Remote Principal Architect, Network R&D

Lumen; Harrisburg (Dauphin County); Remote; USD 152,000 - 203,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Life insurance

Voluntary lifestyle benefits

Job summary

Lumen is seeking a Principal Architect, Network Research & Development, to serve as a senior technical leader shaping future network capabilities through architectural expertise and disciplined experimentation. This role operates at the intersection of advanced networking, technology strategy, and enterprise decision‑making.

You will define hypotheses, design experiments, evaluate vendors, develop reference architectures, and provide guidance on when emerging capabilities should progress into

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, telecommunications, applied science, or a related technical field; advanced degree preferred.
• 12+ years of experience in network architecture, network engineering, advanced technology strategy, R&D, product engineering, platform engineering, security architecture, or related technical discipline.
• Deep technical expertise in one or more advanced network domains such as optical and transport systems, IP networking, programmable networks, cloud‑native infrastructure, automation, AI-enabled infrastructure, edge/distributed compute, security architecture, or next‑generation access technologies.
• Demonstrated ability to evaluate emerging technologies and convert technical uncertainty into structured experiments, architectural options, decision points, and business‑relevant recommendations.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a senior technical authority for Network R&D initiatives, providing architectural direction across emerging network technologies, advanced infrastructure concepts, and future capability exploration.
• Evaluate emerging technologies such as quantum networking, post‑quantum cryptography, next‑generation optical and fiber systems, autonomous networks, AI infrastructure, programmable networks, edge and distributed compute, digital twins, and advanced security capabilities.
• Develop reference architectures, technical design patterns, proof‑of‑concept approaches, and decision frameworks that help determine whether emerging capabilities have relevance for Lumen’s future network strategy.
• Lead deep technical analysis of vendor, startup, academic, national lab, open‑source, and consortium‑led innovation opportunities, ensuring external partnerships produce actionable insight and usable learning.
• Design and guide experiments, pilots, lab validations, simulations, and technical assessments that test feasibility, interoperability, scalability, resiliency, security, cost, and operational fit.
• Translate ambiguous technical findings into clear architecture implications, risk assessments, trade‑off analyses, and recommendations for senior technical and business stakeholders.
• Collaborate with Network Engineering, Architecture, Product, Security, Operations, Finance, Legal, Procurement, and external partners to connect R&D work to enterprise priorities and future customer needs.
• Identify technical dependencies, integration considerations, standards implications, operating model impacts, and commercialization pathways for validated capabilities.
• Provide thought leadership on future network evolution, including how emerging technologies may influence network architecture, product enablement, automation, resilience, security, and customer differentiation.
• Help establish disciplined technical governance for R&D work, including architecture reviews, documentation standards, learning milestones, technical exit criteria, and stop/continue/scale recommendations.

Skills

Executive communication

Architectural direction

Experimentation

Vendor evaluation

Cross-functional influence

Strategic thinking

Mentoring

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering or related field

Job description

Lumen is seeking a Principal Architect, Network Research & Development, to serve as a senior technical leader shaping future network capabilities through architectural expertise and disciplined experimentation. This role operates at the intersection of advanced networking, technology strategy, and enterprise decision‑making.

You will define hypotheses, design experiments, evaluate vendors, develop reference architectures, and provide guidance on when emerging capabilities should progress into