[Hiring] Senior Lead Network Architect @Lumen

Role Description

Join Lumen as a Senior Lead Network Architect and help transform our large-scale network infrastructure. You will design resilient, scalable architectures across Internet and MPLS core networks, VPN edge services, and Metro Ethernet technologies. You will also advance network automation, streaming telemetry, closed-loop assurance, and AI-enabled operations to improve service reliability, performance, security, and operational efficiency.

Main Responsibilities

• Own the architecture and evolution of resilient, scalable Internet, MPLS core, VPN edge, and Metro Ethernet networks.
• Develop architecture standards and roadmaps for routing, switching, MPLS, multicast, carrier Ethernet, merchant-silicon platforms, optics, and high-speed interfaces.
• Design and govern network automation using model-driven interfaces, open APIs, infrastructure as code, reusable service models, automated testing.
• Design and develop streaming telemetry and observability solutions for network health, performance, capacity, service-level assurance, and compliance.
• Design and develop event-driven and closed-loop workflows for provisioning, validation, anomaly response, and remediation.
• Evaluate and apply AI-enabled capabilities for anomaly detection, predictive analytics, capacity forecasting, incident correlation, root-cause analysis, and guided operations.
• Lead proof-of-concepts, technical and economic evaluations, platform selection, and cross-functional architecture decisions.
• Provide technical leadership across IP, Optical/Transport, operations, security, data, and software engineering teams.

Qualifications

• You must be a US Citizen or Permanent Resident/Green Card for consideration.
• A Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Mathematics, or a related discipline.
• CCIE and/or JNCIE certifications are highly preferred.

Requirements

• 10 years of architecture and engineering experience in large-scale carrier, web-scale, or service-provider networks.
• Deep expertise in IGP, BGP, MPLS, multicast, VPN, and traffic-engineering technologies, including IS-IS, OSPF, Segment Routing, MP-BGP, RSVP-TE, LDP, PIM, IGMP, M-LDP, Layer 3 VPNs, VPLS, and EVPN.
• Demonstrated experience designing and supporting large-scale routing infrastructures, including IGP domains exceeding 1,000 nodes and multi-tier route-reflection architectures.
• Strong knowledge of routing and switching platforms, merchant silicon, optics, SERDES, and MPLS forwarding and control-plane mechanisms.
• Experience with carrier-grade Metro Ethernet technologies and standards, including IEEE 802.3, OAM, QinQ, MEF service profiles, and MPLS-based scaling.
• Hands-on experience with production network automation and telemetry using Python, Ansible, NETCONF/YANG, RESTCONF, gNMI, gRPC, APIs, event-driven workflows, automated testing.
• Strong communication, influence, and negotiation skills, including experience supporting major capital decisions and multi-year vendor agreements.

Company Description

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.