Datacenter Architect

Harnham; Dallas (TX); On-site; USD 211,500 - 258,500; Full time

Job summary

Harnham is seeking a skilled Data Center Network Architect in Dallas to enhance enterprise data center environments. The role involves designing modern data center architectures and supervising the deployment of network fabrics, ensuring high performance and reliability.

The ideal candidate should possess over 5 years of relevant experience along with strong technical documentation abilities and communication skills. The position offers a competitive base salary of up to $235,000 plus bonuses and equity.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in data center network architecture, engineering, or implementation.
• Direct experience with data center network design, deployment, or modernization.
• Strong understanding of spine-leaf / CLOS architecture.

Responsibilities

• Design and support modern data center network architectures.
• Lead the design, deployment, and optimization of data center network fabrics.
• Create and maintain architecture documentation.

Skills

Data center network architecture

Routing and switching

Technical documentation skills

Strong communication

Tools

Arista EOS

EVPN / VXLAN

Python

Ansible

Job description

Compensation: Up to $235,000 base salary + two bonus components + equity

Overview

We are seeking an experienced Data Center Network Architect to help design, scale, and modernize large enterprise data center environments. This role is focused specifically on data center network architecture and fabric design — not general IT infrastructure, facilities management, or traditional network operations.

The ideal candidate has been directly involved in designing and deploying modern data center network fabrics, ideally across multiple data center rollouts, migrations, expansions, or large-scale modernization programs.

This is a hands‑on architecture role that will partner closely with infrastructure, server, storage, cloud, security, operations, and leadership teams to build reliable, scalable, and high‑performance data center network environments.

What You’ll Be Doing

Design and support modern data center network architectures, including spine‑leaf fabrics, network segmentation, routing, switching, and high‑availability patterns.

Develop scalable, resilient architectures that support enterprise infrastructure, private cloud, hybrid cloud, compute, storage, and high‑performance workloads.

Fabric Design & Deployment

Lead or contribute to the design, deployment, and optimization of data center network fabrics.

Relevant technologies may include:

• Arista EOS / CloudVision
• EVPN / VXLAN
• Spine‑leaf / CLOS architectures
• Routing, switching, segmentation, and traffic flow design

Data Center Rollouts & Modernization

Support data center buildouts, migrations, expansions, hardware refreshes, and modernization initiatives.

Help translate business and technical requirements into implementation‑ready architecture, documentation, and execution plans.

Technical Documentation

Create and maintain architecture documentation, including:

• HLDs / LLDs
• Network diagrams
• BOMs
• MOPs / SOPs
• Migration plans
• Cutover plans
• Runbooks
• Standards and reference architectures

Cross-Functional Partnership

Work closely with server, storage, cloud, virtualization, security, facilities, and operations teams to ensure the network fabric supports broader infrastructure goals.

Partner with vendors, consultants, and internal engineering teams on design validation, implementation planning, troubleshooting, and ongoing optimization.

Performance, Availability & Reliability

Help ensure data center networks are highly available, resilient, secure, and scalable.

Support capacity planning, network performance improvements, resiliency reviews, and operational readiness for production environments.

What We’re Looking For

Required Experience

• 5+ years of experience in data center network architecture, engineering, or implementation
• Direct experience with data center network design, deployment, or modernization
• Strong understanding of spine‑leaf / CLOS architecture
• Experience with data center routing and switching
• Experience with BGP, OSPF, VLANs, IP addressing, segmentation, and high‑availability design
• Experience with data center migrations, expansions, buildouts, refreshes, or fabric deployments
• Ability to create clear technical documentation, diagrams, implementation plans, and runbooks
• Strong communication skills with technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Ability to work onsite in Dallas 5 days per week

Highly Preferred Experience

• Arista EOS and/or CloudVision
• Cisco Nexus, ACI, or NDFC
• EVPN / VXLAN
• Data center network automation using Ansible, Python, Terraform, APIs, or similar tools
• Experience in large enterprise, technology, semiconductor, cloud, colocation, financial services, or infrastructure consulting environments
• Experience working with server, storage, virtualization, private cloud, or hybrid cloud teams

Nice to Have

• Experience with AI/HPC infrastructure, GPU clusters, or high‑performance data center environments
• Juniper Apstra, VMware NSX, or comparable fabric/network virtualization platforms
• Data center security integration experience with Palo Alto, F5, Fortinet, Cisco ISE, or similar tools
• Certifications such as CCNP, CCIE, Arista ACE, or equivalent data center/networking credentials

Ideal Backgrounds

We are especially interested in candidates coming from:

• Network infrastructure consulting
• Technology infrastructure integrators
• Colocation / data center providers
• Cloud, semiconductor, financial services, manufacturing, or high‑scale technology environments

Relevant previous titles may include

• Data Center Network Architect
• Network Fabric Architect
• Principal Network Engineer
• Network Infrastructure Architect
• Network Solutions Architect
• Data Center Solutions Architect
• Infrastructure Architect
• Arista Network Architect
• EVPN / VXLAN Architect

What This Role Is Not

This is not a general helpdesk, NOC, wireless, telecom, or facilities role.

While data center operations experience is helpful, the core need is someone who has been directly involved in data center network fabric design and rollout.

The right person should be able to discuss architecture decisions around spine‑leaf design, fabric scalability, routing, segmentation, migration planning, and production readiness.