Principal Enterprise Network Architect

Kforce has a client in Los Angeles, CA that is seeking a Principal Enterprise Network Architect. Summary: This role is intended to be an Enterprise Architect type of role with the client skills of a Client Executive. This role requires a rare combination of deep Cisco architecture expertise, executive presence, consultative communication skills, and the ability to represent NTT DATA as a trusted advisor to client leadership. This is an onsite role. Candidates must be in the Los Angeles area and able to work onsite in downtown LA as needed. Duties:

• Serve as the senior enterprise network architecture representative for NTT DATA 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 NTT DATA with professionalism, credibility, and confidence in client-facing meetings, executive briefings, technical reviews, and escalation discussions
• Build trusted-advisor relationships with client stakeholders by demonstrating strong technical judgment, clear communication, and ownership of outcomes
• Help clients understand tradeoffs, risks, dependencies, sequencing, and business impacts associated with major network architecture decisions
• Partner with client executives, IT leadership, security teams, operations teams, and application stakeholders to align network strategy with broader business and technology objectives
• 10+ years of enterprise networking experience, including significant experience designing and guiding complex, multi-site enterprise network environments
• Proven experience operating in a client-facing architecture, principal architect, enterprise architect, or trusted advisor capacity
• Strong executive presence with the ability to communicate effectively with client leadership, technical teams, vendors, and internal delivery organizations
• Strong experience with Cisco SD-Access, including fabric design, segmentation, border/control/edge node roles, transit models, and integration with campus, WAN, and data center networks

This person should bring the presence and relationship skills of a technical client executive, the design depth of a principal architect, and the credibility of someone who has delivered complex enterprise network transformations in real-world environments. They should be able to connect the dots across Cisco SD-Access, Catalyst Center, ISE, FTD, SD-WAN, routing, security, cloud connectivity, campus design, operational readiness, and client business outcomes. The ideal candidate is a principal-level enterprise network architect who can walk into a client meeting and immediately establish credibility with both executives and senior engineers. They should be able to lead conversations about network transformation, explain why a particular architecture is the right approach, identify risks before they become delivery issues, and help the client make informed decisions. They should be polished enough to represent NTT DATA in executive-facing settings, but technical enough to challenge a design, troubleshoot a routing issue, review a Catalyst Center workflow, or guide an SD-Access or SD-WAN migration strategy.