Principal Network Engineer

We are seeking a visionary and technically elite Principal Network Engineer to lead the design, architecture, and operations of our global network infrastructure. This role encompasses on-premises data centers, multi-cloud environments (including AWS, Azure, and/or GCP), and Kubernetes-based networking. You will drive our strategic direction, influence global network policies, and act as a critical escalation point for complex networking issues.

Key Responsibilities

• Design & Architecture
• Architect and evolve a hybrid global network across on-prem and public cloud environments.
• Define and enforce network segmentation, routing, firewall, VPN, and DNS strategies across platforms.
• Integrate container-based networking with Kubernetes (e.g., CNI plugins, service meshes, ingress controllers).
• Cloud Networking
• Build and manage scalable, secure network infrastructure in AWS, Azure, and/or GCP.
• Implement hybrid connectivity models such as Direct Connect, ExpressRoute, and VPN gateways.
• Optimize cloud network costs and performance with advanced routing and traffic policies.
• Kubernetes & Microservices Networking
• Implement service meshes (e.g., Istio, Linkerd) and ingress/egress policies for microservices communication.
• Drive adoption of zero-trust networking within Kubernetes clusters.
• Collaborate with platform teams to ensure seamless integration between networking and container orchestration.
• Operations & Troubleshooting
• Serve as highest-level escalation for network performance, latency, and connectivity issues.
• Own monitoring, logging, and alerting for global network health and security.
• Mentor global engineering teams and lead incident response for critical network-related outages.
• Strategy & Leadership
• Define global network strategy aligned with organizational security and compliance objectives.
• Evaluate and implement next-gen technologies (e.g., SD-WAN, NAC, cloud firewalls, NDR).
• Lead vendor evaluations, RFPs, and lifecycle management for network infrastructure and tooling.

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in network engineering, with at least 3 years in a principal or lead role.
• Deep expertise in enterprise networking: routing, switching, firewalls (e.g., Palo Alto, Fortinet), BGP, OSPF.
• Proven experience with cloud-native networking across AWS, Azure, or GCP.
• Advanced knowledge of Kubernetes networking: CNI plugins, DNS, ingress/egress traffic flow, network policies.
• Strong knowledge of automation (e.g., Terraform, Ansible) for network provisioning and management.
• Experience with monitoring tools (e.g., Prometheus, Grafana, ThousandEyes, Wireshark).
• Strong scripting or programming skills (Python, Go, or Bash).
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills across global, cross-functional teams.

We are an equal-opportunity employer and do not discriminate because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, marital status, veteran status, age, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity or expression or any other legally protected category. InterSystems is an E-Verify Employer in the United States.