Senior Principal Engineer, Enterprise Networking Architecture, Automation and AI

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Job Summary

Equinix is seeking a Sr Principal Engineer to serve as a senior technical authority for the architecture, automation, telemetry, and continued evolution of our global corporate enterprise network, known as the GEN network.

This individual-contributor role combines deep network architecture and protocol expertise, hands-on Python automation, and applied artificial intelligence. The successful candidate will define the future-state architecture of the GEN network, establish global standards and reference designs, and lead a three-to-five-year modernization strategy.

The Sr Principal Engineer will bridge network engineering and software development, helping Equinix move from manual and tool-specific practices toward automated, testable, observable, policy-driven, and AI-augmented network operations.

This role requires a mature technical leader who can evaluate complex network designs and automation capabilities, influence global engineering teams without formal authority, and communicate architecture decisions to executives through business value, risk, cost, security, resiliency, and operational impact.

Key Responsibilities

Architecture and Strategy

• Define the target-state architecture and multiyear strategy for the global GEN corporate enterprise network.
• Provide architectural direction across global LAN, WAN, campus, branch, wireless, corporate data center, cloud connectivity, secure access, network security, carrier services, and resiliency.
• Establish global standards, reference architectures, design patterns, technical guardrails, and architecture-governance practices.
• Identify technical debt, lifecycle risks, capacity needs, architectural constraints, and modernization opportunities.
• Own most corporate network architecture decisions while aligning with security, cloud, infrastructure, enterprise architecture, risk, and other Equinix standards.
• Evaluate architecture alternatives and emerging technologies based on scalability, availability, security, operational readiness, cost, and measurable business value.

Network Engineering and Automation

• Provide deep technical leadership in routing, switching, traffic engineering, control-plane behavior, network resiliency, and complex failure scenarios.
• Apply expert knowledge of BGP and OSPF, with strong working knowledge of IS-IS and large-scale routing concepts.
• Guide architecture involving EVPN, VXLAN, leaf-spine fabrics, Layer 2 and Layer 3 boundaries, multihoming, segmentation, SD-WAN, cloud interconnection, and high-speed networking.
• Personally write, review, troubleshoot, or materially guide Python used for network automation, telemetry, and data processing.
• Translate network requirements into reliable software-enabled workflows in partnership with network engineers and software developers.
• Establish network-as-code practices using Python, Ansible, Terraform, Git, APIs, structured data, and GitOps.
• Define authoritative sources of truth for intended network state, inventory, topology, configuration, policy, and service data.
• Establish production controls for testing, configuration validation, drift detection, compliance, deployment, rollback, and post-change verification.
• Evaluate multi-vendor and open-networking technologies based on standards, interoperability, operational maturity, supportability, and strategic fit.

Telemetry, Observability, and AI

• Define enterprise strategy for network telemetry, observability, topology intelligence, monitoring, and operational analytics.
• Integrate routing, topology, configuration, inventory, performance, flow, event, log, and security data to improve network visibility and decision-making.
• Advance service-aware and intent-aware observability, dependency mapping, digital twins, and proactive network operations.
• Lead practical application of AI to network architecture, engineering, and operations.
• Develop AI-enabled capabilities such as anomaly detection, event correlation, root-cause analysis, predictive capacity planning, configuration analysis, intelligent troubleshooting, incident triage, and remediation recommendations.
• Ensure AI capabilities use reliable data and appropriate security, privacy, validation, explainability, human oversight, and operational controls.
• Clearly distinguish genuine AI-enabled capabilities from conventional scripting, rules-based automation, and vendor marketing.
• Connect AI initiatives to measurable improvements in availability, security, operating efficiency, risk reduction, and engineering productivity.

Technical Leadership and Influence

• Present architecture recommendations, options, tradeoffs, risks, investment needs, and expected outcomes to technical and executive audiences.
• Lead architecture reviews, technical councils, engineering communities, and cross-functional decision forums.
• Build alignment across network engineering, software development, cybersecurity, cloud, infrastructure, operations, and enterprise architecture teams.
• Mentor Principal, Senior Principal, Senior Staff, and other senior engineers and architects.
• Influence vendor roadmaps and represent Equinix credibly in technical, architecture, vendor, and industry forums.

