Data Center Infrastructure Architect

Required Skills & Experience
- Proven experience designing hyperscale or cloud provider data center networks (1000+ racks, 100K+ fiber strands).\n- Expert in structured cabling systems (Corning, Panduit, CommScope) and MPO/MTP ecosystems.\n- Deep knowledge of optical standards (IEEE 802.3, OIF) and transceiver technologies (400G/800G DR4, FR4, LR4, SR8).\n- Strong grasp of fiber loss budgets, dispersion, and testing methodologies (OTDR, insertion loss, polarity verification).\n- Experience integrating designs into DCIM tools (NetBox, Remedy, custom hyperscaler equivalents).

Job Description

Insight Global is seeking a driven, hardworking Data Center Infrastructure Architect to join an AI cloud and infrastructure start-up dispersed across the US. This role can be remote in NYC, SF, Seattle, or Austin. This is a full-time, permanent role with competitive salary and equity package, in addition to bonus and benefits.\n\nThe DC Infrastructure Architect (Optical) is responsible for translating logical network topologies into a scalable, resilient, and cost-optimized optical and structured cabling design for hyper-scale data centers. This role owns the end-to-end physical implementation of the data center network (DCN), including fiber plant architecture, transceiver planning, and integration with structured cabling ecosystems.\n\nDay-to-day responsibilities:\nLogical / Physical Mapping\n- Break down DCN logical port maps (TOR, spine, super-spine, DCI) into physical cross-connect and patching schedules.\n- Automate port-to-fiber mapping at scale (100K+ ports per site).\n\nFiber Plant Design\n- Define cassette types (MTP/MPO Base-8/12/16), trunk counts, and structured cabling hierarchy.\n- Plan cassette placement within racks, rows, and meet-me-rooms.\n- Model fiber utilization and overbuild for 2–3 hardware generations.\n\nOptics / Transceiver Planning\n- Select optics (400G/800G DR4, FR4, LR4, SR8, coherent DCI) based on reach and loss budget.\n- Validate interoperability across vendors and generations.\n- Maintain loss budget and margin models for every link type.\n\nStructured Cabling & Physical Implementation\n- Define patching architectures (direct MPO vs. breakout vs. mid-span).\n- Ensure pathways (ladder racks, underfloor, ODFs) scale with fiber density.\n- Establish standards for labeling, documentation, and change management.\n\nScalability & Lifecycle Management\n- Build modular designs for pod/rack growth.\n- Anticipate transition to higher-speed optics (e.g., 400G → 800G → 1.6T).\n- Integrate with DCIM (NetBox, custom tools) to track strands, ports, and patching.\n\nAbout this company's working style:\nOur team is highly motivated, and focused on providing a world class supercomputing experience. We put our customers first in everything we do, working hard to not just win the sale, but to win repeated business and customer referrals.\n\nWe hold ourselves and each other to high standards. We expect you to care deeply about the work you do, the products you build, and the experience our customers have in every interaction with us. You must work hard, take ownership from inception to delivery, and approach every problem with an open mind and a positive attitude. We value effectiveness, competence, and a growth mindset.