Job Description

Principal Network Architect

Key Responsibilities

• Architectural Leadership: Lead the design and development of a secure, scalable, and resilient network architecture that supports the company's business objectives and cloud-first strategy.
• Software-Defined Networking (SDN):
  • Design, implement, and manage enterprise SDN solutions, specifically Cisco ACI and VMware NSX-T , to automate network provisioning, improve agility, and enhance security posture.
  • Integrate SDN architectures with physical and cloud-native environments for seamless hybrid connectivity.
• Security Integration:
  • Architect and manage robust network security solutions using physical and virtual firewalls from vendors like Check Point and Palo Alto Networks .
  • Develop and enforce security policies, implement intrusion prevention/detection systems, and ensure network compliance with all relevant standards.
• Cloud-Native Networking:
  • Design and implement secure cloud-native networking solutions within major cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, GCP, Azure), leveraging services like VPCs, security groups, transit gateways, and private links.
  • Ensure seamless, secure connectivity between on-premises data centers, branch offices, and cloud environments.
• Network Load Balancing (NLB):
  • Design, configure, and troubleshoot high-availability and high-performance application delivery and server load balancing solutions using technologies such as Citrix NetScaler (ADC) .
• Hands-On Implementation & Troubleshooting:
  • Provide expert-level, hands-on support for network deployment, configuration, and complex troubleshooting, acting as the final point of escalation for network issues.
  • Develop and maintain clear architectural documentation, network diagrams, and operational runbooks.
• Innovation: Stay abreast of emerging network technologies, evaluating and recommending new tools and practices to improve efficiency, security, and performance.

Required Skills and Qualifications

• Experience: Minimum of 10 years in network engineering and architecture roles, with at least 3 years focusing on SDN and cloud-native environments.
• SDN Expertise: Deep hands-on experience with Cisco ACI and VMware NSX-T.
• Security Mastery: Extensive experience with Check Point and Palo Alto Networks firewalls (both physical appliances and virtual editions).
• Load Balancing: Proven experience in designing and managing Citrix NetScaler (ADC) solutions.
• Cloud Networking: Strong understanding of cloud provider network architectures and security best practices.
• Certifications (Preferred): Relevant certifications such as CCNP/CCIE, VCDX-NV, PCNSE, or CCSM are highly desirable.
• Skills: Exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills, strong communication abilities, and a proven track record of leading large-scale network projects.

The skill set outlined is reflective of our team's existing capabilities and capacity. Our current team members successfully manage these functions and more on a daily basis.

Here are key phrases and clauses rephrased to emphasize deep, hands-on technical expertise and practical troubleshooting skills across multiple technical domains, suitable for integrating into various job descriptions (Enterprise Architect, Software Engineer, Infrastructure Architect, DevOps, Network Architect, Application Architect):

Emphasizing Hands-On Skills and Practical Experience:

• "Requires deep, hands-on experience and practical operational skills with all specified technologies; this role is not purely conceptual."
• "Candidates must possess significant hands-on implementation and expert-level troubleshooting experience, moving beyond high-level architecture to operational excellence."
• "This role demands a 'doer' who can not only design but also implement, configure, and troubleshoot complex solutions across our hybrid IT landscape."
• "Proven experience in getting hands dirty with day-to-day configuration, management, and operational support of infrastructure and application stacks is non-negotiable."
• "Must be able to transition seamlessly from whiteboard design to command-line configuration, coding, and real-world problem-solving."
• "Requires robust, demonstrable technical skills and a working knowledge of operations and support in complex environments."

Addressing Technical Debt and Deep Understanding:

• "Given our complex environment and existing technical debt, all resources need demonstrable experience and a deep operational understanding of the technologies they are experts in."
• "A strong focus on practical implementation is essential to address existing technical debt and ensure the stability, reliability, and security of our systems."
• "Candidates must have a profound technical understanding of how these technologies work at an operational level, not just at an architectural level."
• "We require engineers and architects who possess a deep grasp of how to operationalize, optimize, and secure systems across the entire technology stack."

Integrating "Security by Design":

• "Ensure 'Security by Design' is a fundamental principle in all architecture, engineering, and operational activities."
• "Embed security best practices and compliance requirements into every stage of the design, development, and deployment lifecycle."
• "Drive secure configuration management and identity and access governance across all platforms, from cloud-native to legacy application stacks."

Example Integration into a "Key Responsibilities" Section for an Enterprise Architect/Infrastructure Role:

• Hands-On Implementation & Troubleshooting: Provide expert-level, hands-on support for implementation, configuration, and complex troubleshooting across the technology stack (Google Cloud, VMware NSX-T/vSAN, Cisco ACI, application stacks like WebSphere/Oracle). Candidates must possess a deep operational understanding of these technologies to navigate and remediate technical debt effectively.
• Security by Design & Compliance: Ensure 'Security by Design' is a core principle in all architectural and engineering activities. Implement robust identity and governance controls and embed security best practices throughout the application and infrastructure lifecycles.
• Technical Breadth & Depth: Act as the subject matter expert across Google Cloud (all native services), VMware environments (NSX-T, HCX, vSAN), networking (SDN, Cisco ACI, ISE), and application stacks (MSSQL, Oracle, PostgreSQL, IBM WebSphere, jBoss).

This is a hands-on role; candidates whose experience is limited to high-level, abstract architectural design without practical implementation and operational support will not be considered.

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