Principal Network Architect

Hamilton Barnes ?; Sydney; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

A rapidly growing technology organisation in Sydney is seeking a Principal Network Architect to lead the design and evolution of its national and international backbone.

You will build a scalable, resilient, vendor-neutral connectivity architecture across terrestrial fibre, subsea networks, optical transport, IP backbone and data-centre interconnect, working with carriers, data centres and engineering teams. 10+ years' experience in backbone networks and DWDM/optics is required.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience designing and operating large-scale backbone networks.

Responsibilities

• Own the architecture and technical direction of the national and international backbone network.
• Design and evolve terrestrial fibre, subsea, optical and IP backbone infrastructure.
• Define network standards, reference architectures and reusable design patterns.
• Lead technical evaluation and selection of carriers, subsea providers and network vendors.
• Develop technical requirements, RFPs and vendor evaluation criteria.
• Provide technical assurance across design, delivery, migration and operational readiness.
• Lead complex network changes, migrations and cutovers.
• Mentor senior engineers and contribute to long-term connectivity strategy.

Skills

Backbone architecture

Carrier/vendor management

DWDM / OTN / optics

IP/MPLS & SR

SRLG resilience

Stakeholder management

Job description

Location: Sydney, Australia

About the Company

A rapidly growing technology organisation is building next-generation AI infrastructure and cloud platforms across APAC and is looking for a Principal Network Architect to lead the design and evolution of its national and international backbone network.

This is a highly strategic technical role focused on building a scalable, resilient and vendor-neutral connectivity architecture across terrestrial fibre, subsea networks, optical transport, IP backbone and data-centre interconnection.

You will work closely with carriers, fibre providers, subsea operators, data centres, technology vendors and internal engineering teams, acting as a key technical authority for backbone architecture and connectivity strategy.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the architecture and technical direction of the national and international backbone network.
• Design and evolve terrestrial fibre, subsea, optical and IP backbone infrastructure.
• Define network standards, reference architectures and reusable design patterns.
• Ensure high levels of resilience, route diversity and SRLG protection.
• Lead technical evaluation and selection of carriers, subsea providers and network vendors.
• Develop technical requirements, RFPs and vendor evaluation criteria.
• Provide technical assurance across design, delivery, migration and operational readiness.
• Lead complex network changes, migrations and cutovers.
• Work closely with Network Engineering, Data Centre and Operations teams.
• Mentor senior engineers and contribute to long-term connectivity strategy.
• 10+ years' experience designing and operating large-scale backbone networks.
• Principal/Lead Architect or Distinguished Engineer-level experience.
• Background within a carrier, hyperscaler, cloud, data-centre or AI infrastructure environment.
• DWDM / OTN / coherent optics
• 100G / 400G / 800G
• IP/MPLS & Segment Routing
• EVPN & traffic engineering
• SRLG and network resilience
• Experience working with carriers, fibre providers, subsea operators and major network vendors.
• Strong architecture, technical assurance and stakeholder management skills.