Remote Principal Architect, Network R&D Strategy

Lumen; Cheyenne (WY); Remote; USD 152,000 - 223,000; Full time

Job summary

Lumen is seeking a Principal Architect, Network Research & Development to lead architectural direction for emerging network technologies and to shape Lumen’s future capabilities. This role operates remotely across the United States and emphasizes experimentation, vendor evaluation, and collaboration with cross-functional teams.

You will design experiments and reference architectures, guiding decisions on whether capabilities should be stopped, continued, scaled, or integrated into the roadmap,

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, telecommunications, applied science, or related field.
• 12+ years of experience in network architecture, network engineering, R&D, or related disciplines.
• Deep technical expertise in optical/ transport systems, IP networking, cloud-native infra, automation, AI infrastructure, security architecture, or next-generation access.
• Ability to translate ambiguity into structured experiments, architectural options, and business-relevant recommendations.
• Strong executive and technical communication, capable of explaining complex concepts to diverse stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a senior technical authority for Network R&D initiatives, providing architectural direction across emerging network technologies.
• Evaluate technologies such as quantum networking, post-quantum cryptography, AI infrastructure, autonomous networks, and programmable networks.
• Develop reference architectures, design patterns, and decision frameworks for future roadmap relevance.
• Lead deep technical analysis of vendor, startup, academic, and external partner opportunities for actionable insights.
• Design experiments, pilots, lab validations, simulations, and assessments for feasibility, scalability, security, and cost.
• Translate technical findings into architecture implications, risk assessments, and business recommendations.
• Collaborate across internal teams and external partners to align R&D with enterprise priorities and customer needs.
• Identify dependencies, standards implications, operating model impacts, and commercialization pathways.

Skills

Network Architecture

R&D Strategy

Emerging Technologies

Executive Communication

Mentoring

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering or related field

Tools

AI infrastructure

Edge computing

Autonomous networks

Programmable networks

Job description

Lumen is seeking a Principal Architect, Network Research & Development to lead architectural direction for emerging network technologies and to shape Lumen’s future capabilities. This role operates remotely across the United States and emphasizes experimentation, vendor evaluation, and collaboration with cross-functional teams.

You will design experiments and reference architectures, guiding decisions on whether capabilities should be stopped, continued, scaled, or integrated into the roadmap,