Remote Principal PM, Data Center Network Strategy

Lumen; Denver (CO); Remote; USD 160,000 - 213,000; Full time

Job summary

Lumen is seeking a Principal Product Manager to shape the architecture and expansion strategy for our data center metro networks. You will own the roadmap for internal network products enabling external services and lead cross-functional teams from evaluation to delivery.

The role requires deep metro network expertise, strong financial and analytical judgement, and the ability to translate complex technical decisions into clear, actionable recommendations for senior leaders.

Qualifications

• 8-10+ years of experience in product management, program management, network planning, or network engineering.
• 3+ years of experience supporting metro, data center, optical, or related network infrastructure.
• Experience translating complex technical and financial analysis into concise, decision-ready recommendations.

Responsibilities

• Own the product strategy, requirements, and multi-year architectural roadmap for data center metro network solutions and expansion programs.
• Translate topology, diversity, capacity, transport, optical-layer, and PoP decisions into repeatable configurations and reference designs.
• Lead cross-functional expansion programs from evaluation through delivery, coordinating teams, dependencies, milestones, risks, and executive status reporting.
• Evaluate proposed network investments using demand, utilization, capital efficiency, revenue potential, and ROI analysis.
• Establish a consistent framework for prioritizing, approving, deferring, or redesigning metro network upgrades and expansion efforts.
• Build demand models that combine contracted demand, pipeline, market signals, customer architecture plans, and forecast scenarios.
• Assess whether existing internal products and architectural solutions remain the right platforms for future growth, including lower-cost alternatives and trade-offs.
• Partner with Product, Network Planning, Engineering, Finance, Operations, Service Delivery, and Sales to drive decisions and execution.

Skills

Cross-functional leadership

Analytical judgement

Decision making

Influence in matrixed org

Education

MBA

Engineering degree

Tools

Power BI

SQL

Python

Excel

Job description

Lumen is seeking a Principal Product Manager to shape the architecture and expansion strategy for our data center metro networks. You will own the roadmap for internal network products enabling external services and lead cross-functional teams from evaluation to delivery.

The role requires deep metro network expertise, strong financial and analytical judgement, and the ability to translate complex technical decisions into clear, actionable recommendations for senior leaders.