Director Network Technologies

Duties/Responsibilities

• Serve as final technical decision authority (below the VP) for all network architecture: WAN, LAN, data center, cloud interconnect, and network security edge.
• Own the multi-year architecture roadmap and technology selection.
• Chair the network design review process: no major change — BGP policy, EVPN/VXLAN fabric design, SD-WAN/SASE (Cato Networks) topology, Equinix Fabric and AWS Direct Connect interconnects, optical/WAVE circuit design and route diversity (KMZ review) for gateway fiber plant — ships without this role's sign-off.
• Own technical standards, reference architectures, golden configurations, and design documentation (HLD/LLD); ensure the network is buildable and operable by the engineering team, not just elegant on a whiteboard.
• Partner closely with the Director of Cybersecurity & Network Systems, who owns the engineering staff and operations: this role decides what and why; the peer organization owns who and when.
• Success requires leading through authority of expertise, not headcount.
• Own the network observability architecture (Kentik): flow analytics, synthetic testing, BGP monitoring, and capacity planning methodology in support of enterprise customer SLAs.
• Act as the senior technical escalation for the most complex incidents; lead post-incident architectural review and drive systemic fixes.
• Represent network architecture to executives, enterprise customers, auditors, and third-party assessors; translate design decisions and risk into business terms.
• Ensure designs satisfy NIST 800-171, SOC 2, and ITAR/EAR obligations by construction; partner with compliance and legal on export-controlled technical data handling.
• Lead the technical side of network workstreams for corporate initiatives, including integration-readiness, due diligence responses, and third-party assessments.
• Evaluate emerging technology, run proofs of concept, and drive vendor technical strategy and roadmap influence (carriers, hardware, SaaS platforms); provide technical input to budget and contract decisions.
• Mentor senior engineers on advanced routing, fabric design, and design discipline; raise the technical bar of the organization without owning its org chart.

Skills And Competencies

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to interact clearly and concisely with all departments and levels of management.
• Excellent organizational skills with attention-to-detail.
• Ability to meet multiple deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to effectively manage time and prioritize tasks.
• Ability to act with integrity, professionalism, and confidentiality.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office.
• Familiarity with NetSuite.
• Education, Experience, And Licenses/Certifications:
  • Active CCIE certification required (Enterprise Infrastructure or Service Provider track preferred).
  • A second expert-level certification (additional CCIE track, CCDE, JNCIE, or AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty) is strongly preferred and will differentiate candidates.
  • 15+ years of progressive network engineering experience, including 7+ years in a principal, distinguished, or chief-architect level design role with demonstrable design authority at scale.
  • Expert-level BGP: policy design, route reflection, communities, traffic engineering, multi-homing at scale.
  • Deep experience with EVPN/VXLAN data center fabrics and modern spine/leaf design.
  • Hands-on experience with SD-WAN/SASE platforms (Cato Networks strongly preferred) and cloud interconnect (Equinix Fabric, AWS Direct Connect).
  • Experience with carrier services: optical/WAVE circuits, circuit diversity analysis, and carrier technical escalation.
  • Experience designing under formal compliance regimes: NIST 800-171, SOC 2, and ITAR/EAR.
  • Track record of influencing without direct authority: design governance, architecture review boards, or matrixed technical leadership across teams you did not manage.
  • Network observability fluency (Kentik or equivalent: NetFlow/sFlow analytics, synthetic testing, BGP monitoring) and SLA-driven capacity planning.
  • Strong executive communication: able to defend architecture decisions to a VP/C-suite audience and translate risk for non-technical stakeholders.
  • S. Person (as defined by ITAR/EAR) required due to access to export-controlled technical data.

Preferred Qualifications

• Multiple active expert-level certifications (multi-track CCIE, CCDE, JNCIE).
• Security architecture depth: firewall design (Check Point preferred), micro-segmentation, zero-trust design.
• Experience leading technical workstreams through M&A due diligence and integration.
• Network automation fluency (Python, Ansible) and infrastructure-as-code design practices.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field; equivalent experience considered.