Data Center Network Architect

Must Haves:

Overall 10+ years and 5-7+ years of Datacenter Network Architecture experience – physical datacenters with 100 racks+ (NOT CLOUD)
Must have a experience deploying Palo Alto Firewalls and Switches
DESCRIPTION:

Our client is seeking a highly skilled, adaptable, focused, and driven Senior Network Engineer with expertise in datacenter environments.
Responsibilities:

Design, implement, and manage complex network solutions in a multivendor solution stack including routing, access layer switching, and datacenter switching in a mixed Cisco, Arista, Mellanox/Infiniband network, firewalls with a focus on Palo Alto and Fortinet, WAN circuits including dedicated cloud access technologies, WAN and general network optimization technologies to enable international collaboration.
Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams to gather and understand business requirements, translating them into solutions to accomplish company objectives.
Architect and support varied environments, ensuring seamless integration of networking assets to deliver high-performance and reliable services. Must have the ability to step back and observe the bigger picture in order to design solutions that consider impacts beyond the physical network.
Participate in the implementation and maintaining of network security measures, including firewalls, intrusion detection systems, access controls, and encryption, to safeguard sensitive data and ensure compliance with industry standards.
Monitor network performance, proactively identify issues, and provide rapid resolution to maintain optimal network functionality.
Stay current with emerging technologies, industry trends, and best practices to continuously improve and innovate.
Participate in researching and evaluating new technologies.
Document network configurations, processes, and procedures to facilitate knowledge sharing and provide reference materials for future initiatives.
Participate in an on-call rotation for network support and incident response.
Requirements:

Must Have

Bachelors degree in Computer Science or STEM related field.
Minimum 6 years network experience in a datacenter context.
Demonstrable experience, adaptability, and resilience is required.
Must be able to hit the ground running on a large scale initiative including project planning, participate in ongoing discussions, quoting, capacity planning, future maintenance planning, and implementation.
Strong demonstrable understanding of high throughput datacenter, private cloud, and HPC environments leveraging, but not limited to: Cisco, Arista, Aruba, and Mellanox/Infiniband for switching, interconnects, and routing; Palo Alto and Fortinet high throughput firewalls; WAN and dedicated private cloud connectivity including the routing knowledge to support it including eBGP, iBGP, OSPF and etc.
Proficiency with Meraki cloud-managed networking solutions.
Excellent soft skills to enable communication with all parties including experts, project management, senior management, and non-technical end users.
Self-starter mentality and the ability to function equally well as an individual or as part of a team to accomplish goals.
Solid understanding of firewalling principles, network security best practices, and encryption methods.
Familiarity with network automation and orchestration tools (e.g., Ansible, Puppet, Terraform) for efficient management.
Excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to diagnose and resolve complex network issues.
Strong communication and collaboration skills to work effectively with cross-functional teams.
Proven track record of successfully delivering network projects on time and within budget.
A Plus

Relevant certifications to demonstrate competence in the field (Network+, CCNA, VCTA-NV, etc.).
Knowledge of software-defined networking (SDN) concepts and microsegmentation.
Familiarity with public cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP) and hybrid cloud networking.
Experience with containerization technologies such as Docker and Kubernetes