Staff Backbone Network Engineer

Groq, Inc.•Palo Alto, CA

44d•Remote

About The Position

As a member of the Groq Backbone team, your mission is to scale GroqCloud's global footprint-delivering a consistent, high-performance experience with maximum availability to users everywhere.

Requirements

Backbone Expertise - 7+ years designing, deploying, and operating interâDC transport networks (ISIS, MPLS, SR, TE, L3VPN, Anycast, dark fiber, wave and optical platforms).
Routing Proficiency - Deep knowledge of BGP, ISIS, SR, TE; experience with route reflectors, full internet routing tables on global networks, IXs and BGP communities.
Automation & Scripting - Strong background having automated several networks previously, especially with use of Terraform/CDKTF, Python, and vendor APIs for configuration management and automation.
Cloud native application development and delivery - Testing and packaging automation as cloud native RESTful Python applications (FastAPI)
Monitoring & Telemetry - Familiarity with NetFlow, sFlow, Prometheus ecosystem, Grafana, and OpenTelemetry for endâtoâend visibility.
Security Knowledge - Understanding of IPsec, MACsec, ACLs, and DDoS mitigation in a global network context.
Soft Skills - Excellent analytical, communication, and collaboration abilities; comfortable leading crossâgeo teams and mentoring others.

Responsibilities

Backbone Architecture & Design
Global Network Collaboration: Partner with regional network teams to harmonize routing, peering, and policy across all sites. Serve as the primary liaison for external service providers (ISP, darkâfiber carriers) and coordinate joint troubleshooting.
Transport Optimization & Performance: Monitor link utilization, packet loss, jitter, and latency using telemetry (NetFlow, sFlow, OpenTelemetry).
Network Automation & Configuration Management: Build and maintain GitOpsâdriven pipelines (Buildkite, Terraform, Python, Kubernetes) for backbone configuration and lifecycle management.