Network Engineering Architect, Director

BlackRock•New York, NY

24d•$215,000 - $275,000•Hybrid

About The Position

At BlackRock, technology is at the heart of our mission to help people build better financial futures. We foster a culture of curiosity, collaboration, and innovation, where technologists work across teams and regions to solve complex challenges. You’ll find an environment that encourages continuous learning, cross-functional teamwork, and the freedom to experiment – all while building systems that support a leading global financial institution. The Network Engineering Architect (Director) is a senior technical leader responsible for defining BlackRock’s enterprise network architecture strategy and driving its successful implementation across the firm. This hands-on role combines visionary architecture leadership with deep technical expertise to modernize our global network, making it more automated, resilient, and secure. You will influence network technology decisions at the highest levels and ensure our network infrastructure evolves to meet BlackRock’s business needs in an innovative yet risk-aware manner. In this role, you will set the north-star architecture for a complex global network spanning on-premises and cloud environments. You will lead architecture governance forums and design reviews, establishing reference patterns and standards that guide teams worldwide. Partnering closely with cybersecurity, platform engineering, site reliability engineering (SRE), and application development teams, you will ensure network designs integrate smoothly with security requirements and application needs. A key focus will be transforming traditional networking into “network-as-code” – leveraging automation, Infrastructure as Code (IaC), and even AI-driven tools to make network changes safe, auditable, and routine. As a player-coach, you’ll mentor senior network engineers and architects, promoting best practices and a culture of continuous improvement. Ultimately, you will help BlackRock achieve a secure, high-performance, and agile network foundation that empowers our business and developers.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical/Network Engineering, or related field (or equivalent professional experience).
10+ years of experience in network engineering and architecture roles, with a track record of designing and delivering large-scale, enterprise network solutions (global or multi-site environments).
Deep expertise in core networking concepts – strong understanding of IP networking fundamentals including routing protocols, switching, network segmentation, overlays/underlays, load balancing, DNS/DHCP, firewall policy concepts, and network observability practices.
Hands-on experience with network automation and Infrastructure as Code – proficient in scripting (e.g. Python, Bash) and configuration automation, with experience implementing CI/CD pipelines or declarative configuration management for network changes.
Demonstrated ability to lead architecture governance (design reviews, standards councils, or similar) and to collaborate across multidisciplinary teams (security, operations, application engineering) to drive consensus on technical decisions.
Strategic mindset and execution – proven experience developing network architecture strategies and translating them into actionable designs and roadmaps, while balancing innovation with risk management and compliance needs.
Experience with hybrid and cloud-native networking – familiarity with networking in cloud environments and container-based orchestration platforms (cloud VPC/VNET design, service mesh or similar concepts) and integrating them with on-premises networks.
Aptitude for emerging technologies (AI/ML) – exposure to or experience with applying machine learning or AI tools in network operations and design (e.g., AIOps for network performance or automated anomaly detection) and a passion for leveraging new tech to solve networking challenges.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree (M.S., Ph.D.) in a relevant technical field.
Financial services or regulated industry experience – working knowledge of the rigorous security, compliance, and audit requirements in heavily regulated, mission-critical environments.
Experience leading major network transformations – such as implementing software-defined networking, network virtualization, or large-scale network automation initiatives in an enterprise setting.
Industry certifications or community involvement – recognition through relevant certifications (network architecture, cloud networking, or security) or active participation in industry forums and best-practice communities.
Strong business and communication skills – ability to articulate the value and impact of network architecture decisions to non-technical stakeholders, and to produce clear technical documentation and presentations.

Responsibilities

Define and evolve the enterprise network architecture strategy and multi-year roadmap, ensuring alignment with business goals, security requirements, and emerging technology opportunities.
Establish and enforce network architecture standards, reference patterns, and design principles for core network domains (e.g., data center, campus, WAN, cloud connectivity), balancing innovation with operational stability.
Lead architecture governance and design reviews: chair architecture boards or forums to evaluate key network designs, ensuring solutions are scalable, resilient, compliant, and aligned with BlackRock’s risk controls.
Champion an Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and automation-first approach to networking – implement declarative network configuration, CI/CD pipelines, and version control for network changes to improve agility and consistency.
Implement robust change management processes that make safe, auditable network changes routine – including automated testing, validation, and traceability for every network configuration update with built-in human approval checkpoints.
Design and advocate for identity-based network segmentation and policy frameworks (e.g., label or identity-driven routing) to enhance security and flexibility, enabling dynamic, intent-based traffic management across our environments.
Develop self-service networking capabilities: create templates, APIs, guardrails, and “paved path” abstractions that allow application teams and non-network specialists to safely consume network services and deploy network changes with confidence.
Integrate AI-driven tools and workflows into network engineering: pioneer the use of AI-assisted configuration (e.g. large language model-based assistants) and agent-based automation to streamline network planning and change implementation.
Leverage AI/ML for network analytics and optimization: apply machine learning techniques to analyze network configurations and real-time telemetry, identifying opportunities to improve performance, capacity, and resilience. Ensure all AI-driven decisions integrate sensible human-in-the-loop oversight, transparency, and auditability.
Ensure robust core network design and performance: Oversee the architecture of routing, switching, load balancing, DNS, and connectivity solutions, delivering highly available and resilient networks (including modern overlay/underlay design) across on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments.
Enhance network observability and incident response: drive adoption of advanced monitoring and telemetry tools, ensuring end-to-end visibility into network health. Partner with SRE/Ops teams to support rapid root-cause analysis, incident response processes, and continual performance tuning of the network.
Mentor and develop talent: act as a player-coach for the global network engineering community, sharing expertise, guiding senior engineers and architects, and raising the bar for design quality, documentation, and operational excellence in network engineering.