Principal AI-Driven Software Architect (Remote)

Lumen; Montpelier (VT); Remote; USD 152,000 - 223,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Life insurance

Voluntary lifestyle benefits

Job summary

Lumen seeks a Principal Software Architect to bring classically trained architecture discipline and AI-augmented design to the DJAS team. You will apply architectural principles across microservices, event-driven systems, and API-first design, ensuring scalability, reliability, and security across complex multi-system environments.

You will mentor engineers, lead design reviews, and stay engaged from architecture through delivery, partnering with cloud, security, and domain architects to drive

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, or related field with 12+ years of software architecture experience
• Master's degree with 10+ years of software architecture experience
• AI-first practitioner integrating AI tools as a routine part of architecture work
• Demonstrated examples of AI accelerating or improving work
• Classically trained software architecture background with formal exposure
• Deep expertise in distributed systems: microservices, event-driven architecture, saga patterns, CQRS, async messaging
• API design authority: REST, gRPC, GraphQL, versioning and governance
• DDD and bounded context modeling
• Non-functional requirements design: performance, reliability, scalability
• Observability architecture: OpenTelemetry, metrics, tracing, alerts
• Security architecture integration: threat modeling, secure patterns
• Strong written and verbal communication: ADRs and solution designs
• Track record of delivered production systems

Responsibilities

• Apply proven software architecture principles to DJAS design work: microservices, event-driven patterns, distributed systems, API-first design, DDD
• Lead architecture design sessions and design reviews addressing NFRs from the start
• Produce high-quality architecture artifacts: solution designs, ADRs, integration specs, architecture standards
• Define architecture governance: what is good enough to ship vs needs more work
• Evaluate and adopt modern architecture patterns and methodologies beyond current norms
• Apply AI-augmented engineering practices: LLM-assisted design, agentic workflows
• Architect for operational excellence: observability-first design, chaos engineering, runbooks
• Bridge architecture and implementation: stay involved through delivery
• Mentor architects and engineers on fundamentals and design rigor
• Collaborate with cloud/IAM/security and domain architects on cross-cutting concerns
• Challenge technical debt patterns to ensure conscious choices

Skills

AI-first

Distributed systems

API design

DDD

Observability

Security architecture

Technical writing

Production systems

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/Engineering

Master's degree in related field

Tools

AWS

Azure

GCP

Job description

Lumen seeks a Principal Software Architect to bring classically trained architecture discipline and AI-augmented design to the DJAS team. You will apply architectural principles across microservices, event-driven systems, and API-first design, ensuring scalability, reliability, and security across complex multi-system environments.

You will mentor engineers, lead design reviews, and stay engaged from architecture through delivery, partnering with cloud, security, and domain architects to drive