Principal Network Architect

Job Title: Principal Network Architect

Location Requirements: Hybrid, Los Angeles, California

Job Type: Contract

Role Overview:
You will serve as a senior, client-facing technical leader responsible for guiding enterprise network transformation initiatives. This role combines deep Cisco architecture expertise, executive presence, and consultative communication skills. You will work directly with client stakeholders, technical teams, and leadership to define network strategy, explain architecture decisions, and ensure successful delivery across complex, multi-site environments.

Responsibilities:

• Serve as the senior enterprise network architecture representative for the customer in front of client technical leaders, business stakeholders, and executive sponsors.
• Lead architecture discussions, discovery sessions, design workshops, roadmap reviews, and technical governance meetings with client teams.
• Translate business requirements, operational challenges, security objectives, and transformation goals into practical, scalable network architecture recommendations.
• Represent the customer professionally, credibly, and confidently in client-facing meetings, executive briefings, technical reviews, and escalation discussions.
• Build trusted-advisor relationships with client stakeholders through strong technical judgment, clear communication, and ownership of outcomes.
• Help clients understand tradeoffs, risks, dependencies, sequencing, and business impacts related to network architecture decisions.
• Partner with client executives, IT leadership, security teams, operations, and application stakeholders to align network strategy with broader business and technology objectives.
• Own the overall enterprise network architecture approach across campus, WAN, security, identity, automation, and operational domains.
• Define architecture direction for large-scale Cisco-based network modernization programs across distributed, multi-site environments.
• Develop scalable architecture patterns supporting resiliency, security, performance, operational simplicity, and maintainability.
• Create transformation roadmaps to move clients from current environments to modern Cisco architectures.
• Identify architecture gaps, operational risks, technical debt, and improvement opportunities.
• Provide recommendations balancing best practices, project realities, budgets, complexity, and operational readiness.
• Ensure technical decisions are documented, communicated, and aligned with expectations and delivery commitments.
• Lead design and governance of Cisco SD-Access architectures for enterprise and campus environments.
• Define fabric architecture, including control nodes, edge nodes, border nodes, segmentation, and integration with WAN and data centers.
• Guide Catalyst Center architecture and automation workflows, assurance, software management, and operational dashboards.
• Align SD-Access design with identity, segmentation, security, wireless, and client migration requirements.
• Review and validate high- and low-level designs for scalability and client outcomes.
• Provide guidance during pilot deployments, rollouts, issue resolution, and operational handoff.
• Define identity-based access and segmentation strategies using Cisco ISE, including 802.1X, MAB, TrustSec, SGTs, and authorization policies.
• Partner with security teams to ensure access control and segmentation align with Zero Trust and security objectives.
• Oversee Cisco FTD/Firepower designs, including firewall policies, NAT, VPN, intrusion prevention, and high availability.
• Lead architecture discussions for Cisco SD-WAN, defining overlay/underlay, transport options, and application routing.
• Ensure SD-WAN design aligns with enterprise goals, supporting business continuity and performance.
• Provide architecture oversight for enterprise routing using BGP, OSPF, EIGRP, route redistribution, filtering, and policies.
• Review designs, migration plans, and implementation approaches for quality, risk, and standards adherence.
• Lead technical governance forums and design reviews, ensuring consistency across teams and phases.
• Act as escalation point for complex issues, dependencies, and key decisions.
• Communicate technical concepts clearly to executives and non-technical stakeholders.
• Prepare and deliver architecture presentations, roadmaps, decision papers, and summaries.
• Support pre-sales and solution shaping with technical value articulation.
• Guide engineering teams through design, migration, and troubleshooting.
• Mentor engineers on architecture principles, documentation, and client communication.
• Review high-level and low-level designs, migration plans, and operational documentation.
• Support pilot execution, phased rollout, change management, and post-implementation reviews.
• Promote reusable standards, reference architectures, and templates across projects.

Required Qualifications:

• 10+ years of enterprise networking experience, including designing and guiding complex, multi-site environments.
• Proven experience as a client-facing architect, principal architect, enterprise architect, or trusted advisor.
• Strong executive presence and effective communication skills with client leadership, technical teams, vendors, and internal delivery.
• Deep hands-on and architectural experience with Cisco enterprise networking technologies.
• Strong experience with Cisco SD-Access, including fabric design, segmentation, control, border node roles, transit models, and integration.
• Experience with Cisco Catalyst Center, automation, assurance, templates, workflows, and software management.
• Deep expertise with Cisco ISE, including policy design, 802.1X, MAB, TrustSec, SGTs, and authorization profiles.
• Experience with Cisco FTD/Firepower, including firewall policy, NAT, VPN, IDS/IPS, high availability, and secure edges.
• Strong experience with Cisco SD-WAN, overlay/underlay design, application routing, security, and operationalization.
• Expert understanding of enterprise routing protocols: BGP, OSPF, EIGRP, with route filtering, redistribution, and resiliency design.
• Demonstrated ability to lead workshops, present recommendations, document decisions, and influence stakeholders.
• Experience leading complex migrations, design reviews, governance, and transformation programs.
• Mentorship experience with engineering teams and guiding delivery efforts.
• Strong documentation skills including executive summaries, architecture diagrams, standards, and decision records.

This role operates as a Principal Enterprise Architect and client-facing technical leader, comfortable engaging with client executives, leading strategic conversations, and representing the customer professionally in high-pressure environments. You will balance technical credibility with business awareness, challenge assumptions, and guide architecture choices aligned with client outcomes.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
Gravity IT Resources is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees and applicants. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic. All employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit, and business needs.