Required Qualifications

• 15+ years of progressively responsible experience in corporate enterprise networking, network engineering, network architecture, network automation, infrastructure architecture, or a closely related technical discipline.
• A significant record of operating as a Principal Engineer, Senior Principal Engineer, Distinguished Engineer, Chief Network Architect, Fellow, or equivalent senior technical authority responsible for enterprise architecture, strategy, standards, and complex cross-functional decisions.
• Demonstrated ownership of global or multiregion corporate enterprise-network architecture.
• Experience architecting or governing approximately 10,000 or more network nodes, or an environment with comparable global scale, complexity, and criticality.
• Deep protocol-level expertise in BGP and OSPF, with strong working knowledge of IS-IS, routing policy, convergence, resiliency, and failure analysis.
• Architecture experience across enterprise WAN, campus, data center, cloud connectivity, wireless, secure access, network security, and carrier services.
• Strong knowledge of EVPN, VXLAN, leaf-spine fabrics, segmentation, multihoming, gateway design, and Layer 2 and Layer 3 architecture.
• Strong Python experience applied directly to network engineering, automation, telemetry, or operations, including the ability to personally review and troubleshoot meaningful Python-based capabilities.
• Experience with network automation, infrastructure as code, source-of-truth architecture, intended-versus-actual-state reconciliation, testing, configuration drift, remediation, and rollback.
• Demonstrated applied-AI experience in networking, infrastructure, security, engineering, or operations, including a real implementation or pilot with measurable value.
• Strong experience with network telemetry, observability, topology, configuration-state, or operational-data integration.
• Proven success creating global standards and technical roadmaps, influencing executives without formal authority, and mentoring senior technical professionals.
• Exceptional ability to communicate complex technical decisions clearly and connect them to business outcomes.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience within financial services, FinTech, a hyperscaler, Fortune 50 company, telecommunications provider, network or security vendor, digital-infrastructure company, or similarly complex global environment.
• Machine-learning experience applied to network operations, security, capacity planning, optimization, or remediation.
• Experience with network digital twins, topology-intelligence platforms, large language models, or agentic infrastructure workflows.
• Experience with NetBox, Nautobot, OpenConfig, YANG, gNMI, MPLS, Segment Routing, SONiC, whitebox networking, or high-speed networking.
• Demonstrated technical influence through enterprise standards, architecture councils, vendor advisory groups, technical communities, publications, patents, open source, standards participation, or speaking.
• Advanced technical certification, advanced degree, or equivalent demonstrated expertise.

The targeted pay range for this position in the following location is / locations are:

United States - Dallas Infomart Office DAI : 177,000 - 265,000 USD / Annual

United States - Redwood City Office GHQ : 213,000 - 319,000 USD / Annual

Canada - Toronto Office TRO : 166,000 - 248,000 CAD / Annual

Our pay ranges reflect the minimum and maximum target for new hire pay for the full-time position determined by role, level, and location.The pay range shown is based on our compensation structure in place at the time of posting and may be updated periodically based on business needs. Individual pay is based on additional factors including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education and/or training.

The targeted pay range listed reflects the base pay only and does not include bonus, equity, or benefits. Employees are eligible for bonus, and equity may be offered depending on the position.

Equinix Benefits

As an employee, you become important to Equinix’s success. We ensure all your benefits are in line with our core values: competitive, inclusive, sustainable, connected and efficient. We keep them competitive within the current marketplace to ensure we’re providing you with the best package possible. So, wherever you are in your career and life, you’ll be able to enhance your experience and bring your whole self to work.

Employee Assistance Program: An Employee Assistance program is available to all employees.

US Benefits: - Insurance: You may enroll in health, life, disability and voluntary plans that are designed for you and your eligible family members. - Retirement: You and Equinix may contribute to a retirement plan to help you plan for your financial future. - Paid Time Off (PTO) and Paid Holidays: You will receive an accrued amount of PTO each pay period along with various paid holidays for you to rest and recharge. Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific plan or program terms. Canada Core Benefits: - Insurance: You may enroll in healthcare coverage that is designed to complement the provincial healthcare system, along with life, disability and optional benefit plans that are designed for you and your eligible family members. - Retirement: You may also enroll in Equinix-sponsored retirement or savings plans: Defined Contribution Pension Plan (DCPP), Group Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) and Tax-Free Savings Plan (TSFA). - Vacation and Paid Holidays: Equinix offers both vacation and personal time, along with various paid holidays for you to rest and recharge. Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits. Benefits are subject to specific plan or program terms, and to change at Equinix discretion.

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 / organizational affiliation, status as a victim or family member of a victim of crime or abuse, or any other status protected by applicable law. 

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This posting is a new position within our organization.