Senior Lead Applied AI Scientist

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.

** Role Overview*
* Lumen is seeking highly technical, product-minded Senior Lead Applied AI Scientists to design, build, deploy, and continuously improve production-scale AI solutions. In this role, you will partner with business, product, engineering, and technology leaders to translate high-value opportunities into AI-powered solutions that deliver measurable business impact.

You will combine deep expertise in AI and machine learning with strong software engineering, experimentation, and product delivery skills. The ideal candidate is a hands-on practitioner who can rapidly prototype, evaluate, and scale AI systems while helping stakeholders navigate technical and business tradeoffs.

** What You'll Do*
* + Design, build, and optimize AI solutions from concept through production deployment.

+ Partner with business and product teams to identify opportunities, define success metrics, and validate value through rapid experimentation.

+ Develop advanced AI systems leveraging machine learning, generative AI, retrieval, predictive modeling, and agentic architectures.

+ Define evaluation frameworks and continuously improve quality, reliability, safety, performance, and cost.

+ Partner with Engineering to deliver scalable, production-ready solutions using MLOps and LLMOps best practices.

+ Contribute reusable frameworks, evaluation assets, and technical standards that accelerate AI adoption across the enterprise.

+ Provide technical leadership, mentorship, and guidance on complex AI initiatives.

** Required Qualifications*
* + 7+ years of experience in applied AI, machine learning, or data science, including production AI deployments.

+ Proven track record of delivering AI solutions that drive measurable business outcomes.

+ Deep expertise in machine learning, statistics, experimentation, predictive analytics, and modern AI techniques.

+ Hands-on experience building LLM, RAG, agentic, and machine learning solutions.

+ Strong experience with AI evaluation, model performance optimization, responsible AI, and production monitoring.

+ Proficiency in Python and modern AI/ML frameworks such as PyTorch, Tensor Flow, Hugging Face, MLflow, or similar technologies.

+

Experience with MLOps, LLMOps, cloud AI platforms, APIs, and software engineering best practices.

+ Strong product mindset, problem-solving skills, and ability to communicate complex concepts with technical and business stakeholders.

** Preferred Qualifications*
* + Master's degree or PhD in Computer Science, AI, Machine Learning, Statistics, or a related quantitative field.

+ Experience operating enterprise-scale AI solutions in regulated or security-sensitive environments.

+ Experience leading complex, cross-functional AI initiatives.

+ Contributions to AI research, patents, publications, or open-source projects.

** Join Lumen's AI Office and help build the next generation of AI solutions that transform customer experiences, accelerate innovation, and create measurable business value.*
* ** 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

$132,232 - $220,386 in these states: AL  AR  AZ  FL  GA  IA    IN  KS  KY  LA  ME  MO  MS  MT  ND  NE  NM  OH  OK  PA  SC  SD  TN  UT  VT  WI  WV  WY

$138…