Principal Architect

**About Lumen**

Lumen’s commitment to workplace inclusion and employee support shines bright. We’ve made the Newsweek 2024 Greatest Workplaces for Diversity list and achieved a perfect score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index (CEI) for the fifth consecutive year. Plus, we’re the top employer in the communications and telecom industry, ranking 12th overall across all industries in The American Opportunity Index.

We’re looking for top-tier talent and offer the flexibility you need to thrive and deliver lasting impact. Join us as we digitally connect the world and shape the future.

**The Role**:
Principal Network Architect will lead, define, and manage a highly strategic program that optimizes Lumen Routing and Switching Network footprint both from an Infrastructure and Client perspective. This includes all aspects Lumen's MPLS Core infrastructures (AS3356, AS3549, AS209), VPN edge infrastructure, and services (Layer-2 and Layer-3 VPN), along with supporting the VoIP, SD-WAN, and service overlay networks. Responsibilities for the Internet and MPLS/Enterprise technologies include ongoing innovation and development of technologies and services that accelerate revenue opportunities, improve cost efficiency, and promote operational stability and resiliency.

The Architecture team will collaborate with the Transport, Metro, and Access Architecture team to facilitate the transition from legacy technologies such as Sonet/SDH/TDM/xDSL to modern Ethernet, IP/MPLS, and packet-based architectures and services.

**Location**:
This role is designated as a fully remote position within the United States.

**Responsibilities**:

- **Scale and Architect IP and MPLS Networks and Services**: Design and implement IP and MPLS networks and services, ensuring clear communication of requirements, intent, and implementation details to both technical and non-technical audiences. Conduct cost analysis and vendor selection for new technologies.
- ** Collaborate with Industry Standards Bodies**: Work closely with industry standards bodies to ensure compliance and stay updated with the latest technological advancements and best practices.
- ** Manage and Deliver Multiple Projects**: Effectively manage and deliver multiple projects simultaneously while maintaining ownership of key areas of responsibility across the organization.
- ** Drive Large Projects within a Team Environment**:Collaborate within a team to drive large projects from inception to delivery.
- ** Coach and Mentor Team Members**: Provide coaching, mentorship, and education to individuals and teams to enhance their skills and performance.
- ** Estimate Task Timeframes and Influence Work Completion**: Accurately estimate the time required to perform tasks and influence the work to be completed within those timeframes.

**Required Qualifications**:

- Requires 15 years of experience in Internet, Enterprise, or Metro-Ethernet, in large-scale carrier grade IP/MPLS networks
- Extensive knowledge of IP, IGP, BGP, Segment Routing, Multi-cast, MPLS forwarding, and control-plane mechanisms, and other relevant technologies including the integration of IP and Optical networks.
- Expertise in designing and supporting large-scale BGP infrastructures is necessary to ensure the stability, scalability, and performance of the network.
- Extensive knowledge of MPLS VPN technologies such as RFC 4364 Layer-3 VPNs, VPLS, EVPN: This includes understanding how to design and implement technologies to create efficient, scalable, and high-performance networks.
- Extensive knowledge of Software Defined Networking (SDN) and Intent-Based Networking (IBN) and their underlying technologies, including APIs, Netconf, gRPC, gNMI, and OpenConfig. Understanding how to utilize these technologies to create dynamic, automated, and intelligent network architectures.

**Preferred Qualifications**:

- Masters / Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Mathematics, or an acceptable discipline.
- Excellent oral, written, and interpersonal skills: The ability to communicate effectively with various stakeholders, including technical teams, business leaders
- Ability to develop and communicate strategy to a variety of technology and business leaders: This involves creating strategic plans and effectively conveying these plans to both technical and non-technical audiences.
- Ability to develop business cases as they relate Lumen's Internet, IPVPN, and Metro-Ethernet networks: This requires analyzing project requirements, costs, and benefits that justify investments and guide decision-making.
- Direct experience in negotiating large capital and multi-year vendor contracts
- Demonstrated experience in performing and delivering proof-of-concepts, technical, economic evaluations, and platform selection.

**Compensation**:

- The starting salary for this role differs based on the employee's primary work location. Employees typically do not start at the top of the range, though compensatio