Principal Enterprise Network Architect

Role : Principal Enterprise Network Architect

Work location : Los Angelese, CA (Candidates must be in the Los Angeles area and able to work onsite in downtown LA as needed. Will also travel to client sites in the LA region as needed)

Note : This role is intended to be an Enterprise Architect type of role with the client skills of a Client Executive. Client-Facing Cisco Architecture & Transformation

Ideal Candidate Profile

• The ideal candidate is a principal-level enterprise network architect who can walk into a client meeting and immediately establish credibility with both executives and senior engineers.  They should be able to lead 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. They should be polished enough to represent NTT DATA in 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.
• This person should bring the presence and relationship skills of a 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.
• They should be 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.
• We are seeking 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 represent NTT DATA as 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 for NTT DATA 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 NTT DATA with 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.

Enterprise Network Strategy and Solution Ownership

• ·       Own the overall enterprise network architecture approach across campus, WAN, security, identity, automation, and operational domains.
• ·       Define architecture direction for large-scale Cisco-based network modernization programs across distributed, multi-site environments.
• ·       Develop scalable architecture patterns that support resiliency, security, performance, operational simplicity, and long-term maintainability.
• ·       Create transformation roadmaps that move clients from current-state network environments to modern Cisco architectures.
• ·       Identify architecture gaps, operational risks, technical debt, and improvement opportunities across the client environment.
• ·       Provide recommendations that balance best practices, project realities, budget considerations, implementation complexity, and operational readiness.
• ·       Ensure that technical decisions are properly documented, communicated, and aligned with client expectations and delivery commitments.

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 handoff.

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.

Routing, Integration, and Technical Governance

• ·       Provide senior-level architecture oversight for enterprise routing using BGP, OSPF, EIGRP, route redistribution, route filtering, summarization, route policy, and segmentation.
• ·       Ensure routing architecture supports enterprise scale, resiliency, operational clarity, and clean integration across campus, WAN, data center, cloud, and security domains.
• ·       Review technical designs, change plans, migration methods, and implementation approaches for quality, risk, and alignment to architecture standards.
• ·       Lead technical governance forums and design reviews to drive consistency across teams and project phases.
• ·       Provide escalation leadership for complex architecture issues, cross-domain dependencies, and high-impact technical decisions.
• ·       Ensure implementation teams understand not only what is being built, but why it is being built that way.

Executive Communication and Advisory Responsibilities

• ·       Communicate complex technical concepts in clear, business-relevant language for executives, program leaders, and non-networking stakeholders.
• ·       Prepare and deliver architecture presentations, roadmap briefings, decision papers, design recommendations, and executive-level summaries.
• ·       Help client leadership understand project progress, risks, decision points, technical dependencies, and recommended paths forward.
• ·       Support pre-sales, solution shaping, and expansion discussions when needed by articulating NTT DATA’s technical value and delivery approach.
• ·       Act as a bridge between client executives, client engineering teams, NTT DATA delivery teams, and partner/vendor resources.
• ·       Demonstrate the judgment, polish, and professionalism expected of someone operating with qualities of a technical client executive.

Delivery Leadership and Engineering Enablement

• ·       Guide engineering teams through complex design, build, migration, and troubleshooting activities.
• ·       Mentor senior and mid-level engineers on architecture principles, client communication, documentation quality, and implementation discipline.
• ·       Review HLDs, LLDs, migration plans, MOPs, test plans, rollback plans, operational runbooks, and as-built documentation.
• ·       Support pilot execution, phased deployments, cutover planning, change windows, root-cause analysis, and post-implementation reviews.
• ·       Ensure that delivery teams remain aligned with the agreed architecture, client priorities, and operational requirements.
• ·       Promote reusable standards, reference architectures, templates, and repeatable methods across the program.

Required Qualifications

• ·       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.

Preferred Qualifications

• ·       Active CCIE; Enterprise Infrastructure, Security, or related Cisco track preferred.
• ·       CCDE, dual CCIE, Cisco specialist certifications, or equivalent senior architecture credentials.
• ·       Experience serving as a lead architect or enterprise architect for large-scale campus, WAN, security, or network modernization programs.
• ·       Experience supporting pre-sales, solution development, client expansion, or executive advisory discussions.
• ·       Experience with automation and infrastructure-as-code concepts, including Ansible, Python, Terraform, APIs, Git-based workflows, and Cisco platform integrations.
• ·       Experience with wireless architecture, including Cisco Catalyst 9800, wireless segmentation, campus mobility, and Catalyst Center Assurance.
• ·       Experience with cloud networking, hybrid connectivity, Azure/AWS integration, DNS/DHCP/IPAM, and data center interconnect concepts.
• ·       Experience with operational transformation, including network standards, runbooks, support models, monitoring, governance, and knowledge transfer.
• ·       Experience working in high-visibility client environments with strict change control, executive oversight, and mission-critical availability requirements.

Technical Areas of Expertise

Enterprise Architecture and Client Advisory

• ·       Enterprise network strategy
• ·       Client-facing architecture leadership
• ·       Executive communication
• ·       Technical roadmap development
• ·       Architecture governance
• ·       Business-to-technology translation
• ·       Risk, dependency, and decision management
• ·       Trusted-advisor engagement model

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

Routing and Network Integration

• ·       BGP, OSPF, EIGRP
• ·       Route redistribution and filtering
• ·       Route summarization and policy
• ·       ECMP and resiliency patterns
• ·       Campus, WAN, data center, and cloud integration
• ·       QoS, multicast, and high availability

·       Large-scale enterprise routing governance

Delivery and Operational Leadership

• ·       HLD and LLD review
• ·       Migration planning
• ·       MOP and rollback review
• ·       Pilot and phased rollout leadership
• ·       Root-cause analysis
• ·       Operational handoff
• ·       Runbooks, standards, and reference architectures
• ·       Engineering mentoring and enablement

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 NTT DATA 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.