education accounts.

⛳️ Requirements

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

• Proven success in managing large, 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 with multiple stakeholders and extended buying cycles.

• Demonstrated expertise in the E-rate program, showcasing the ability to align Zayo services and customer strategies with E-rate funding cycles, eligible service categories, application timelines, and associated procurement needs.

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

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

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

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

• Significant experience in telecommunications/digital infrastructure is preferred.

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

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

• 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

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

• Sales roles may be eligible to participate in a sales incentive plan.

• Health insurance.

• Life insurance.

• Disability retirement plans.

• Paid time off.

• Comprehensive Health, Dental & Vision Insurance.

• Retirement 401(k) Savings Plan.

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