Principal Network Architect

CommandLink

1d • $180,000 - $250,000

About The Position

CommandLink owns and operates its own network infrastructure, and this role carries real weight inside that model. We're looking for a leader who sits at the intersection of infrastructure builder, product strategist, and commercial operator: someone who has configured BGP sessions in a colo cage, negotiated carrier and data center contracts, and knows how to package all of it into a product line that sales can quote and operations can support.

This role takes an existing strategic direction in private connectivity, cloud interconnect, and transport services and brings it stronger technical ownership, operational structure, and commercial focus. The portfolio spans private point-to-point transport, cloud interconnect (including Azure ExpressRoute, AWS Cloud/Direct Connect), data center interconnect, IP transit, wavelength services, dark fiber, and carrier interconnect. The expectation isn't to follow a fully defined playbook; it's to improve it, fill in the gaps, and scale a capable infrastructure into a more profitable, more repeatable service portfolio.

Requirements

• Direct background building or operating network infrastructure at a carrier, MSP, data center provider, ISP, or managed connectivity provider.
• Hands-on proficiency in BGP, VLANs, QinQ, VRFs, Layer 2/3 transport, IP addressing, routing policy, redundant network design, and customer handoff design.
• Experience deploying routers, switches, circuits, and cross-connects in data center or colocation environments.
• Experience with private cloud connectivity, including Azure ExpressRoute or equivalent direct cloud interconnect models.
• Working familiarity sourcing and managing data center providers, carriers, fiber providers, transport vendors, and hardware partners.
• Demonstrated ability to translate infrastructure capabilities into commercial products: pricing, margins, vendor cost, contract terms, and operational delivery models.
• Comfortable operating in a fast-moving, entrepreneurial environment where the direction exists but needs sharper structure, ownership, and scale.

Nice To Haves

• Background expanding an existing network product line or infrastructure-based service portfolio.
• Experience with network automation, APIs, orchestration, or self-service provisioning.
• Familiarity with optical networking, DWDM, carrier Ethernet, or metro fiber.
• Customer-facing experience in technical sales, solution architecture, or pre-sales engineering.
• Familiarity with service provider billing models: usage-based pricing, port-based pricing, wholesale/resale structures, and bandwidth commitments.
• Certifications such as CCNP, CCIE, JNCIP, JNCIE, or Azure Network Engineer (or equivalent real-world experience).

Responsibilities

• Design and expand private connectivity and interconnect capabilities across strategic data centers, cloud onramps, carrier hotels, and customer aggregation points.
• Own edge node deployments end to end: hardware selection, redundancy design, routing, monitoring, documentation, and lifecycle management.
• Build scalable network architectures for point-to-point connectivity, cloud interconnect, private WAN transport, data center interconnect, IP transit, wavelength services, and dark fiber.
• Expand CommandLink's private cloud connectivity offerings, with a focus on Azure ExpressRoute and comparable direct interconnect models.
• Define provisioning standards for cloud circuits, VLANs, BGP sessions, routing policy, bandwidth options, redundancy models, and customer handoffs.
• Build repeatable service models for private transport, data center interconnect, and multi-location private connectivity.
• Source and negotiate data center presence, colocation, cross-connects, Ethernet transport, wavelength services, dark fiber, IP transit, and carrier relationships.
• Identify cost-effective expansion opportunities and help define long-term infrastructure growth priorities.
• Evaluate commercial models for wholesale connectivity, bundled transport, and service-integrated network offerings.
• Translate technical infrastructure capabilities into clearly defined, repeatable, sellable product offerings.
• Define service packages, pricing inputs, operational handoff requirements, and support standards for the connectivity and transport portfolio.
• Collaborate with sales, operations, engineering, and finance to bring enhanced services to market and establish internal quoting and delivery standards.
• Install, configure, and troubleshoot routers, switches, BGP sessions, VLANs, QinQ, VRFs, cross-connects, and transport circuits.
• Develop operational runbooks for provisioning, monitoring, escalation, maintenance, and vendor coordination.
• Train sales, engineering, implementation, and support teams on how to design, quote, provision, and support the expanded portfolio.

Benefits

• Generous Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage for full-time employees
• Flexible time off
• 401k to help you save for the future
• Fun events at cool locations
• Free DoorDash lunches on Fridays
• Employee referral bonuses to encourage the addition of great new people to the team

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal
• Education Level: No Education Listed