Senior Lead Network Engineer (Remote, US)

Lumen is the trusted network for the AI‑powered world, connecting people, data, and applications through our expansive fiber network and connected ecosystem. We enable secure, high‑performance connectivity across cloud, edge, and AI workloads for enterprises, governments, and communities.

At Lumen, you’ll work on infrastructure customers rely on today and build for what’s next, where performance, security, and resilience matter.

This is a high accountability environment where bold ideas drive real innovation for our customers, partners, and industry. The work is challenging, expectations are clear, and trust is built into how we operate. If you’re ready to take ownership, deliver meaningful impact, and help shape the future of AI‑ready connectivity, join us today.

The Role

SR LEAD NETWORK ENGINEER

Join Lumen's IP/VPN Network Engineering organization responsible for the design, certification, automation, and strategic evolution of one of the world's largest global IP backbones. This role provides technical leadership for complex network engineering initiatives involving routing, MPLS transport, automation, architecture development, hardware certification, and operational standards.

The successful candidate will be recognized as a technical expert and thought leader in service provider networking technologies and network automation. This role requires deep expertise in large-scale IP/MPLS network design, routing protocols, engineering standards, automation frameworks, and emerging network technologies. The Engineer will lead complex projects that impact multiple network domains and partner closely with Architecture, Operations, Product, and Vendor teams to deliver scalable and reliable network solutions.

The Main Responsibilities

- Lead the design, engineering, certification, and deployment of IP/MPLS backbone network technologies and services.

- Develop and maintain network architecture standards, engineering guidelines, and low-level design documentation.

- Serve as the technical lead for strategic network initiatives involving routing, transport, automation, security, and platform evolution.

- Design and troubleshoot large-scale routing environments utilizing:
- BGP (iBGP, eBGP, Route Reflection, Add-Paths)

- IS-IS

- OSPF

- MPLS

- RSVP-TE

- LDP

- Segment Routing (preferred)

- Develop automation solutions using Python and Ansible to improve network deployment, validation, compliance, and operational efficiency.

- Build and maintain network automation frameworks, tooling, APIs, and testing platforms supporting engineering and operations workflows.

- Perform network certifications, proof-of-concepts, interoperability testing, and vendor evaluations for emerging hardware and software platforms.

- Partner with operations teams to investigate and resolve complex routing, convergence, service delivery, and network stability issues.

- Define engineering requirements and evaluate alternative technical solutions to ensure alignment with network strategy and architecture roadmaps.

- Develop and maintain technical standards for Juniper, Nokia, Cisco, and other service provider network platforms.

- Lead technology scouting, innovation efforts, and laboratory testing to evaluate next-generation networking solutions.

- Provide technical mentorship and guidance to engineering teams and act as a subject matter expert for routing, transport, and automation technologies.

- Collaborate with cross-functional organizations including Network Operations, Product, Architecture, Security, and Service Delivery to successfully implement network initiatives.

- Drive continuous improvement in engineering processes, automation, testing, documentation, and operational readiness.

- Support network modernization initiatives including automation, cloud integration, telemetry, observability, and infrastructure-as-code methodologies.

What We Look For in a Candidate

- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Inform