Sr. Enterprise Network Architect

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JOB DETAILS:
Position:Sr. Enterprise Network Architect
JOB REF#:44737 - NTTJP00111954
Duration:12+ Months (Contract)
Location:Hybrid - Los Angeles, CA
Pay Rate:$110.00 (W2 only) or $120.00 (C2C)

Please Note: Candidates MUST be located in the Los Angeles, able to work onsite in downtown LA when needed. Will also travel to client sites in the LA regions as needed

Seeking to hire a Principal Enterprise Network Architect to serve as a senior, client-facing technical leader responsible for shaping, communicating, and guiding enterprise network transformation initiatives. This role requires a rare combination of deep Cisco architecture expertise, executive presence, consultative communication skills, and the ability to represents a trusted advisor to client leadership. This is not simply a back-office engineering or implementation role. The successful candidate will work directly with client stakeholders, technical teams, program leadership, and executive sponsors to define the network strategy, explain architecture decisions, align technology outcomes to business needs, and guide successful delivery across complex, multi-site environments.

The ideal candidate has strong hands-on experience with Cisco SD-Access, Catalyst Center, Cisco ISE, Cisco FTD/Firepower, Cisco SD-WAN, enterprise routing, segmentation, automation, and operational governance, but is equally capable of leading architecture workshops, presenting to executives, influencing client decisions, mentoring engineering teams, and ensuring that the overall solution reflects both technical excellence and business value.

Key Responsibilities

Client-Facing Enterprise Architecture Leadership
Serve as the senior enterprise network architecture representative, in front of client technical leaders, business stakeholders, and executive sponsors.
Lead architecture discussions, discovery sessions, design workshops, roadmap reviews, and technical governance meetings with client teams.
Translate business requirements, operational challenges, security objectives, and transformation goals into practical, scalable network architecture recommendations.
Represent professionalism, credibility, and confidence in client-facing meetings, executive briefings, technical reviews, and escalation discussions.
Build trusted-advisor relationships with client stakeholders by demonstrating strong technical judgment, clear communication, and ownership of outcomes.
Help clients understand tradeoffs, risks, dependencies, sequencing, and business impacts associated with major network architecture decisions.
Partner with client executives, IT leadership, security teams, operations teams, and application stakeholders to align network strategy with broader business and technology objectives.

Cisco SD-Access and Campus Architecture
Lead the design and governance of Cisco SD-Access architectures for large enterprise and campus environments.
Define fabric architecture, including control nodes, edge nodes, border nodes, transit options, segmentation strategy, and integration with WAN and data center networks.
Guide Catalyst Center architecture and automation approaches, including templates, workflows, assurance, software image management, and operational dashboards.
Align SD-Access design with identity, segmentation, security, wireless, operational support, and client migration requirements.
Review and validate high-level and low-level designs to ensure they are technically sound, scalable, and aligned to client outcomes.
Provide senior-level guidance during pilot deployments, phased rollouts, cutovers, issue resolution, and operational hand-off.

Cisco ISE, Security, and Segmentation Architecture
Define identity-based access and segmentation strategies using Cisco ISE, 802.1X, MAB, TrustSec, scalable group tags, authorization policies, and related security controls.
Partner with client security teams to ensure network access control, segmentation, and policy designs align with Zero Trust and enterprise security objectives.
Guide integration between Cisco ISE, Catalyst Center, SD-Access, firewalls, wireless, and client identity systems.
Help clients understand the operational impacts of identity-based networking, including endpoint onboarding, exception handling, policy management, and support processes.
Provide architecture oversight for Cisco FTD/Firepower designs, including firewall policy, NAT, VPN, intrusion prevention, high availability, and secure edge integration.

Cisco SD-WAN and Enterprise WAN Strategy
Lead architecture discussions and design decisions related to Cisco SD-WAN, WAN modernization, transport strategy, cloud connectivity, and application-aware routing.
Define SD-WAN overlay and underlay approaches across MPLS, Internet, broadband, DIA, cloud on-ramp, and hybrid WAN models.
Align SD-WAN policy, segmentation, application steering, failover, and security integration with broader enterprise architecture goals.
Ensure WAN architecture decisions consider business continuity, user experience, application performance, operational support, and migration risk.
Partner with client network, carrier, security, cloud, and application teams to ensure SD-WAN designs integrate cleanly into the full enterprise environment.

