Principal Network Engineer

Job Description

Role Overview

Seeking a Principal Network Engineer to serve as a deep technical anchor for our global network infrastructure.

• This role is responsible for shaping the design, scalability, and long-term evolution of highly distributed, latency-sensitive trading networks across on-prem and cloud environments.
• The Principal Engineer brings expert-level knowledge of deterministic packet forwarding, advanced routing design, and ultra-low latency architecture, combined with the ability to operate independently and own complex problems end-to-end.
• This individual partners closely with Network Engineering leadership and cross-functional architecture teams to lead high-complexity initiatives, conduct rigorous pre-implementation testing and validation, and establish best practices that drive consistency and reliability across the environment.
• They function as a technical leader without formal authority—mentoring senior engineers, influencing design decisions, and raising the overall engineering bar across the organization.
• Success in this role requires both deep technical expertise and strong communication skills.
• The Principal Engineer must be able to translate complex architectural decisions, trade-offs, and risks into clear, actionable insights for both engineering teams and senior leadership.
• The ideal candidate holds (or is actively pursuing) a CCIE certification, rwrites production-quality Python, and is comfortable working with modern observability platforms such as Prometheus and Grafana to drive data-informed engineering decisions.

Responsibilities

Your responsibilities will be:

• Design and evolve low-latency, highly resilient

• network architecture across global data center, co-location, and

• cloud-connected environments, with a focus on deterministic packet

• forwarding, scalability, and operational consistency

• Lead advanced routing design and implementation

• across complex global environments, including BGP, OSPF, MPLS, multicast,

• hybrid cloud connectivity, traffic engineering, and high-availability

• network patterns

• Conduct deep technical research, lab validation, and

• pre-implementation testing for major network initiatives, working closely

• with engineering and software development teams to evaluate hardware

• capabilities, identify design constraints, and optimize exchange

• performance based on findings

• Lead high-complexity strategic projects from design

• through execution, producing detailed technical designs, migration

• runbooks, capacity plans, and implementation guidance for large-scale

• network changes

• Develop and maintain Python-based network automation

• to support configuration management, change validation, testing, and

• operational efficiency, with direct experience using both API-driven and

• SSH-based automation approaches

• Partner across infrastructure, security, application,

• and business teams to align network design and delivery with technical

• requirements, operational goals, and broader organizational priorities,

• including support for budgeting and planning related to network hardware

• and software investments

• Serve as a senior technical leader and mentor across

• the engineering organization, driving architecture reviews, design

• standards, knowledge sharing, and technical development for other

• engineers

• Operate effectively in a fast-moving, dynamic

• environment where priorities can shift, balancing long-term architectural

• direction with immediate engineering and operational needs

• Contribute to monitoring and telemetry strategy by

• helping define meaningful visibility requirements and supporting the use

• of tools such as Prometheus, Grafana, or similar platforms where they

• improve operational insight and troubleshooting

• Support the development of technical standards,

• design documentation, and regulatory or audit-facing materials when

• needed, including documentation that may be used to support SEC or other

• regulatory review processes

• The ideal candidate has

• 10+ years of hands-on network engineering experience

• in mission-critical, low-latency environments, with a strong track record

• operating and evolving high-performance network infrastructure

• Deep expertise in low-latency and deterministic

• network design, including practical experience analyzing latency, jitter,

• and end-to-end traffic behavior in production environments

• Advanced knowledge of routing protocols at scale,

• including BGP, OSPF, MPLS, and multicast (PIM-SM/SSM), with proven

• experience designing resilient, highly available global networks

• Strong understanding of network hardware and platform

• capabilities across major vendors, with the ability to evaluate

• limitations and optimize design decisions through hands-on research and

• lab validation

• Experience designing and supporting hybrid cloud

• connectivity, including AWS networking constructs such as Direct Connect,

• Transit Gateway, VPCs, and route integration

• Proven experience building and maintaining

• Python-based network automation, including API-driven and SSH-based

• approaches for configuration management, testing, and operational

• efficiency

• Working knowledge of observability and telemetry

• concepts, with exposure to platforms such as Prometheus, Grafana, or

• similar tools for network visibility and performance analysis

• Strong background in leading technical research,

• proof-of-concept validation, and pre-implementation design for large-scale

• network initiatives

• Solid understanding of network security fundamentals,

• including segmentation, access control, and zero-trust principles as they

• apply to network design

• Experience operating in fast-paced, highly dynamic

• environments, with the ability to adapt to changing priorities while

• maintaining a strong focus on execution and delivery

• Demonstrated ability to mentor engineers, influence

• technical direction, and contribute to engineering standards and best

• practices across an organization

• Experience contributing to technical documentation,

• design standards, or materials supporting regulatory or audit processes is

• a plus

Preferred certifications:

• Cisco CCIE (Routing & Switching or Data Center)

• or near-equivalent experience

• AWS Advanced Networking Specialty or similar

• Arista, Juniper, or other advanced vendor

• certifications

• A reasonable, good faith The anticipated base pay

• compensation range for this position is $200,000 to $250,000 per year as base

• Benefits: Full time employees are eligible

• For Health Insurance, Paid Time Off, and 401k match

• The pay range listed above reflects the expected

• starting salary /Pay rate for this role. This range may be adjusted based on

• market conditions, location, and other relevant factors. The Company will

• determine the final starting salary/Pay rate in consultation with the selected

• candidate(s), in full compliance with applicable laws