Senior Network Systems Engineer
NetApp · San Jose, CA, US ·
- Work mode
- Hybrid
- Seniority
- Senior
- Employment
- Full time
- Category
- Software engineering
- Experience
- 8+ years
We are seeking a Senior Data Centre Network Engineer to join our Global Network Services team, operating and modernising the data centre networks that underpin NetApp worldwide. Our data centre estate today runs a traditional, vPC-based architecture. The mission for this role is to take us to a modern Clos / spine-leaf fabric, and to help build out the AI/ML fabrics that NetApp's growth in AI and storage now demands. This is a deep technical role for a data centre networking expert who can keep the current environment reliable while leading its transformation end to end — from target design, through a phased brownfield-to-greenfield migration, to day-two operations of the new fabric.
The ideal candidate pairs strong, hands-on data centre networking fundamentals with proven experience designing and migrating to spine-leaf fabrics (VXLAN / BGP EVPN), and brings — or is eager to build — the automation, infrastructure-as-code and AI-fabric skills that define where the field is heading. You will be a senior technical voice on the team, mentoring others and setting the standard for engineering quality as we shift from manual, repetitive operations toward codified, repeatable engineering.
Data Centre Networking (Foundations)
Strong, hands-on expertise in enterprise data centre networking: Layer 2 / Layer 3 design, VLANs, trunking, vPC/MLAG, spanning tree and first-hop redundancy (HSRP/VRRP).
Hands-on experience operating Cisco Nexus (NX-OS) and/or ACI, Arista EOS, or Juniper at enterprise scale.
Proven troubleshooting across the control plane, data plane and physical infrastructure.
Fabric Modernisation (the mission)
Proven experience designing and/or migrating to Clos / spine-leaf fabrics with VXLAN and BGP EVPN (distributed anycast gateway, symmetric/asymmetric IRB, multi-tenant VRFs) — you do not need to have run our estate, but you should have taken an environment to a fabric before, or be ready to.
Ability to plan and execute a phased brownfield-to-greenfield migration from a traditional architecture, with minimal disruption.
Exposure to — or a strong appetite to build — AI/ML fabric design (lossless Ethernet, RoCEv2) and high-performance storage networking.
Routing & Control Plane
Expert BGP (eBGP/iBGP): route policy, path selection, redistribution and address-family design, for both traditional routing and an EVPN overlay.
Strong grasp of ECMP, OSPF (underlay) and data centre / internet edge design, including working with service providers on connectivity and troubleshooting.
General
Significant hands-on experience (typically 8+ years) in enterprise network engineering and operations — including a senior or lead technical role — with substantial time in data centre environments.
Demonstrated ownership of complex, high-impact infrastructure in a global environment, including delivery through planned maintenance windows and migration cutovers.
Strong troubleshooting discipline and structured incident-resolution skills under pressure.
Excellent communication skills, with the ability to work across regions and mentor others.
Nice to Have
The following are not required, but will distinguish a strong candidate — particularly the automation and AI-infrastructure capabilities that align with where the team and NetApp are heading.
Scripting and automation — Python, Ansible or Arista AVD — applied to fabric configuration and operations, with a source of truth such as NetBox or Nautobot.
Infrastructure as code and network as code — Terraform, Git-based workflows and CI/CD for network change.
AI/ML fabric depth — rail-optimised / rail-only Clos topologies, InfiniBand vs Ethernet trade-offs, 800G, merchant silicon (e.g. Broadcom Tomahawk) and Ultra Ethernet (UEC).
Storage and data-fabric networking — NVMe-oF, NFS/pNFS, iSCSI and RDMA transport, and GPU-to-storage back-end fabrics.
Load balancing and GSLB — F5 or AVI
AI-assisted operations and MCP — connecting AI assistants and agents to fabric controllers, telemetry and operational systems via the Model Context Protocol (MCP), and applying AIOps to reduce toil.
Workflow automation and orchestration — platforms such as n8n to connect fabric tooling, APIs and operational processes.
Network observability and telemetry — streaming telemetry (gNMI/OpenConfig), ThousandEyes or similar.
Cloud data-centre networking across AWS, Azure or OCI — transit, peering and hybrid connectivity.
SRE practices — SLOs, error budgets and toil reduction.
Security and segmentation — micro/macro-segmentation (ACI or EVPN) and firewalls (Palo Alto).
Open networking / white-box exposure (SONiC).
Relevant certifications — CCNP / CCIE Data Center, Arista ACE, or JNCIP-DC.
Compensation:
The target salary range for this position is 147,900 - 220,000 USD. The salary offered will be determined by the candidate's location, qualifications, experience, and education and may be outside of this range. The range is based on 'On Target Earnings’ (OTE) representing the total potential earnings, which is the sum of the base salary and potential commission earned when performance targets are achieved. Final compensation packages are competitive and in line with industry standards, reflecting a variety of factors, and include a comprehensive benefits package. This may cover Health Insurance, Life Insurance, Retirement or Pension Plans, Paid Time Off, various Leave options, employee stock purchase plan, and/or restricted stocks (RSU’s). These offerings are subject to regional variations and governed by local laws, regulations, and company policies. We will provide detailed information about the specific benefits for your region during the recruitment process.
At NetApp, we embrace a hybrid working environment designed to strengthen connection, collaboration, and culture for all employees. This means that most roles will have some level of in-office and/or in-person expectations, which will be shared during the recruitment process.
Equal Opportunity Employer:
NetApp is firmly committed to Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and to compliance with all federal, state and local laws that prohibit employment discrimination based on age, race, color, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, religion, disability or genetic information, pregnancy, protected veteran status, and any other protected classification.
Why You'll Thrive at NetApp
At NetApp, you won't wait for the perfect moment—you'll make it. The early planning, the extra thought, the bold idea that turns good into great: That's how our people operate and how we continue to push the boundaries of data infrastructure.
NetApp is the trusted partner for organizations transforming data into opportunity. As the only enterprise-grade storage service natively embedded in Google Cloud, AWS, and Microsoft Azure, we empower customers to run everything from traditional workloads to enterprise AI with unmatched performance, resilience, and security.
Our culture
We celebrate mold breakers, bold thinkers, and problem solvers. We reward initiative, impact, and ownership. We provide flexibility so you can balance professional ambition with your personal life. Here, differences are not just welcomed—they drive everything we do.
If you're ready to innovate, rise to the challenge, and own every moment - make your next move your best one. Apply now.
Submitting an Application
To ensure a streamlined and fair hiring process for all candidates, our team only reviews applications submitted through our company website. This practice allows us to track, assess, and respond to applicants efficiently. Emailing our employees, recruiters, or Human Resources personnel directly will not influence your application.
AI Disclosure
For select roles, some stages of our hiring process may use artificial intelligence tools to help evaluate applications and candidate selection. These tools support—rather than replace—human decision-making.