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# Principal Network Architect

- **Company:** Akamai Technologies
- **Location:** Phoenix, AZ, United States
- **Experience:** Expert
- **Salary:** $159,600.0 - $287,400.0
- **Contract:** Permanent contract
- **Skills:** Computer Networks, Computer Engineering, IP Routing, Python (Programming Language), Network Architecture, Systems Development Life Cycle, Reliability Engineering, Ansible, Akamai, Software Engineering, Systems Architecture, Cloud Platform System, Kubernetes, Information Technology
- **Published:** September 20, 2026
- **Apply:** https://dejobs.org/x/x/1A4348E7A44940E8930BC31BC213BD88/job/

## About the Role

* Have 15 years of relevant experience and a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related field
 * Demonstrate 10+ years of experience in network and software engineering
 * Possess expert proficiency in Python, Ansible, Kubernetes and Source of Truth platforms
 * Thrive in an ever-changing environment with rapidly evolving requirements, adapting quickly and leading with a focus on agility
 * Showcase proven expertise in large-scale IP routing and network fabric architectures
 * Display experience designing cloud-native infrastructure, container orchestration, and infrastructure-as-code deployment frameworks

## Description

We support the design, deployment and operational needs of Akamai connectivity infrastructure. We combine software engineering with system architecture to ensure our services are reliable, performant, and scaling efficiently. As a Principal Network Architect, you will lead SRE-style development to solve complex operational challenges through code.

Partner with the best

Network Architecture at Akamai is responsible for establishing Akamai's position in the global Internet. In this principal role, you will guide software development and reliability engineering to align, exceed and define industry standards. You will architect scalable infrastructure, eliminate manual toil, and mentor engineering teams across the organization.

As a Principal Network Architect, you will be responsible for:

 * Leading the architectural design and development software supporting Akamai's global connectivity platform
 * Driving software-defined automation to eliminate operational toil and improve network infrastructure reliability
 * Establishing cutting-edge telemetry systems and observability stacks for real-time monitoring of global network traffic and security services
 * Championing software engineering best practices, CI/CD pipelines, and SDLC standards across multidisciplinary architecture and engineering teams
 * Steering capacity planning strategies and cost optimization across distributed routing, fabric, and edge security systems