Network Architecture Engineer

Network Architecture Engineer

Our client is a self-performing contractor building the physical infrastructure for AI and advanced computing at scale across the United States. They’re deploying standardized, modular data center sites nationwide, with 20 to 30 projects in development at any given time. They need a network architect who has actually built data center networks, not just designed them on paper.

What You Will Run

You’ll own the network end-to-end: from how servers, switches, and cabling sit inside each rack, to the leaf-spine fabric connecting racks and rows, to the long-haul circuits connecting sites to the outside world. You’re the first dedicated network architecture hire, which means your standards become the template every future site follows.

• Design and deploy Ethernet leaf-spine / Clos fabrics with redundancy so no single failure takes a site down
• Own rack-level network design: top-of-rack vs end-of-row, port density, patching, fiber vs copper, and how network and power layout inside the cabinet
• Design structured cabling and fiber plant for racks, rows, and halls
• Manage long-haul and data center interconnect circuits, carrier handoffs, and storage network integration
• Create install packages, as-built documentation, and the network asset database
• Set standards for configuration, routing, congestion management, firmware lifecycle, and safe change management
• Plan and execute maintenance, upgrades, migrations, and decommissioning
• Test and integrate new network hardware and software platforms
• Escalate and drive permanent fixes for network incidents
• Work with manufacturing, MEP, and integration teams to fit network design into standardized units, including power and cooling requirements

What It Takes

• 6+ years designing and running large-scale data center networks in production (12+ for principal-level)
• Hands-on experience building leaf-spine / Clos fabrics in real data centers, not office or enterprise networks
• Deep rack-level knowledge: ToR / EoR design, cabinet layout, patching, port density, fiber vs copper decisions
• Strong routing and protocols: BGP, IS-IS, OSPF, MPLS, ECMP, EVPN-VXLAN, IPv4/IPv6
• Multi-vendor hands-on experience with platforms like Arista, Nokia, Cumulus/NVIDIA, Juniper, or Cisco
• Structured cabling and fiber plant design
• Optical networking: 100G and above, CWDM/DWDM, coherent optics (ZR/ZR+)
• AI / GPU cluster networking experience strongly preferred
• Field experience in data centers, colocation facilities, or internet exchanges with working knowledge of data center power and cooling
• Linux, plus scripting and automation (Python, Bash)
• BS in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or equivalent experience
• Comfortable with 24×7 on-call rotation and 10-30% travel to project sites

The Opportunity

Design the network for AI infrastructure from day one, with your standards becoming the template for every site. Be the first dedicated network architecture hire at a fast-growing company with real ownership and room to grow. Work with a founding team that has built large companies, sold them, and delivered major programs in government.

Location: The Woodlands, TX (office-based), with field work at client sites and data centers. Reports to VP of Manufacturing.

At a glance

• Location: Texas
• Recruiter: Amundson Group, veteran-owned, construction-only

Apply or ask about this role. Conversations are confidential; if this role is not the fit, we likely have the one that is.