Senior Network Architect

Senior Network Architect

Employment Type: Full Time, Onsite in a corporate office environment
Department: Information Systems & Technology – Transformation
Reports To: Sr. Director, Infrastructure & Operations
Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, Paid Vacation, Sick & Holidays; Company paid Life and Disability Insurance; 401k savings plan with employer matching
Voluntary Benefits: Supplemental Life Insurance, Critical Illness, Accident Coverage, & Pet Insurance

Position Summary
Avfuel is seeking a Senior Network Architect to own and modernize our enterprise network environment while providing technical leadership across infrastructure initiatives. This role is responsible for defining network architecture, driving infrastructure strategy, and leading execution across our headquarters and approximately 30 remote locations nationwide.

This is a highly impactful, hands-on leadership role. The ideal candidate will combine deep technical expertise with strong initiative and ownership. This person will assess our current environment, establish standards, and lead the design and delivery of a modern, scalable, and secure network infrastructure.

This role may have formal direct reports, and serves as the technical leader for network engineering, setting direction, guiding resources (including contractors), and ensuring successful execution of key initiatives. This position has clear growth potential into broader Infrastructure & Operations leadership.

Key Responsibilities
Network Architecture & Strategy

• Assess current network infrastructure, identify gaps, and define a forward-looking architecture and roadmap
• Lead standardization efforts, with a focus on Fortinet technologies across all locations
• Own product selection, lifecycle management, and technology standards for network infrastructure
• Design scalable, secure, and resilient network solutions to support business growth

Engineering & Project Leadership

• Lead the execution of network refresh and modernization initiatives across HQ and remote sites
• Define project scope, technical designs, and implementation plans
• Serve as the technical lead on all network-related projects
• Provide direction, mentorship, and technical oversight to engineers and contractors
• Ensure projects are delivered on time, with high quality and strong operational outcomes

People Leadership (Current & Future)

• May directly manage network architects and engineers, including performance, development, and coaching
• Foster a culture of ownership, accountability, and continuous improvement
• Identify and develop team capabilities, including mentoring junior engineers
• Position has potential to expand into leadership of the broader Infrastructure & Operations team (network, systems, and related functions

Operations & Reliability

• Own day-to-day network performance, availability, and reliability
• Establish and enforce best practices for monitoring, alerting, and incident response
• Lead change management processes related to network infrastructure
• Ensure proper documentation, configuration management, and operational standards

Vendor & ISP Management

• Manage relationships with ISPs, hardware vendors, and service providers
• Oversee circuit provisioning, performance, and cost optimization
• Evaluate and negotiate solutions that align with business and technical objectives

Security & Compliance

• Partner with security leadership to ensure network security best practices are implemented
• Support firewall strategy, segmentation, and secure connectivity across all sites
• Align network architecture with compliance and risk management requirements

Organizational Scope

The Senior Network Architect / Technical Lead directly or indirectly manages 1 – 3 network architects and engineers and is a member of the Avfuel IT leadership team.