Distinguished Engineer, Networking
Distinguished Engineer, Networking
Posted 48 days ago
SENIORITY
Manager
About the role
- Technical Leadership & Architecture
- Define and own the multi-year network architecture vision for Network Edge, ensuring designs are scalable, resilient, and aligned with Equinix's global infrastructure strategy
- Lead network architecture and design for critical platform initiatives, including high-throughput VNF enablement and dual-Data Center connectivity
- Establish authoritative design patterns, reference architectures, and standards for virtual network functions, overlay networking, and carrier-grade performance tuning across on-prem and cloud environments
- Identify and resolve systemic architectural gaps across the Network Edge platform, providing clear technical recommendations that unblock engineering teams
- Drive performance engineering for VNFs, including profiling, tuning, and qualification of throughput-sensitive network workloads (DPDK, SR-IOV, CPU pinning, and related techniques)
- Cross-Organizational Influence
- Serve as the primary technical liaison between product engineering and Equinix Network Architecture, Network Operations, and external network vendors
- Influence Equinix's broader network and infrastructure strategy by contributing architectural guidance that spans product, platform, and operations boundaries
- Partner with Product, Engineering, and Strategy leadership to define the 2027+ product roadmap and ensure technical feasibility of new features and services
- Represent Equinix Network Edge capabilities to strategic customers, partners, and industry forums, providing expert-level consultation and thought leadership
- Set and model a high bar for technical excellence, fostering a culture of quality, innovation, transparency, and continuous improvement
- Engineering Community & Mentorship
- Mentor and develop Senior Principal and Principal Engineers, accelerating their technical growth and organizational impact
- Publish internal design documents, architectural decision records, and best-practice guides that elevate the craft of network engineering across Equinix
- Champion rigorous problem-solving, transparency, and continuous learning within the engineering organization
- Customer & Field Engagement
- Engage directly with strategic customers to diagnose complex network issues, validate architectural approaches, and build confidence in the Network Edge platform
- Translate field observations and customer feedback into actionable architectural improvements and product requirements
- Leadership & Experience 15+ years of experience in network engineering, with deep expertise in large-scale, high-performance network architecture and operations
- Demonstrated track record of defining and delivering network architectures for commercial-grade telecommunications, cloud, or digital infrastructure products
- Proven ability to influence technical direction at the company level, across engineering, product, and operations organizations
- Experience engaging directly with enterprise or carrier-grade customers in a technical advisory or escalation capacity
- Inclusive leadership approach with strong collaboration and communication skills; ability to translate complex network concepts for technical and non-technical audiences alike
- Technical Expertise
- Deep expertise in network architecture for virtualized and cloud-native environments, including SDN/NFV, overlay networking (VXLAN, MPLS, Segment Routing), and virtual routing/switching
- Expert-level knowledge of Virtual Network Function (VNF) architecture, performance tuning, and qualification—including DPDK, SR-IOV, CPU pinning, and high-throughput packet processing techniques
- Strong command of BGP, OSPF, IS-IS, and other routing protocols as applied in large-scale multi-tenant or carrier environments
- Experience designing and operating interconnected multi-site (multi-Data Center) or multi-region network topologies with stringent availability and latency requirements
- Familiarity with Kubernetes networking, cloud-native CNI plugins, and service mesh concepts as they apply to infrastructure products
- Ability to engage deeply with both software engineering and network operations teams, bridging low-level protocol knowledge with product and platform requirements
- Experience applying AI/ML tools or automated analysis to network observability, fault detection, or capacity planning is a plus
- Education & Professional Background
- Strong foundation in networking, computer science, or electrical engineering demonstrated through professional experience, education, industry certifications (e.g., CCIE, JNCIE), or equivalent practical expertise
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