Senior Principal Network Architect

Senior Principal Network Architect | Equinix Join to apply for the Senior Principal Network Architect role at Equinix. Who are we? Equinix is the world’s digital infrastructure company®, shortening the path to connectivity to enable the innovations that enrich our work, life and planet. A place where tech thinkers and future builders turn bold ideas into breakthrough experiences, we welcome your unique perspective. We help challenge assumptions, uncover bias, and remove barriers—because progress starts with fresh ideas. You’ll find belonging, purpose, and a team that welcomes you, so that when you feel valued, you’re empowered to do your best work. We are looking for a Senior Principal Network Architect to help design, develop and evaluate next-generation networking capabilities and architectures that will shape the evolution of Equinix's network and infrastructure stack. You will develop modern, world-class networking solutions that are scalable, reliable, and programmable through software. Responsibilities Provide senior thought leadership and significant technical contributions to help develop target software‑defined network architectures and recommendations, for the evolution of the network technology stack at Equinix, in close collaboration with stakeholders. Drive cross‑stakeholder alignment on network requirements and design trade‑offs. Help identify technical debt and drive continual improvement by partnering with associate organizations. Provide in‑depth technical expertise to identify and evaluate innovations in networking and assess their impact on the network infrastructure of future at Equinix. Contribute to next‑generation networking proof‑of‑concept projects to deliver tangible outcomes that guide new technology investments and implementation decisions to evolve the network technology stack. Serve as an orchestrator of thinking internally and externally, including interactions with customers, partners, forums, and open‑source/developer communities. Qualifications 15+ years of relevant experience. Demonstrable, extensive experience in developing next‑generation networking technologies and architectures implemented in large‑scale, critically important deployments, including network infrastructure design, engineering, DevOps/operations, security, tooling, and networking products/solutions. Top‑tier relevant network design or network engineering leadership with software‑defined, cloud‑native networking technologies and ecosystems, with detailed knowledge across layers 2‑3 control and data planes and ideally networking operating systems as well. Substantive knowledge of network (function) disaggregation, including merchant silicon and ODM solutions. Expert level knowledge with service provider networking technologies and protocols, including BGP, IS‑IS, MPLS, Segment Routing, RSVP, QoS, EVPN, VXLAN, traffic engineering (backbone & edge). Passionate about infrastructure automation through software, with solid hands‑on experience of network automation. Experience engineering with programming languages such as C, C++, Go, Python, Rust for network automation. Experience with network configuration tools such as Netconf, YANG. Experience with open networking technologies and ecosystems, such as Routing Daemons (FRR, Bird, GoBGP), Linux Networking (eBPF, VPP, XDP), and SONiC or other Linux‑based open Network Operating Systems. Involvement with modern observability platforms (Prometheus/PromQL, Grafana, gNMI, etc). Experience with network flow export (Netflow, IPFIX, sFlow) and analysis. Solid understanding of full networking stack (routing, switching and optical networking), including key protocols & standards, Linux networking and open‑source solutions, vendor ecosystems and implementation best practices. Excellent written and verbal communication skills for interacting with both engineers and executive leadership. Excellent collaboration and people skills. Experience working on hybrid distributed teams. Experience recruiting and coaching/mentoring engineers at all levels. Pay Range San Francisco, CA / Bay Area: $223,000 to $335,000 per year California (Non‑SF/Bay Area), Connecticut, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Washington state: $219,000 to $329,000 per year Colorado, Nevada, Rhode Island: $202,000 to $304,000 per year Equinix Benefits We ensure all your benefits are aligned with our core values: competitive, inclusive, sustainable, connected and efficient. We provide health, life, disability and voluntary insurance plans, retirement plans, paid time off (PTO) and paid holidays, employee assistance program, and equity options where applicable. Equal Employment Opportunity Equinix is committed to ensuring that our employment process is open to all individuals, including those with a disability. If you are a qualified candidate and need assistance or an accommodation, please let us know by completing this form. Equinix is an Equal Employment Opportunity and, in the U.S., an affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to unlawful consideration of race, color, religion, creed, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, place of birth, citizenship, sex, pregnancy/childbirth or related medical conditions, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital or domestic partnership status, age, veteran or military status, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, political/or-organizational affiliation, status as a victim or family member of a victim of crime or abuse, or any other status protected by applicable law. #J-18808-Ljbffr