Lead Principal, Enterprise Network Architect
Role details
Job location
Tech stack
Job description
The Lead Principal Enterprise Network Architect serves as the enterprise authority for network architecture strategy, standards, governance, and modernization. The role is responsible for defining reference architectures, consolidating and governing technical standards, translating business and security requirements into architecture deliverables, evaluating emerging technologies, and ensuring that network architectures support business objectives, security requirements, automation initiatives, cloud adoption, and infrastructure platform engineering principles. Success is measured through architecture quality, standards adoption, technology governance effectiveness, reusable reference architectures, reduced architectural risk, and alignment between business outcomes and network capabilities., * Define and maintain enterprise network architecture strategy, standards, reference architectures, and target-state roadmaps.
- Develop modular network architecture patterns supporting campus, WAN, cloud, hybrid, data center, SASE, and Zero Trust initiatives.
- Establish architecture guardrails supporting scalability, automation, resiliency, observability, and security.
- Review and approve network design submissions from MSPs, vendors, integrators, and internal teams
- Participate in enterprise architecture governance reviews and evaluate infrastructure dependencies, risks, and integration requirements.
- Validate alignment with enterprise standards, security controls, operational requirements, and architectural principles.
- Translate business and technical requirements into Architecture Requirements Documents (ARDs), architecture decisions, and solution designs.
- Extract, normalize, and consolidate network standards, SOPs, architectures, and operational knowledge from distributed repositories.
- Establish and maintain a centralized network standards and policy knowledge base
- Produce architecture documentation, design standards, and implementation guidance.
- Evaluate emerging network technologies, infrastructure platforms, automation capabilities, AI-assisted operations, and cloud networking solutions.
- Support enterprise modernization programs involving SD-WAN, SASE, Zero Trust, cloud networking, network automation, infrastructure-as-code, observability, and segmentation.
- Communicate architecture decisions, trade-offs, standards, risks, and recommendations to executives, architects, engineers, security teams, and business leaders.
- Mentor architects and engineering teams on architecture principles, design practices, and technology strategy.
Requirements
- 10+ years of enterprise networking, infrastructure engineering, or network architecture experience.
- 5+ years in senior, lead, or principal enterprise architecture roles.
- Demonstrated experience defining enterprise network architecture standards, reference architectures, and governance processes.
- Experience conducting architecture reviews and approving network designs.
- Experience translating business and security requirements into architecture deliverables and requirements documentation.
Strong understanding of:
- TCP/IP fundamentals
- Routing and switching
- VPN technologies
- Network security architecture
- SD-WAN and SASE concepts
- Cloud networking concepts
- Data center networking concepts
- Network segmentation and Zero Trust principles
- Experience creating and maintaining enterprise architecture documentation and standards.
- Strong cross-functional communication and stakeholder engagement skills.
- Experience working with MSPs, vendors, and external implementation partners.
Preferred:
- Experience with Fortinet and Cisco (including Meraki) network solutions
- Experience with network automation and programmability (Ansible, Terraform, APIs, IaC, NetDevOps).
- Experience with network observability and AIOps platforms.
- Experience with large-scale enterprise modernization programs.
- Experience with cloud networking across Google Cloud, Azure, and AWS
- Experience with OT, industrial, and IoT networking
- Experience with infrastructure platform engineering concepts.
- Knowledge of AI-assisted network operations and Agentic NetOps concepts.
- Familiarity with DDI platforms, network source-of-truth tooling, or digital twin technologies.
- Knowledge of enterprise architecture frameworks such as TOGAF.
- Familiarity with ITIL-based operational models.
- Relevant networking certifications (CCNP, CCIE, JNCIP, cloud networking certifications). Certification preference derived from market patterns and Gartner skill references but not required by hiring manager. .pdf)
Benefits & conditions
Pulled from the full job description
- Parental leave
- Health insurance
- 401(k) matching
- Paid time off
- Life insurance
- Disability insurance, The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $190,600.00 - $324,000.00 per year.
The ranges above reflect the potential annual base pay across the U.S. for all roles; the applicable base pay range will depend on the candidate's primary work location, pay grade, and variable compensation plan. Individual base pay within each range depends on various factors, in addition to primary work location, such as complexity and responsibility of role, job duties/requirements, and relevant experience and skills. Base pay ranges are reviewed and typically updated each year. Offers are made within the base pay range applicable at the time of hire. New hires starting base pay generally falls in the bottom half (between the minimum and midpoint) of a pay range.
At Ingram Micro certain roles are eligible for additional rewards, including merit increases, annual bonus or sales incentives and long-term incentives. These awards are allocated based on position level and individual performance. U.S.-based employees have access to healthcare benefits, paid time off, parental leave, a 401(k) plan and company match, short-term and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, and wellbeing benefits, among others.
This is not a complete listing of the job duties. It's a representation of the things you will be doing, and you may not perform all these duties.
Please be prepared to pass a drug test and successfully pass a pre-employment (post offer) background check.