Technology Architect - Network Architect
Role details
Job location
Tech stack
Job description
The Senior Technology Architect (STA) - Network owns the end-to-end network architecture across data center, campus, WAN/SD-WAN, cloud, and edge environments. The role defines strategy, blueprints, and guardrails; leads complex transformations; and ensures the network platform delivers resilience, security (Zero Trust), performance, and cost efficiency. The STA partners with product, security, platform engineering, and operations to architect vendor-agnostic, automation-first designs that scale across global enterprises., 1) Architecture & Strategy
- Define the network target state (DC, Campus, WAN/SD-WAN, Cloud Networking, Edge) with reference architectures, patterns, and standards.
- Create high-level and low-level designs (HLD/LLD), including L2/L3, routing, segmentation, DNS, IPAM, firewalling, service insertion, and observability.
- Establish multi-cloud network architectures (AWS/GCP/Azure) covering VPC/VNet design, Transit Gateways, Private Service Connect/Endpoint, Direct Connect/Interconnect, cross-cloud connectivity, and service mesh integration.
- Lead modernization from legacy to EVPN/VXLAN fabrics, intent-based networking, Zero Trust segmentation, and SASE/SSE.
- Network Security & Zero Trust
- Apply Zero Trust principles across identity-aware segmentation, micro/macro segmentation (e.g., SDN, NSX-T, ACI, TGW/Cloud WAN firewalls), secure east-west and north-south flows.
- Define security guardrails (FWaaS, NGFW, WAF, IDS/IPS, DDoS, DNS security), key management, and policy-as-code; integrate with SIEM/SOAR.
- Partner with the CISO and platform teams to align with NIST, CIS, ISO 27001, and regulatory standards (e.g., telco/public sector as applicable).
- Performance, Resilience & Availability
- Engineer for high availability (multi-AZ/region, fast reroute, ECMP, anycast, graceful restart) and deterministic performance for latency-sensitive workloads (including telco and real-time apps).
- Define traffic engineering strategies (QoS/CoS, policy-based routing, segment routing, MPLS/EVPN/VXLAN, SR-MPLS/SRv6).
- Design DR and failover topologies; conduct chaos/resilience testing and capacity planning.
- Automation, IaC & Observability
- Drive automation-first delivery using Terraform/Ansible/Python and network controllers/SDKs; embed policy-as-code and compliance checks into CI/CD.
- Implement observability: streaming telemetry, NetFlow/IPFIX, SNMP, syslog, synthetic testing, path analytics, digital experience monitoring (DEM).
- Govern SRE practices: SLO/SLI/error budgets for network services; automate pre-/post-change validation and rollbacks.
- Cloud & Edge Networking
- Architect cloud networking at scale: VPC/VNet design, routing domains, NAT, ingress/egress, hybrid connectivity (DX/Interconnect/VPN), service discovery, PrivateLink/PSC.
- Integrate Kubernetes networking (CNI, Ingress/Egress, service mesh like Istio/Cilium), and secure service-to-service communication.
- Support edge/IoT networking patterns, SD-Branch, and local breakout with unified policy.
- SD-WAN / SASE & WAN Transformation
- Lead SD-WAN strategy and migration from MPLS to internet/5G underlay with application-aware routing and performance SLAs.
- Define SASE/SSE reference patterns (ZTNA, SWG, CASB, DNS security, FWaaS) aligned with identity and device posture.
- Stakeholder Leadership & Delivery Governance
- Advise executives on network strategy, roadmap, TCO/ROI, and risk.
- Chair Design Authority; review HLD/LLD, test plans, and change windows; ensure design compliance and non-functional requirements (NFRs) are met.
- Mentor architects/engineers; cultivate reusable patterns and accelerators.
Requirements
Core Networking
- Expert in routing & switching (OSPF, BGP, IS-IS), EVPN/VXLAN, MPLS, QoS/CoS, multicast, NAT, DNS/DHCP/IPAM.
- Proven experience designing leaf-spine data center fabrics, campus architectures, and global WANs.
Security & Zero Trust
- Deep knowledge of segmentation (macro/micro), NGFWs, IDS/IPS, DDoS, WAF, PKI, identity-driven policy, and SASE/SSE platforms.
- Hands-on with policy design across on-prem and cloud; integration with SIEM/SOAR.
Cloud & Container Networking
- Strong with AWS/GCP/Azure networking (VPC/VNet, TGW/Cloud WAN, PrivateLink/PSC, Route 53/Cloud DNS, load balancers).
- Familiar with Kubernetes networking (CNIs like Calico/Cilium, NetworkPolicies, Ingress/Egress, service mesh).
Automation & Tooling
- Proficient in Terraform, Ansible, Python, Git-based workflows, CI/CD for network changes, compliance checks (e.g., CIS Benchmarks).
- Observability with Prometheus/Grafana, App/Net Performance Monitoring, NetFlow/IPFIX, streaming telemetry.
Telco / High-Performance (Nice to Have but Highly Valued)
- Understanding of SR-IOV, DPDK, SCTP, 5G core networking concepts, UPF placement, and deterministic low-latency patterns.
- Experience with NEF/SEPP security considerations, MEC/edge, and interconnect with public cloud., * 12+ years in networking with 5+ years in architecture leadership roles.
- Certifications (mix of vendor and cloud beneficial): CCNP/CCIE, AWS/Azure/GCP networking-focused certs.
- Bachelor's or Master's in Computer Science, Engineering, or related discipline (or equivalent experience).