Principal Engineer, Network (Network Services)

Job Description

Job Description

About CENIC:

Join the team that connects California to the world — advancing education and research statewide by providing the world-class computing network essential for innovation, collaboration, and economic growth. Our organization operates the California Research and Education Network (CalREN), a high-capacity computer network with more than 8,000 miles of optical fiber. The network serves over 20 million users across California, including the vast majority of K-20 students, together with educators, researchers, and individuals at other vital public-serving institutions.

**We are looking for Network Engineers at various levels: mid-career > senior > technical expert > and leadership roles! Please see our career center for other positions available.**

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Principal Engineer, Network plays a strategic leadership role in designing, implementing, and evolving CENIC’s multiple networks, including CalREN, Pacific Wave, and the Western Regional Network. This position supports the organization through senior-level technical expertise, complex problem-solving, long-term planning, and mentorship. The Principal Engineer, Network works across teams and with external partners to ensure the ongoing reliability, performance, and scalability of CENIC’s backbone and member-facing infrastructure.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY: None

LOCATION: Hybrid. La Mirada, CA

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: 

Network Planning and Design

• Lead the design and evolution of optical and Layer 2/3 backbone and access networks to support growing bandwidth, service, and resilience needs

• Create, publish, and maintain comprehensive written strategic and tactical goals and project plans for CENIC networks

• Evaluate and plan for the adoption of emerging network services, technologies, and protocols

• Set engineering direction through the authorship and enforcement of architectural standards, design templates, and configuration policies

• Conduct traffic and capacity analyses to inform long-term infrastructure decisions

• Keep up-to-date with emerging trends and technologies in the networking industry and the larger research & education community

• Occasional travel to conferences to advocate for and connect with the community

Technical Leadership

• Serve as a senior technical authority and architectural decision-maker for CENIC’s backbone and member-serving networks and services

• Translate organizational strategy into technical roadmaps that align with long-term infrastructure and service goals

• Lead the evaluation and adoption of emerging technologies to ensure network resiliency, scalability, and relevance

• Represent CENIC in high-level external engagements, technical alliances, and initiatives within the wider research & education community 

• Proactively identify systemic challenges or risks and drive coordinated solutions across departments

• Partner with the NOC, Security, and Program Management teams on design, deployment, and troubleshooting efforts

Mentorship and Internal Support

• Serve as a technical resource and mentor for engineers across the team

• Assist with technical reviews, training, and knowledge sharing

Automation and Tooling

• Identify and implement opportunities for automation of provisioning, monitoring, and configuration workflows

• Contribute to the selection and improvement of network visibility and performance tools

REQUIRED EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field with at least 10 years of advanced network engineering experience (ISP, research & education, enterprise-scale backbones)

• Deep mastery of IP (BGP, OSPF, IS-IS), MPLS (Segment Routing), VPN services (L2VPN, IPVPN), and traffic engineering concepts

• Proven track record designing and operating large-scale IP and optical networks (100G+)

• Familiarity with the configuration, operation, and evaluation of major vendors, such as Cisco, Juniper, Arista, and Nokia

• Demonstrated ability to guide others: mentor engineers, lead peer reviews, and drive adoption of best practices

• Strong communication skills for engaging collaborators, senior leadership, and external stakeholders

• Background in research & education, public sector, or nonprofit backbone networks

• Experience in capital planning, vendor selection, or managing high-impact network rollouts

Preferred SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE