Senior Lead Architect: AI-Ready Optical Networks

Lumen; Hartford (CT); Remote; USD 139,000 - 185,000; Full time

Job summary

Lumen, a leader in AI-ready connectivity, seeks a Senior Lead Architect to own architectural direction across optical networks and AI-enabled solutions. You will shape the organization’s strategic vision, translate emerging technologies into scalable designs, and collaborate with multiple business units to deliver impactful outcomes.

In this high‑accountability role, you will drive complex initiatives, engage with standards bodies, and mentor teams while delivering tangible, customer-facing

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical, optical, or Telecommunication engineering or 5-7+ years of equivalent experience.
• MBA 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.

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

SQL

Power BI

Education

Bachelor’s degree in electrical/optical/telecommunication engineering

MBA or 5-7+ years of equivalent experience in financial modeling

Tools

Power BI

SQL

Job description

Lumen, a leader in AI-ready connectivity, seeks a Senior Lead Architect to own architectural direction across optical networks and AI-enabled solutions. You will shape the organization’s strategic vision, translate emerging technologies into scalable designs, and collaborate with multiple business units to deliver impactful outcomes.

In this high‑accountability role, you will drive complex initiatives, engage with standards bodies, and mentor teams while delivering tangible, customer-facing