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Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Principal Product Manager, Data Center Networks - **Company:** Lumen Inc - **Location:** Nashville, TN, United States (Remote available) - **Experience:** Experienced - **Salary:** $152,066.0 - $202,755.0 - **Contract:** Permanent contract - **Skills:** Microsoft Excel, Private Networks, Data Centers, Python (Programming Language), Network Architecture, Reliability Engineering, Power BI, SQL Databases, AI Infrastructure, Data Center Networking - **Published:** September 26, 2026 - **Apply:** https://dejobs.org/x/x/7974B629C9BC445AA017F566DAB5632F/job/ ## About the Role * 8-10+ years of experience in product management, program management, network planning, or network engineering. * 3+ years of experience supporting metro, data center, optical, packet transport, or related network infrastructure. * Strong knowledge of metro network architecture, including ring and mesh topologies, route and fiber diversity, point-of-presence and colocation siting, and protection and restoration strategies. * Demonstrated experience leading complex, cross-functional technical programs through planning, decision-making, and delivery. * Ability to build and defend quantitative demand, investment, and return-on-investment models using incomplete or evolving data. * Understanding of capital economics, including capital and operating expense trade-offs, payback, internal rate of return, utilization, and unit cost. * Experience translating complex technical and financial analysis into concise, decision-ready recommendations for senior leaders. * Ability to influence across Product, Engineering, Planning, Finance, Operations, and Sales in a matrixed environment., * Experience with metro fiber, conduit builds, data center expansion programs, or carrier network infrastructure. * Familiarity with hyperscaler, neocloud, cloud, or AI infrastructure demand patterns. * Experience evaluating internal network platforms that support the development and delivery of external services. * Advanced modeling experience in Excel and experience with Power BI, SQL, Python, or another analytical or visualization environment. * Knowledge of reliability engineering, availability targets, failure-mode analysis, and service-level design requirements. * Experience developing product roadmaps, reference architectures, lifecycle policies, and investment prioritization frameworks. * MBA, engineering degree, or an equivalent combination of technical and commercial experience. ## Description We are seeking a Principal Product Manager to shape the architecture and expansion strategy for our data center metro networks. This highly visible, internal-facing role combines product leadership, technical diligence, and program execution to ensure network investments deliver meaningful business value. You will own the roadmap for internal network products that enable external services, evaluate whether proposed expansion efforts offer the right technical solution and expected return, and lead cross-functional teams through delivery. Success requires deep metro network expertise, strong financial and analytical judgment, and the ability to turn complex technical decisions into clear, actionable recommendations., * Own the product strategy, requirements, and multi-year architectural roadmap for data center metro network solutions and expansion programs. * Translate topology, diversity, capacity, transport, optical-layer, and point-of-presence decisions into repeatable configurations and reference designs. * Lead cross-functional expansion programs from evaluation through delivery, coordinating teams, dependencies, milestones, risks, and executive status reporting. * Evaluate proposed network investments using demand, utilization, capital efficiency, revenue potential, and return-on-investment analysis. * Establish a consistent framework for prioritizing, approving, deferring, or redesigning metro network upgrades and expansion efforts. * Build demand models that combine contracted demand, pipeline, market signals, customer architecture plans, and forecast scenarios. * Assess whether existing internal products and architectural solutions remain the right platforms for future growth, including lower-cost alternatives and associated trade-offs. * Partner with Product, Network Planning, Engineering, Finance, Operations, Service Delivery, and Sales to drive decisions and execution. ## Related Videos - [Demystifying application networking in the cloud](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/675-demystifying-application-networking-in-the-cloud) - [Beyond Dashboards: Fixing Text-to-SQL with Semantic RAG](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/2036-beyond-dashboards-fixing-text-to-sql-with-semantic-rag) - [The Sustainability Race: AI's Promises, Pitfalls and Potential](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100155-the-sustainability-race-ai-s-promises-pitfalls-and-potential) - [Fault Tolerance and Consistency at Scale: Harnessing the Power of Distributed SQL Databases](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1146-fault-tolerance-and-consistency-at-scale-harnessing-the-power-of-distributed-sql-databases) - [Seriously gaming your cloud expertise: from cloud tourist to cloud native](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/373-seriously-gaming-your-cloud-expertise-from-cloud-tourist-to-cloud-native) - [REST, GraphQL, gRPC, and more: A comparison of modern API styles](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100247-rest-graphql-grpc-and-more-a-comparison-of-modern-api-styles) ## Related Articles - [From developer to manager – what does it take to become an engineering manager?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/42-from-developer-to-manager-what-does-it-take-to-become-an-engineering-manager) - [What Are The Top Skills Required For Azure Developers?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/77-what-are-the-top-skills-required-for-azure-developers) - [Everything a Developer Needs to Know About MCP with Neo4j](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/604-everything-a-developer-needs-to-know-about-mcp-with-neo4j) - [How We Built a Worry-Free System That Runs for 10+ Years – And What We’d Do Again](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/751-how-we-built-a-worry-free-system-that-runs-for-10-years-and-what-we-d-do-again) - [Should Tech Managers Be Developers First? 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