Principal Network Engineer in Los Angeles

You’ll build the network foundations at the core of our mission that enable the development and operation of high-powered satellites - from our corporate offices, factory floor to test, launch, and on-orbit operations. You will define and evolve the architectures that connect people, systems, and missions to ensure resilient and high-performance networking across production labs, data centers, cloud environments, and global operations. In your first six months, you’ll set the technical direction for how we design, secure, and operate networks that can keep pace with rapid hardware iteration and mission-critical timelines. As we scale your work will become a force multiplier - supporting increasingly powerful spacecraft, more complex missions, and the subsequent infrastructure required to deliver a new class of satellite technology. The networks you build will be foundational to how K2 Space designs, tests, launches, and operates the most capable satellites in the industry.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the principal technical authority for enterprise networking, defining long-term network architecture and strategy aligned with business and security objectives

• Architect, design, and govern large-scale, highly available, and secure network environments across data centers, cloud, hybrid, and global WANs

• Own network reference architectures, standards, and design patterns, ensuring scalability, resiliency, performance, and operational consistency

• Lead the design and execution of complex initiatives such as data center modernization, cloud networking transformations, SD-WAN deployments, and zero-trust network architectures

• Evaluate network technologies, service providers, and vendors; make strategic recommendations on adoption, optimization, and deprecation

• Mentor senior and staff-level network engineers, raising the technical bar and building organizational depth

With multiple launches planned through 2026 and 2027, we’re Building Bigger to develop the solar system and become a Kardashev Type II (K2) civilization. If you are a motivated individual who thrives in a fast-paced environment and you’re excited about contributing to the success of a groundbreaking Series C space startup, we’d love for you to apply., * 8+ years of demonstrated experience in the Networking Architecture and Design, Network Implementation and Network Test Automation

• Strong foundation in IT network and systems methodology (analysis, design, development, testing, implementation, and post-implementation support)

• In-depth knowledge of networking protocols (e.g., BGP, OSPF, EIGRP, MPLS, TCP/IP).

• Experience with logical design models (L2/L3, VPC, VDC, Datacenter Zones, Spanning Tree, VRF, VTP, VLANs, and cabling)

• Working technical knowledge of network control protocols (QoS, PfR, PoE, NTP, DHCP), network management protocols (CDP, FTP, TFTP, SNMP)

• Relevant certifications (e.g., CCNP, CCIE, ITIL Foundations v3, etc.)

Nice to Have

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in computer science or engineering

• Technical certifications (i.e., Network+, MCSE, Security+)

• Base salary range for this role is $170,000 - $220,000 and equity in the company

• Salary will be based on several factors including, but not limited to: knowledge and skills, education, and experience level

• Comprehensive benefits package including paid time off, medical/dental/vision coverage, life insurance, paid parental leave, and many other perks

If you don’t meet 100% of the skills and experience, we encourage you to still apply! Building a spacecraft unlike any other requires a team unlike any other and non-traditional career twists and turns are encouraged!

K2 is building the largest and highest-power satellites ever flown, unlocking performance levels previously out of reach across every orbit. Backed by $450M from leading investors including Altimeter Capital, Redpoint Ventures, T. Rowe Price, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Alpine Space Ventures, and others - with an additional $500M in signed contracts across commercial and US government customers - we’re mass-producing the highest-power satellite platforms ever built for missions from LEO to deep space.

The rise of heavy-lift launch vehicles is shifting the industry from an era of mass constraint to one of mass abundance, and we believe this new era demands a fundamentally different class of spacecraft. Engineered to survive the harshest radiation environments and to fully capitalize on today’s and tomorrow’s massive rockets, K2 satellites deliver unmatched capability at constellation scale and across multiple orbits.