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