The ideal candidate will have the following:
Experience leading conversations about network transformation, explain why a particular architecture is the right approach, identify risks before they become delivery issues, and help the client make informed decisions.
Excellent communicator, able to represent in an executive-facing settings, but technical enough to challenge a design, troubleshoot a routing issue, review a Catalyst Center workflow, or guide an SD-Access or SD-WAN migration strategy.
Builds strong relationship with technical client executive, the design depth of a principal architect, and the credibility of someone who has delivered complex enterprise network transformations in real-world environments.
Able to connect the dots across Cisco SD-Access, Catalyst Center, ISE, FTD, SD-WAN, routing, security, cloud connectivity, campus design, operational readiness, and client business outcomes.

REQUIRED SKILLS/EXPERIENCE:
10+ years of enterprise networking experience, including significant experience designing and guiding complex, multi-site enterprise network environments.
Proven experience operating in a client-facing architecture, principal architect, enterprise architect, or trusted advisor capacity.
Strong executive presence with the ability to communicate effectively with client leadership, technical teams, vendors, and internal delivery organizations.
Deep hands-on and architectural experience with Cisco enterprise networking technologies.
Strong experience with Cisco SD-Access, including fabric design, segmentation, border/control/edge node roles, transit models, and integration with campus, WAN, and data center networks.
Strong experience with Cisco Catalyst Center, including automation, assurance, templates, workflows, software lifecycle management, and operational visibility.
Deep expertise with Cisco ISE, including policy design, 802.1X, MAB, TrustSec, SGTs, authorization profiles, posture concepts, guest/BYOD, and scalable access policies.
Strong experience with Cisco FTD/Firepower, including firewall policy, NAT, VPN, IDS/IPS, high availability, and secure edge integration.
Strong experience with Cisco SD-WAN, including overlay/underlay design, application-aware routing, segmentation, security integration, policy design, and operationalization.
Expert-level understanding of enterprise routing, including BGP, OSPF, EIGRP, redistribution, route filtering, summarization, route policy, and resiliency design.
Demonstrated ability to lead workshops, present architecture recommendations, document decisions, and influence stakeholders.
Experience leading complex migrations, technical governance, design reviews, and multi-phase transformation programs.
Ability to mentor engineers and guide delivery teams while maintaining strong client confidence.
Strong documentation skills, including executive summaries, HLDs, LLDs, roadmap materials, standards, and architecture decision records.

Work Style and Expectations
Operates as a Principal Enterprise Architect and client-facing technical leader, not just a senior engineer.
Comfortable leading strategic architecture conversations with client executives and technical leadership.
Able to represent professionally in high-visibility, high-pressure client environments.
Balances hands-on technical credibility with consultative leadership and business awareness.
Can challenge assumptions, explain tradeoffs, and guide clients toward practical, supportable architecture decisions.
Builds confidence with stakeholders through preparation, clarity, ownership, and follow-through.
Partners effectively with project managers, delivery teams, sales/client executives, security teams, operations teams, vendors, and client leadership.
Willing to support onsite client meetings, workshops, executive briefings, critical change windows, and major escalation events as needed.

Cisco Campus and SD-Access
Cisco SD-Access architecture
Fabric edge, control, and border node design
Campus segmentation
SGT/TrustSec strategy
Catalyst Center automation and assurance
SDA migration planning
Campus resiliency and operational models

Security and Identity
Cisco ISE architecture
802.1X, MAB, guest, BYOD, and posture concepts
Authorization policy and profile design
PxGrid and ecosystem integrations
Cisco FTD/Firepower
Firewall policy, NAT, VPN, IDS/IPS
Zero Trust-aligned network segmentation

WAN and SD-WAN
Cisco SD-WAN architecture
Overlay and underlay design
Application-aware routing
Transport independence
MPLS, Internet, DIA, broadband, and hybrid WAN
Cloud on-ramp and secure edge integration
SD-WAN segmentation and policy design
WAN migration and operational readiness