Principal Network Architect

Crusoe; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 250,000 - 300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

RSUs

Paid time off

Health insurance

401(k) with company match

Parental leave

Mental health support

Commuter benefits

Job summary

Crusoe is seeking a Senior Staff Network Architect to shape Crusoe's network across data centers, spanning bare-metal switching, RDMA interconnects, and cloud overlays. You will own architecture decisions and drive modernization across SDN, Kubernetes networking, and network as code.

You will mentor engineers, collaborate with software and operations teams, and lead cross-functional design reviews while advancing a scalable, observable network platform for AI workloads at hyperscale.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of progressive network engineering experience.
• Large-scale data center experience across 1000+ switches.
• Strong routing knowledge (BGP/EVPN/VXLAN, OSPF, ECMP).
• SDN and programmability with NETCONF/YANG, RESTCONF, or gNMI.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement Crusoe's data center networking for AI workloads.
• Build IBN frameworks translating goals into device configurations.
• Implement infrastructure-as-code and GitOps-driven provisioning.

Skills

Data center architecture

Intent-based networking

Declarative networking

GitOps

Automation workflows

Observability/telemetry

Standards/design reviews

Team mentorship

Cross-functional collaboration

Tools

Ansible

Nornir

Terraform

Git

gNMI

Job description

Crusoe is on a mission to accelerate the abundance of energy and intelligence. As the only vertically integrated AI infrastructure company built from the ground up, we own and operate each layer of the stack — from electrons to tokens — to power the world's most ambitious AI workloads. When you join Crusoe, you join a team that is building the future, faster.

We're in the midst of the greatest industrial revolution of our time. The demand for AI compute is boundless, and power is a bottleneck. We're solving that — with an energy-first approach that makes AI infrastructure better for the world and faster for the people innovating with AI.

We're looking for problem-solving, opportunity-finding teammates with a sense of urgency, who believe in the scale of our ambition and thrive on a path not fully paved — people who want to grow their careers alongside a team of experts across energy, manufacturing, data center construction, and cloud services.

If you want to do the most meaningful work of your career, help our customers and partners advance their AI strategies, and be part of a high-performing team that believes in each other, come build with us at Crusoe.

About This Role

Crusoe is looking for a Senior Staff Network Architect to help define and evolve network architecture across our infrastructure stack from bare-metal data center switching fabrics and RDMA interconnects to SDN control planes, Kubernetes networking, and cloud-layer overlays. As the industry's first vertically integrated AI infrastructure provider, Crusoe operates at a scale that few companies can match, including a 1.2 GW hyperscale campus in Abilene, TX powering the Stargate project. This is a high-impact senior individual contributor role reporting to the Director of Networking, partnering closely with the Principal Network Architect and network engineering leadership to design and operate network infrastructure at hyperscale.

In this role, you'll go beyond solving today's problems to help build the architecture that runs the AI infrastructure of tomorrow. You'll help drive adoption of modern networking paradigms like intent-based networking, declarative configuration management, and network source of truth, improving how Crusoe designs, provisions, and operates its network at scale.

What You’ll Be Working On

• Data Center Architecture: Design and implement network architecture for Crusoe's AI data centers, including spine-leaf fabrics, out-of-band management, RDMA (RoCEv2/InfiniBand), and inter-campus WAN connectivity.

• Intent-Based Networking: Help build IBN frameworks that translate operational goals into validated, auto-generated device configurations.

• Declarative Networking and GitOps: Implement infrastructure-as-code practices, GitOps-driven network provisioning, and continuous validation pipelines for network state.

• Network Source of Truth: Contribute to Crusoe's SoT strategy, helping maintain authoritative data models (IPAM, DCIM, CMDB) and ensuring devices, links, and policies remain version-controlled and consistent.

• Automation Workflows: Build day-0/1/2 automation using tools like Ansible, Nornir, or Terraform, driven by the network source of truth.

• Observability and Telemetry: Implement streaming telemetry architecture (gNMI/gRPC), intent verification, and closed-loop remediation pipelines.

• Standards and Design Reviews: Contribute to engineering standards and reference architectures, participate in architecture reviews, author design documents, and present proposals to engineering leadership.

• Team Mentorship: Mentor mid-level and senior network engineers, helping grow technical depth across the network engineering team.

• Cross Functional: Partnering with software and operation teams to implement, execute, deploy and manage your architecture designs while incorporating feedback along the way

What You’ll Bring to the Team

• Progressive Network Engineering Experience: 8+ years of progressive network engineering experience, including experience leading design efforts on cross-team initiatives.

• Large-Scale Data Center Expertise: Large-scale data center expertise, with experience designing or operating networks at 1000+ switches across multi-site environments.

• Routing Knowledge: Strong routing knowledge including solid proficiency in BGP, EVPN/VXLAN, OSPF, ECMP, BFD, and modern data center routing design.

• SDN & Programmability: SDN and programmability experience with hands-on work using an SDN controller and network programmability via NETCONF/YANG, RESTCONF, or gNMI.

• Kubernetes Networking: Kubernetes networking experience with CNI selection (Calico, Cilium, Flannel, Multus), network policies, and BGP integration.

• RDMA & HPC Networking: RDMA and HPC networking familiarity, including RoCEv2, InfiniBand, PFC, ECN, and lossless fabric design for AI/ML workloads.

• Software Engineering Fundamentals: Software engineering fundamentals including strong command of Git, CI/CD, code review, and infrastructure-as-code tooling (Terraform, Ansible, Nornir).

• Communication & Collaboration: Communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to write clear design documents and align stakeholders across engineering teams.

Bonus Points

• Industry Background: Experience at a hyperscaler, AI cloud provider, HPC center, or large-scale co-location operator.

• Advanced Networking Tech: Hands-on experience with SONiC OS, P4 programmable data planes, SRv6, or silicon-level knowledge of Broadcom Tomahawk/Trident.

• Open-Source Contributions: Open source contributions to networking projects such as SONiC, NetBox, FRR, or Cilium.

• Verification & Observability Tools: Familiarity with formal network verification tools like Batfish or Minesweeper, or eBPF-based networking and observability.

• Certifications: Relevant certifications including CCIE (DC/SP), JNCIE, or vendor-specific SDN/cloud certifications.

Benefits:

• Competitive compensation and equity packages

• Restricted Stock Units

• Paid time off, paid holidays & leave of absence programs

• Comprehensive health, dental & vision insurance

• Employer contributions to HSA account

• Paid parental leave

• Paid life insurance, short-term and long-term disability

• Professional development & tuition reimbursement

• Mental health & wellness support

• Commuter benefits (parking & transit)

• Cell phone stipend

• 401(k) Retirement plan with company match up to 4% of salary

• Volunteer time off

• Global travel insurance & emergency assistance

• Daily meals allowance

• Additional perks & programs specific to location

Compensation Range

Compensation will be paid in the range of up to $250,000 - $300,000 + Bonus. Restricted Stock Units are included in all offers. Compensation to be determined by the applicant’s knowledge, education, and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.

Crusoe is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, citizenship, marital status, sex/gender, sexual preference/ orientation, gender identity, age, veteran status, national origin, or any other status protected by law or regulation.