Jobs and Careers

Principal Software Engineer

Remote, US, United StatesRemotefull_timeVerifiedPosted 9 Jul 2026

💰 $223,031/yr($152,066/yr – $223,031/yr)

About the role

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

The Principal Software Engineer serves as a senior technical leader responsible for advancing Lumen's next-generation software architecture strategy, with a focus on AI-native engineering, agentic systems, intelligent automation, and large-scale distributed software solutions. This role operates at the intersection of software architecture, information architecture, and emerging AI technologies.The individual will drive the design and adoption of reusable architectural patterns, engineering frameworks, and intelligent capabilities that enable teams to build innovative customer-facing solutions while accelerating software delivery and operational effectiveness. Working across organizational boundaries, this role helps transform complex information assets, software services, and emerging technologies into scalable products, automation capabilities, actionable intelligence, and differentiated customer experiences.

This position combines hands-on technical leadership with enterprise influence. The Principal Software Engineer partners with Engineering, Product, Architecture, Security, and Operations teams to establish technical direction, guide strategic technology investments, and ensure solutions are scalable, resilient, secure, and aligned with long-term business objectives.

Location

This is a remote postion open to candidates based anywhere in the US.

The Main Responsibilities

AI-Native Engineering and Intelligent Systems

Lead the adoption of AI-native engineering practices that improve software quality, engineering productivity, and delivery velocity.
Design architectures that incorporate intelligent agents, automation capabilities, and AI-assisted workflows into enterprise solutions.
Define patterns for agent orchestration, collaboration, task delegation, context sharing, and operational governance.
Guide the development of AI-enabled capabilities that improve customer experiences, operational effectiveness, service intelligence, and business outcomes.
Evaluate emerging AI technologies and establish practical adoption patterns across multiple engineering organizations.

Software Architecture and Distributed Systems

Architect scalable distributed systems supporting mission-critical enterprise services and customer-facing applications.
Define architectural standards for reliability, scalability, resiliency, observability, and operational excellence.
Guide technology decisions involving cloud-native services, event-driven architectures, large-scale information processing, and intelligent automation frameworks.
Design reusable software components, integration patterns, and shared capabilities that accelerate solution delivery across the enterprise.

Information Architecture and Intelligent Solutions

Design information architectures that enable efficient discovery, integration, governance, and consumption of enterprise information assets.
Establish patterns for real-time information exchange, analytics, automation, and AI-enabled decision support capabilities.
Guide the development of information-intensive services that support operational insights, customer intelligence, and intelligent application experiences.
Promote interoperability, governance, and reusable architectural standards across software, information, and intelligent systems.

Technical Leadership

Serve as a trusted advisor to engineering and technology leaders on strategic technical initiatives.
Establish architectural standards and influence technology direction across multiple organizations.
Mentor engineers, architects, and technical leads while fostering a culture of engineeri