AI-Driven Global Network Planning Director

Digital Realty; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 170,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Life and AD&D insurance

401(k) match

Disability benefits

Wellness benefits

Education benefits

Employee stock purchase plan

Paid time off

Job summary

Digital Realty is seeking a Director of Network Planning to lead the strategy and evolution of the company’s global network infrastructure, partnering with engineering, product, and operations teams to define scalable standards and drive business outcomes.

You will own the roadmap for planning automation, data-driven workflows, and AI-enabled design processes, aligning with product roadmaps and customer requirements across metro and data center environments.

Qualifications

• Experience leading network planning, architecture, or infrastructure strategy for large-scale Layer 1/2/3 environments.
• Experience defining architecture standards and implementation models across optical, transport, routing, and data center networking environments.
• Experience leading long-range capacity planning, investment prioritization, and infrastructure roadmap development in telecom, hyperscale, data center, or colocation environments.
• Experience leading network capacity deployment strategies, market expansion planning, and infrastructure readiness for new metros, products, or service launches.
• Experience defining and advancing an AI-enabled automation strategy using Python, APIs, data-driven workflows, automation frameworks, and AI tools to streamline planning and design decisions.
• Knowledge of fiber types, transport systems, routing infrastructure, and scalable network architecture principles.

Responsibilities

• Lead Digital Realty’s global network planning strategy, including long-range capacity planning and infrastructure prioritization.
• Oversee network capacity deployment planning to ensure timely, scalable delivery in key markets.
• Drive market planning and infrastructure readiness with cross-functional partners to evaluate demand and prioritize expansion.
• Align network planning with product roadmaps, service requirements, and customer experience goals.
• Establish governance and operating models for topology standards and hardware lifecycle strategy.
• Develop automation roadmaps and data-driven workflows to reduce manual effort and improve speed and consistency.
• Incorporate AI tooling to automate planning, analysis, and design workflows, improving forecast accuracy and decision quality.

Skills

Network planning leadership

Architecture standards

Capacity planning

AI automation (Python)

Cross-functional collaboration

Executive communication

Tools

Python

APIs

Job description

Digital Realty is seeking a Director of Network Planning to lead the strategy and evolution of the company’s global network infrastructure, partnering with engineering, product, and operations teams to define scalable standards and drive business outcomes.

You will own the roadmap for planning automation, data-driven workflows, and AI-enabled design processes, aligning with product roadmaps and customer requirements across metro and data center environments.