Director, Network Planning & Architecture

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

Director of Network Planning

As Director of Network Planning, you will lead the strategy, planning, and evolution of Digital Realty’s global network infrastructure. You will partner with Technical Program Managers, Network Engineers, Design and Infrastructure Engineers, Field Engineers, and construction and telecommunications vendors and contractors to define scalable network strategies, strengthen architecture standards, and drive successful business outcomes across the organization.

What You’ll Do

• Lead Digital Realty’s global network planning strategy, including long‑range capacity planning, infrastructure prioritization, and investment alignment to support business growth, customer demand, and service objectives.
• Lead network capacity deployment planning to ensure infrastructure is delivered in the right markets, at the right time, and at the right scale to support customer demand and product requirements.
• Drive new market planning and infrastructure readiness by partnering across product, sales, finance, and deployment teams to evaluate demand signals, define requirements, and prioritize expansion opportunities.
• Partner closely with product teams to align network planning, architecture, and deployment priorities with product roadmaps, service requirements, and customer experience goals.
• Establish and govern network architecture standards, design principles, and planning frameworks that enable scalable, resilient, and cost‑effective infrastructure across global metro and data center environments.
• Drive repeatable planning and deployment models by translating architecture strategy into scalable designs, implementation patterns, and technical requirements for global network expansion.
• Own the roadmap for planning automation, data‑driven workflows, and process standardization to reduce manual effort, improve quality, and increase speed and consistency across the organization.
• Drive the strategic use of AI tools to automate planning, analysis, and design workflows, improve decision quality, identify optimization opportunities, and scale engineering productivity through more intelligent and repeatable operating models.
• Partner across engineering, operations, infrastructure, and business teams to align network strategy with service requirements, financial targets, operational readiness, and customer commitments.
• Build and evolve governance, business processes, and performance measures for network planning and design, including topology standards, hardware lifecycle strategy, capacity targets, and risk management practices.

What You’ll Need

• Experience leading network planning, architecture, or infrastructure strategy for large‑scale Layer 1, Layer 2, or Layer 3 environments.
• Experience defining architecture standards, design principles, 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 telecommunications, 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, accelerate design decisions, improve forecasting, and reduce manual effort across network engineering processes.
• Knowledge of fiber types, transport systems, routing infrastructure, and scalable network architecture principles.
• Experience establishing governance, business processes, and operating models that improve consistency, quality, and execution at scale.
• Experience leading cross‑functional programs and aligning engineering, operations, and business stakeholders around strategic network priorities.
• Excellent communication, executive presentation, and decision‑making skills.

Compensation and Benefits

The base salary for this position ranges from $170,000 to $190,000. Benefits include medical, dental, vision, life and AD&D insurance, 401(k) match, disability benefits, wellness and education benefits, employee stock purchase plan, paid time off, holidays, and other perks.