Network Architect with Data Center

Client Domin:  Data Center

 

Remote. Occasionally on-site required. So, need Local to Bay Area, CA candidates, Six to extension

 

Network Architect – High-Performance Infrastructure

 

Role Overview

 

We are seeking a Network Architect to design, build, and operate high-performance, low-latency network fabrics for modern compute-intensive environments. This role focuses on data-center-class networking, emphasizing scalability, resiliency, and predictable performance under heavy east-west traffic patterns.

 

The ideal candidate has hands-on experience architecting lossless Ethernet fabrics, integrating high-speed networking, and enabling performance-sensitive workloads at scale.

 

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Key Responsibilities

 

Network Architecture & Design

      •     Design scalable, non-blocking network architectures optimized for high east-west traffic.

      •     Define leaf-spine or Clos-based topologies with clear scalability and fault-domain boundaries.

      •     Perform capacity planning, oversubscription analysis, and performance modeling.

      •     Define physical and logical network architecture, including IP addressing, routing, and segmentation strategies.

 

High-Performance Networking

      •     Architect and implement high-speed Ethernet fabrics (100G / 200G / 400G).

      •     Design and tune lossless Ethernet using technologies such as:

      •     RDMA over Converged Ethernet (RoCE v2)

      •     Priority Flow Control (PFC)

      •     Explicit Congestion Notification (ECN)

      •     Data Center Bridging (DCB)

      •     Optimize latency, throughput, and packet loss for performance-sensitive workloads.

 

Fabric Separation & Network Domains

      •     Design and maintain separate network planes, including:

      •     High-performance data fabric

      •     Management and control networks

      •     Implement network isolation using VLANs, VRFs, and routing policies.

      •     Ensure secure access and segmentation across network domains.

 

Hardware & Vendor Integration

      •     Define network hardware specifications, including switches, NICs, optics, and cabling.

      •     Validate interoperability across switching platforms, NICs, and transceivers.

      •     Review and approve rack-level and fabric-level cabling designs.

      •     Work closely with hardware vendors and internal teams to ensure architectural alignment.

 

Automation, Operations & Reliability

      •     Design networks with Day-2 operations in mind.

      •     Implement:

      •     Zero-touch provisioning (ZTP)

      •     Network automation using tools such as Ansible or vendor APIs

      •     Define monitoring, telemetry, and alerting for:

      •     Latency

      •     Congestion

      •     Packet loss

      •     Link health

      •     Establish troubleshooting methodologies and failure-domain isolation strategies.

 

Documentation & Cross-Functional Collaboration

      •     Produce detailed architecture diagrams, design documents, and runbooks.

      •     Collaborate with platform, infrastructure, and operations teams.

      •     Provide technical guidance during deployment and ongoing operations.

 

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Required Qualifications

      •     8+ years of experience in data center or high-performance network engineering

      •     Proven experience designing leaf-spine or Clos-based architectures

      •     Strong hands-on experience with:

      •     High-speed Ethernet (100G+)

      •     Lossless Ethernet design and tuning

      •     East-west traffic optimization

      •     Deep understanding of:

      •     BGP (underlay and overlay concepts)

      •     IP routing and fabric design principles

      •     Network congestion management

 

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Preferred Qualifications

      •     Experience supporting performance-sensitive or compute-intensive workloads

      •     Hands-on experience with RDMA-based networking

      •     Familiarity with modern data-center switching platforms (e.g., Arista, Cisco, Juniper, NVIDIA or equivalent)

      •     Experience with network automation and Infrastructure-as-Code

      •     Strong troubleshooting skills in complex, high-throughput environments

 

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What Success Looks Like in This Role

      •     Network fabrics deliver consistent, predictable performance under heavy load.

      •     Packet loss and congestion are proactively detected and mitigated.

      •     Network designs scale cleanly without disruptive re-architecture.

      •     Deployments are repeatable, automated, and well-documented.

 

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Nice-to-Have Signals (Not Mandatory)

      •     Experience with HPC or large-scale compute environments

      •     Exposure to advanced telemetry and network analytics

      •     Background in designing multi-tenant or isolated network environments