Responsibilities

• External Communications & Media Strategy
• Lead and execute a comprehensive external communications strategy that supports Lumen’s business priorities, transformation agenda, and long-term reputation.
• Own the company’s media strategy, with deep, trusted relationships across top-tier financial, business, and technology media.
• Proactively identify and secure high-impact opportunities to elevate Lumen’s leadership, innovation, and market position.
• CEO & Executive Communications
• Serve as the primary owner of the CEO’s external communications and media engagement, including proactive opportunity development, interview evaluation, and preparation.
• Act as a close counselor to the CEO and senior leadership team, providing strategic guidance on external positioning, messaging, and risk.
• Ensure key spokespeople are consistently media-trained, well-prepared, and aligned to Lumen’s corporate narrative.
• Issues Management & Reputation Protection
• Partner closely with Legal and Public Policy to anticipate, assess, and manage issues that could impact Lumen’s reputation.
• Play a central role in developing strategies to respond to and resolve complex, high-stakes issues in a fast-moving external environment.
• Organizational Leadership & Operating Rigor
• Lead a high-performing, process-oriented organization with a focus on clear operating models, repeatable processes, and consistent execution.
• Build structure and discipline across the function to support scale, agility, and sustained excellence.
• Team Leadership
• Lead a strategically critical team spanning:
• Product & Technology Communications
• Public Affairs
• Enterprise Communications
• Social Media - Develop and mentor senior leaders, fostering strong cross-functional collaboration and a culture of accountability and impact.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in communications, public relations or journalism and mass communications
• Excellent judgement, interpersonal and relationship building skills
• Ability to work lengthy and unpredictable hours
• Strong project management and organizational skills
• Ability to develop strong and compelling stories about complex topics
• Excels in a fast-paced, dynamic work environment
• 5 – 10 years of supervisory experience
• 10 – 15 years experience in corporate communications positions for Fortune 500 company (-ies)