Senior Manager - Spares Operations

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.

Leads the enterprise Critical Sparing Program, ensuring network and CPE restoration capabilities remain ready, responsive, and reliable through disciplined execution, urgency, and accountability. Owns end‑to‑end operational performance across equipment availability, expedited fulfillment, logistics, recovery, repair, replenishment, asset lifecycle governance, escalations, financial management, and continuous improvement. Ensures accelerated replacement of out‑of‑box and service‑impacting equipment failures to protect the customer experience, minimize downtime, and enable timely restoration and installation activities.

Maintains 24x7 operational readiness for critical customer events, network incidents, emergency response, and business continuity requirements. Partners cross‑functionally to drive operational excellence, network resilience, and customer experience.

This is a remote opportunity open to candidates located anywhere in the U.S.

• Own urgent, disciplined execution across the full spares lifecycle, including fulfillment, transportation, proof of delivery, depot replenishment, reverse logistics, repair/RMA, reclamation, asset recovery, billing, reconciliation, and closure.
• Establish program governance, operating controls, priorities, and improvement plans that directly support restoration speed, customer experience, service‑level commitments, and financial objectives.
• Maintain 24x7 operational readiness for network and CPE outages, critical installations, severe weather, disasters, and business continuity events as a core member of the Emergency Response Team.
• Serve as the senior escalation leader for urgent program issues, order failures, DOA replacements, transportation delays, repair constraints, and other customer‑or service‑impacting events requiring immediate action.
• Represent the Sparing Program in senior leadership forums, customer reviews, Service Assurance activities, network reliability initiatives, and enterprise operational events where readiness, response, and risk mitigation are critical.
• Lead managers, analysts, and operational teams with clear accountability, timely decision‑making, performance expectations, workforce planning, and succession development.
• Own performance management and business reviews covering availability, delivery SLA, restoration milestones, repair turnaround, return compliance, freight performance, asset recovery, and capital avoidance.
• Use analytics, root‑cause analysis, and decisive corrective action to resolve process gaps, duplicate orders, high‑failure parts, DOA/damage trends, logistics issues, and recurring service risks.
• Partner with Inventory Planning, Service Assurance and Technology Planning and Engineering on deployed‑base analysis, sparing requirements, min/max levels, forecasting, depot strategy, gap mitigation, and capital recommendations; partner with Vendor Quality and Strategic Sourcing on hardware quality, supplier…