Job description

Director of Sales - Central POSITION SUMMARY The Director of Sales is a frontline sales leader responsible for the revenue performance of an assigned region. This leader manages a direct team of Account Directors, setting clear goals, coaching to execution, and holding the team accountable for pipeline, forecast, and bookings. The Director of Sales is hands-on in the field, partnering with Account Directors on strategic accounts, deal strategy, competitive positioning, and executive engagement to improve win rates and accelerate revenue. They maintain an accurate, well-inspected forecast, enforce strong CRM hygiene and sales discipline, and make sure every deal is structured to deliver strong value for customers and healthy economics for Alkira. The Director of Sales reports to the Senior Director of Sales and is accountable for the predictability, growth, and overall performance of their region. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Regional Ownership & Quota Attainment Own regional bookings and revenue targets, consistently meeting or exceeding quota for the territory. Translate company and Senior Director priorities into a clear regional plan with defined account coverage, targets, and milestones. Identify market opportunities, coverage gaps, and execution risks in the region early and take decisive action. Team Leadership & Coaching Lead, coach, and develop a direct team of Account Directors responsible for named accounts across the region. Set clear expectations and individual goals, and hold each Account Director accountable for pipeline, forecast, and results. Run regular one-on-ones, account plan reviews, and deal reviews to raise the quality of execution across the team. Recruit, onboard, and ramp top sales talent, and address performance issues promptly and fairly. Pipeline, Forecasting & Sales Discipline Drive consistent pipeline creation and opportunity progression across the team, with a strong focus on early-stage coverage. Deliver an accurate, predictable weekly and quarterly forecast with clear visibility for sales leadership. Enforce CRM hygiene and rigorous deal inspection using a consistent sales methodology and operating cadence. Deal Execution & Customer Engagement Partner directly with Account Directors on strategic opportunities, including deal strategy, competitive positioning, negotiation, and close plans. Engage senior customer and partner executives to build trusted relationships and support complex, multi-stakeholder deals. Structure deals that create strong customer value while protecting margin and long-term value for Alkira. Cross-Functional & Partner Collaboration Partner with Sales Engineering, Marketing, Customer Success, Sales Operations, Sales Enablement, and Finance to drive regional results. Work with channel, cloud, and alliance partners to extend regional reach and support co-sell motions. Provide field feedback on market, competitive, and customer trends to sales and product leadership. REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS 8+ years of enterprise technology sales experience, including 3+ years managing a team of enterprise sellers. Proven track record of meeting or exceeding quota as both a seller and a frontline manager in a B2B software, SaaS, or infrastructure company. Experience selling complex, multi-stakeholder solutions into large enterprise accounts. Demonstrated ability to coach sellers, run deal and pipeline reviews, and deliver an accurate forecast. Strong skills in deal strategy, negotiation, and pricing with a focus on margin and long-term value. Established relationships with senior technology and business executives in the region. Proficiency with Salesforce or comparable CRM and a sales methodology such as MEDDPICC, Command of the Message, or Challenger. Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience. PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS Background in networking, cloud infrastructure, network security, or SD-WAN. Experience co-selling with hyperscalers (AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud) and channel or GSI partners. Experience building and scaling a sales team in a high-growth or pre-IPO environment. MBA or advanced degree. WHAT WE OFFER Competitive base salary, variable compensation Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage. 401(k) retirement plan. Flexible paid time off and company holidays. The opportunity to shape a category-defining company and build a winning regional team. ABOUT ALKIRA Alkira, a Lumen company , is building the future of enterprise networking: one programmable platform to connect, secure, and operate every cloud, site, partner, data center, and AI workload. Founded by Amir and Atif Khan, the creators of Viptela and pioneers of the SD-WAN market, Alkira was built to radically simplify how enterprises deploy and manage network infrastructure. Today, as part of Lumen, we are bringing that cloud-native operating model to a global network foundation trusted by the world’s largest enterprises. Our platform helps customers move faster without managing hardware, stitching together providers, or operating fragmented cloud networks. Teams can build and scale connectivity on demand, apply consistent security and segmentation, and gain visibility across distributed environments from one place. At Alkira, you’ll help shape the next chapter of networking: cloud-like consumption, private-network performance, and total control across the enterprise. We move fast, solve hard problems, and build technology that changes how global businesses connect. Join us and help build the future of networking. COMPENSATION This information reflects the anticipated base salary range for this position based on current national data. Minimums and maximums may vary based on location. Individual pay is based on skills, experience and other relevant factors. Location Based Pay Ranges: $139,166 - $255,145 Life at Alkira, a Lumen Connect Solution Life at Alkira is human and connected, even in a fast moving, AI‑focused organization. We set clear expectations and trust people to meet them. With real support and shared accountability, teams collaborate better, move faster, and deliver meaningful outcomes. Our Lumen 8 behaviors guide how we interact, make decisions, and work together, shaping a culture built to perform and win. To learn more about Life at Alkira, a Lumen Connect Solution and how we live into the Lumen 8, please visit: jobs.lumen.com Background Screening If you are selected for a position, there will be a background screen, which may include checks for criminal records and/or motor vehicle reports and/or drug screening, depending on the position requirements. For more information on these checks, please refer to the Post Offer section of our FAQ page. Job-related concerns identified during the background screening may disqualify you from the new position or your current role. Background results will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. Equal Employment Opportunities We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all persons regardless of race, color, ancestry, citizenship, national origin, religion, veteran status, disability, genetic characteristic or information, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, family status, pregnancy, or other legally protected status (collectively, “protected statuses”). We do not tolerate unlawful discrimination in any employment decisions, including recruiting, hiring, compensation, promotion, benefits, discipline, termination, job assignments or training. Privacy Notice Alkira, a Lumen Connect Solution is committed to protecting the privacy and security of personal information collected during the recruitment and hiring process. Our Applicant Privacy Notice explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect applicant information, as well as how individuals may request access to or deletion of their personal data. To review Alkira's Global Employment Applicant and Talent Community Privacy Notice, please visit: jobs.lumen.com Disclaimer The job responsibilities described above indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not intended to include a comprehensive inventory of all duties and responsibilities for this job. Job duties and responsibilities are subject to change based on evolving business needs and conditions. In any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information. Please be advised that Alkira, a Lumen Connect Solution does not require any form of payment from job applicants during the recruitment process. All legitimate job openings will be posted on our official website or communicated through official company email addresses. If you encounter any job offers that request payment in exchange for employment at Alkira, a Lumen Connect Solution , they are not for employment with us but may relate to another company with a similar name.

