Principal Solution Architect - Product & Service Engineering

Principal Solution Architect

Lumen connects the world. We are igniting business growth by connecting people, data and applications – quickly, securely, and effortlessly. Together, we are building a culture and company from the people up – committed to teamwork, trust and transparency. People power progress. 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

We are looking for a Principal Solution Architect to lead the technical design of work to be performed in automation forward systems. The role requires a strong technical background, excellent leadership skills, and the ability to drive strategic initiatives. This role will be responsible for engineering the connective tissue between systems with an automation forward mindset, including defining, documenting, and governing the technical processes and protocols that enable execution of functionality which deliver on business needs through systems that work together seamlessly. The candidate will perform deep technical process and system design, ensuring that system-to-system interactions are robust, scalable and well-documented. This includes defining data flows, interaction and integration contracts, error handling protocols, and automation algorithms across a complex cloud-native and cloud-ready ecosystem. Desired experience includes iterative delivery, scaling, telecommunications level networking, managing multiple efforts, and a record of delivery under pressure. The role requires an ability to adapt to evolving technologies, changing project priorities, and guiding the team through the journey in close partnership with our business stakeholders and engineering teams.

Location

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

The Main Responsibilities

Teamwork

Collaborate across Lumen and demonstrate leadership with a high level of engagement. Ensuring customer focus with user communities, both internal and external. Communication through interaction with leadership to ensure open communication. Handle situations involving conflict while promoting a positive company image.

Automation and AI

Strongly drive an intentional automation first approach. Leverage AI daily to improve efficiency to deliver. Incorporate AI to deliver solutions and deliver AI enabled solutions.

Process & Interaction Design

Design of technical flows and interactions between distributed systems, and services. Define and document engineering-level interaction patterns, including data exchange formats, API contracts, and automation triggers. Collaborate with infrastructure, platform, and application teams to ensure alignment and clarity in system integration. Establish and enforce standards for interaction design, documentation, and validation. Serve as the technical authority for cross-system automation and integration patterns.

Documentation & Specification

Produce high-quality technical specifications, sequence diagrams, and interaction models. Ensure all system interactions are well-documented and version-controlled for traceability and auditability.

Collaboration & Enablement

Act as a bridge between engineering teams, ensuring that system interactions are clearly defined and consistently implemented.

What We Look For in a Candidate

Required Qualifications:

BS/BA or equivalent education and experience. Strong technical writing and systems modeling skills (e.g., sequence diagrams, flowcharts, interface specs). Experience working with cross-functional engineering teams in a complex environment. Excellent communication skills to include: verbal, written, and presentation.

Preferred Qualifications:

10+ years of experience in cloud-native/cloud-ready concepts, systems integration, APIs, network technology, and operations, or automation architecture. Familiarity with tools like Swagger/OpenAPI, BPMN, or UML for documenting system interactions. Experience with service orchestration platforms or workflow engines (e.g., Temporal, Camunda, Step Functions). Background in systems engineering, technical architecture, or platform engineering.

Compensation

This information reflects the anticipated base salary range for this position based on current national data. Minimums and maximums may vary based on location. Individual pay is based on skills, experience and other relevant factors. Location Based Pay Ranges: $149,084 - $198,779 in these states: AL, AR, AZ, FL, GA, IA, ID, IN, KS, KY, LA, ME, MO, MS, MT, ND, NE, NM, OH, OK, PA, SC, SD, TN, UT, VT, WI, WV, and WY. $156,539 - $208,718 in these states: CO, HI, MI, MN, NC, NH, NV, OR, and RI. $163,993 - $218,657 in these states: AK, CA, CT, DC, DE, IL, MA, MD, NJ, NY, TX, VA, and WA. Lumen offers a comprehensive package featuring a broad range of Health, Life, Voluntary Lifestyle benefits and other perks that enhance your physical, mental, emotional and financial wellbeing.