Principal Network Architect – Zero Trust & Cloud Networking

Workday; Pleasanton (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Workday is seeking a Principal Network Architect in Pleasanton, CA to lead strategic design and modernization of global network and cloud infrastructure. You’ll drive ZTNA/SSE, micro-segmentation, and automation while aligning with security and cloud roadmaps.

You will mentor senior network engineers, chair ARB reviews, and define standards across campus, cloud, and WAN architectures to support Workday’s growing SaaS platform and hybrid workforce.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of network leadership in a large-scale global network engineering environment.
• 5+ years serving in a Principal or Enterprise Network Architect roles within a global enterprise environment.
• 5+ years of professional experience within the software as a service industry.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute strategic network architecture roadmap; integrate zero-trust controls and cloud-native networking.
• Lead evolution from legacy topologies to managed cloud backbones (AWS Cloud WAN, GWLB firewalls, multi-region peering).
• Serve as security champion for Network & Cloud, aligning designs with ZTA principles.
• Design standard frameworks for Branch Office 2.0 (SD‑WAN), wireless networks, campus switching, and VCR environments.
• Establish enterprise-wide micro-segmentation architectures to eliminate implicit trust.
• Represent Network & Cloud in Architecture Review Board (ARB).
• Formulate standards for RFPs, vendor evaluation, and PoC activities across campus, WiFi, and cloud tooling.
• Drive ZTNA, SSE, and posture-based access policies; modernize automation pipelines.
• Lead SD-WAN modernization to standardize global office connectivity and direct-to-cloud paths.
• Lead AIOps initiatives with CI/CD policy deployment pipelines.
• Oversee migration of legacy Transit Gateways to high-throughput GWLBs and Cloud WAN.
• Modernize intake and review processes and mentor engineers to improve architectural rigor.

Skills

Network leadership

Enterprise networking

Stakeholder communication

ZTNA architecture

Security policy design

Mentoring

Python/Ansible

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in CS/CE/IT

Tools

AWS Cloud Networking

Transit Gateways

GWLB

VPC peering

Job description

Workday is seeking a Principal Network Architect in Pleasanton, CA to lead strategic design and modernization of global network and cloud infrastructure. You’ll drive ZTNA/SSE, micro-segmentation, and automation while aligning with security and cloud roadmaps.

You will mentor senior network engineers, chair ARB reviews, and define standards across campus, cloud, and WAN architectures to support Workday’s growing SaaS platform and hybrid workforce.