Sr. Network Engineer, AI Infrastructure (Starshield)
About this role
Engineers who thrive in high-stakes environments and enjoy solving massive scalability challenges will find a natural home within the Starshield group. The team operates at the intersection of aerospace capability and national security, building highly reliable in-space mesh networks and next-generation communication and sensing software to support government missions.
Daily work centers on driving the operation, build, and deployment of the data center network supporting large-scale AI clusters. Members of this group own network designs, collaborate closely with machine learning training teams to translate workload communication patterns into concrete interconnect topologies, and build automation for network devices while mentoring junior engineers.
This role exists to guarantee secure, high-speed connectivity and reliable access for critical missions involving massive GPU deployments. Ideal candidates bring deep expertise in enterprise or cloud-scale networking, robust Layer-1 experience, and the dedication required to maintain secure infrastructure under demanding operational conditions.
What you will do
- Manage network infrastructure and deployments across Top Secret data centers.
- Design, validate, and productize high-speed copper and optical connectivity solutions for AI clusters at a scale of 100k+ GPUs.
- Collaborate with machine learning training teams to translate workload communication patterns into specific interconnect topology and optical reconfigurability requirements.
- Contribute to tools that enable rapid deployments including zero-touch provisioning and custom provisioning utilities.
- Improve network performance and reliability using system performance metrics for capacity planning, failure detection, and remediation.
- Lead network integration, troubleshooting, and hardware deployment efforts alongside hardware, software, and network engineers.
- Build automation tools for network devices and operational workflows while mentoring and training junior network engineers.
What you need
- Hold a Bachelor’s degree in a technical or engineering discipline with 5+ years of professional networking experience, or possess 7+ years of professional networking experience deploying enterprise, cloud, or web-scale networks in lieu of a degree.
- Bring at least 5 years of networking experience specifically deploying enterprise network solutions, cloud networks, or GPU networks.
- Demonstrate Layer-1 experience such as transport, DWDM, optical fiber, circuit troubleshooting, and activations.
- Possess hands-on experience deploying networking hardware including routers, modems, switches, and firewalls.
- Demonstrate the ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret or Top Secret SCI clearance as a condition of employment.
- Meet U.S. Government export regulations under ITAR as a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, refugee, or asylee.
Nice to have
- Master’s degree in a technical or engineering discipline
- Experience with physical troubleshooting of fiber
- Deep understanding of datacenter networks including connectivity, routing, switching, InfiniBand, NVLink, and NVIDIA GPU deployment stacks
- Experience implementing network security functions
- Cisco, Juniper, Arista or other industry certification
Benefits
- Comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage
- 401(k) retirement plan
- Short and long-term disability insurance and life insurance
- Paid parental leave
- 3 weeks of paid vacation and 10 or more paid holidays per year
- Paid sick leave, employee stock purchase plan, long-term incentives, and discretionary bonuses
Skills and tech stack
Questions candidates ask
What is the pay range for this position?
The base salary range for Level 3 is $165,000.00 to $265,000.00. Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis based on job-related knowledge, skills, education, and experience.
What security clearance is required for the role?
This position requires successfully obtaining and maintaining a Top Secret Security Clearance as a condition of employment. While the clearance may not be immediately necessary upon hire, applicants are encouraged to initiate the application process promptly.
What are the work schedule and travel expectations?
Employees must be available for on-call rotations and must be willing to work extended hours and weekends as needed. Additionally, candidates must be willing to travel domestically and globally in the future when required.
Are there export control requirements to apply?
To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicants must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. lawful permanent resident, refugee, or asylee, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.