Senior Principal Network Architect – AI-Driven Automation

Equinix, Inc; Redwood City (CA); On-site; USD 213,000 - 319,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employee Assistance Program

Competitive benefits

Job summary

Equinix is seeking a Sr Principal Engineer to serve as a senior technical authority for the GEN network architecture, automation, telemetry, and modernization strategy. The role combines deep network design with hands-on Python automation and AI-augmented operations, guiding standards and reference designs across global infrastructure.

The candidate will bridge network engineering and software development, communicating decisions to executives in terms of value, risk, cost, security, and

Qualifications

• 15+ years in corporate enterprise networking or related field.
• Experience as a senior technical authority for enterprise architecture and strategy.
• Global/multi-region network architecture ownership.
• Knowledge of large-scale networks with 10,000+ nodes.
• Deep expertise in BGP/OSPF; IS-IS and routing concepts.
• Experience across WAN, data center, cloud connectivity, and security.
• Strong Python in network automation and telemetry; IaC experience.
• Applied AI experience in networking/operations with measurable value.
• Experience with network telemetry, observability, and data integration.
• Track record of creating standards and roadmaps; influencing executives.
• Clear communication of complex technical decisions and business impact.

Responsibilities

• Define target-state architecture and multiyear GEN network strategy.
• Provide architectural direction across LAN, WAN, campus, data center, and cloud.
• Establish global standards, reference architectures, and governance.
• Identify debt, risks, capacity needs, and modernization opportunities.
• Own architecture decisions aligning with security and cloud standards.
• Lead AI-enabled capabilities, telemetry, and trusted automation.

Skills

BGP & OSPF

IS-IS

Python

AI in networking

Network architecture

EVPN VXLAN

Leaf-Spine

Automation

Telemetry

IaC / GitOps

Vendor interoperability

Communication to execs

Tools

Git

Terraform

Ansible

OpenConfig

Job description

Equinix is seeking a Sr Principal Engineer to serve as a senior technical authority for the GEN network architecture, automation, telemetry, and modernization strategy. The role combines deep network design with hands-on Python automation and AI-augmented operations, guiding standards and reference designs across global infrastructure.

The candidate will bridge network engineering and software development, communicating decisions to executives in terms of value, risk, cost, security, and