Distinguished Engineer, Networking

Equinix•Redwood City, CA

About The Position

As a Distinguished Engineer within the Infrastructure Engineering organization, you will serve as the definitive technical authority for network architecture across the Network Edge product line. This is a company-wide leadership role that sets the long-term network architectural vision and translates it into concrete engineering direction for product teams. You will own the network designs underpinning Equinix's Virtual Network Function (VNF) platform, drive high-impact initiatives such as the high-throughput VNF effort and dual-Data Center connectivity, and serve as the primary technical bridge between product engineering and Equinix's Network Architecture and Operations organizations. This role also carries direct customer-facing responsibility—providing expert-level guidance and troubleshooting for Equinix's most strategic customers. Distinguished Engineers at Equinix operate at an industry level. You will be recognized as an expert inside and outside the company, influencing product roadmaps multiple years out and elevating the engineering community through mentorship and thought leadership.

Requirements

15+ years of experience in network engineering, with deep expertise in large-scale, high-performance network architecture and operations
Demonstrated track record of defining and delivering network architectures for commercial-grade telecommunications, cloud, or digital infrastructure products
Proven ability to influence technical direction at the company level, across engineering, product, and operations organizations
Experience engaging directly with enterprise or carrier-grade customers in a technical advisory or escalation capacity
Inclusive leadership approach with strong collaboration and communication skills; ability to translate complex network concepts for technical and non-technical audiences alike
Deep expertise in network architecture for virtualized and cloud-native environments, including SDN/NFV, overlay networking (VXLAN, MPLS, Segment Routing), and virtual routing/switching
Expert-level knowledge of Virtual Network Function (VNF) architecture, performance tuning, and qualification—including DPDK, SR-IOV, CPU pinning, and high-throughput packet processing techniques
Strong command of BGP, OSPF, IS-IS, and other routing protocols as applied in large-scale multi-tenant or carrier environments
Experience designing and operating interconnected multi-site (multi-Data Center) or multi-region network topologies with stringent availability and latency requirements
Familiarity with Kubernetes networking, cloud-native CNI plugins, and service mesh concepts as they apply to infrastructure products
Ability to engage deeply with both software engineering and network operations teams, bridging low-level protocol knowledge with product and platform requirements
Experience applying AI/ML tools or automated analysis to network observability, fault detection, or capacity planning is a plus
Strong foundation in networking, computer science, or electrical engineering demonstrated through professional experience, education, industry certifications (e.g., CCIE, JNCIE), or equivalent practical expertise

Responsibilities

Define and own the multi-year network architecture vision for Network Edge, ensuring designs are scalable, resilient, and aligned with Equinix's global infrastructure strategy
Lead network architecture and design for critical platform initiatives, including high-throughput VNF enablement and dual-Data Center connectivity
Establish authoritative design patterns, reference architectures, and standards for virtual network functions, overlay networking, and carrier-grade performance tuning across on-prem and cloud environments
Identify and resolve systemic architectural gaps across the Network Edge platform, providing clear technical recommendations that unblock engineering teams
Drive performance engineering for VNFs, including profiling, tuning, and qualification of throughput-sensitive network workloads (DPDK, SR-IOV, CPU pinning, and related techniques)
Serve as the primary technical liaison between product engineering and Equinix Network Architecture, Network Operations, and external network vendors
Influence Equinix's broader network and infrastructure strategy by contributing architectural guidance that spans product, platform, and operations boundaries
Partner with Product, Engineering, and Strategy leadership to define the 2027+ product roadmap and ensure technical feasibility of new features and services
Represent Equinix Network Edge capabilities to strategic customers, partners, and industry forums, providing expert-level consultation and thought leadership
Set and model a high bar for technical excellence, fostering a culture of quality, innovation, transparency, and continuous improvement
Mentor and develop Senior Principal and Principal Engineers, accelerating their technical growth and organizational impact
Publish internal design documents, architectural decision records, and best-practice guides that elevate the craft of network engineering across Equinix
Champion rigorous problem-solving, transparency, and continuous learning within the engineering organization
Engage directly with strategic customers to diagnose complex network issues, validate architectural approaches, and build confidence in the Network Edge platform
Translate field observations and customer feedback into actionable architectural improvements and product requirements