Requirements

Must-haves

Director of Sales - Central
Regional Ownership & Quota Attainment
Own regional bookings and revenue targets, consistently meeting or exceeding quota for the territory.
Translate company and Senior Director priorities into a clear regional plan with defined account coverage, targets, and milestones.
Identify market opportunities, coverage gaps, and execution risks in the region early and take decisive action.
Team Leadership & Coaching
Lead, coach, and develop a direct team of Account Directors responsible for named accounts across the region.
Set clear expectations and individual goals, and hold each Account Director accountable for pipeline, forecast, and results.
Run regular one-on-ones, account plan reviews, and deal reviews to raise the quality of execution across the team.
Recruit, onboard, and ramp top sales talent, and address performance issues promptly and fairly.
Pipeline, Forecasting & Sales Discipline
Drive consistent pipeline creation and opportunity progression across the team, with a strong focus on early-stage coverage.
Deliver an accurate, predictable weekly and quarterly forecast with clear visibility for sales leadership.
Enforce CRM hygiene and rigorous deal inspection using a consistent sales methodology and operating cadence.
Deal Execution & Customer Engagement
Partner directly with Account Directors on strategic opportunities, including deal strategy, competitive positioning, negotiation, and close plans.
Engage senior customer and partner executives to build trusted relationships and support complex, multi-stakeholder deals.
Structure deals that create strong customer value while protecting margin and long-term value for Alkira.
Cross-Functional & Partner Collaboration
Partner with Sales Engineering, Marketing, Customer Success, Sales Operations, Sales Enablement, and Finance to drive regional results.

Nice-to-haves

Background in networking, cloud infrastructure, network security, or SD-WAN.
Experience co-selling with hyperscalers (AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud) and channel or GSI partners.
Experience building and scaling a sales team in a high-growth or pre-IPO environment.
MBA or advanced degree.

Application prep

Use the role’s language and application details while tailoring your materials.

Keywords to mirror

awsazureai

Platform: bamboohr
Effort: medium

Benefits

Benefits detected in the listing.

Dental

Vision

401(K)

Paid Time Off