Senior Lead Architect - AI-Ready Networking (Remote)

Lumen; Dover (DE); On-site; EUR 118,000 - 172,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Life insurance and well-being programs

Bonus structure and incentives

Job summary

Lumen is a leading global network company enabling AI-ready connectivity. The Senior Lead Architect will translate emerging technologies into scalable optical architectures, drive standardization, and shape strategic roadmaps across multiple disciplines.

This role emphasizes bold ownership, complex problem solving, and collaboration with senior stakeholders to deliver impactful infrastructure solutions. The position offers remote work within the United States, with compensation reflecting

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical, optical, or Telecommunication engineering, or 5-7+ years of equivalent experience and training.
• Master of Business Administration, or 5-7+ Years of equivalent experience in financial modeling
• Fluent in DWDM, Coherent Optics, ROADM/Open Line Systems, Optical performance modeling, and network resiliency
• Strong analytical approach to solving problems
• Experience communicating technical solutions from C-Level to entry level employees
• Has been the technical subject matter expert that has successfully led a new Product introduction into the production network
• Strong data extraction and analytic skills using tools like SQL and Power BI
• Knowledge in the following areas: Quantum Encryption, HCF/MCF, APIs
• Participation in at least one standard body

Responsibilities

• Optical Strategist: translate emerging technologies into deployable architecture, standards, vendor requirements, and operational models
• Architectural Recommendations: include technology roadmaps, reference architectures, lifecycle planning, and interoperability requirements
• Visionary: Envision future optical network over a 1–3-year horizon and turn them into reality
• Original Mindset: Think, how can we do this?
• AI-Enabled Innovation: Use AI tools to accelerate research, network analytics, documentation, automation, modeling, and decision support
• Standard Bodies Participation: Engage in standard bodies such as an MSA, IEEE, OIF, Open ROADM, etc., to drive Lumen’s initiatives
• Data Mining and Trending Analytics: Utilize strong data mining skills to extract network data and present current and trending demands
• Financial Model Derivation: Fluent in TCO, ROI, NPV, sensitivity analysis, marginal cost, long-run average cost, capital efficiency, and demand-based forecasting
• Business Case Development: Develop business cases to support architectural designs and decisions
• Automation Vision: Create an automation vision for the Optical Product line

Skills

DWDM

Coherent Optics

ROADM/Open Line Systems

Optical performance modeling

Network resiliency

Analytical thinking

communicates to C-Level

Data extraction

AI/automation awareness

Education

Bachelor’s degree in electrical, optical, or Telecommunication engineering

MBA or finance modeling experience

Tools

SQL

Power BI

Interoperability standards

Job description

Lumen is a leading global network company enabling AI-ready connectivity. The Senior Lead Architect will translate emerging technologies into scalable optical architectures, drive standardization, and shape strategic roadmaps across multiple disciplines.

This role emphasizes bold ownership, complex problem solving, and collaboration with senior stakeholders to deliver impactful infrastructure solutions. The position offers remote work within the United States, with compensation reflecting