Senior Director, Network Platform Engineering

Equinix is the worlds digital infrastructure company shortening the path to connectivity to enable the innovations that enrich our work life and planet.

Job Summary

Equinix is seeking a world-class Senior Director of Network Platform Engineering to define how one of the worlds most interconnected digital infrastructure platforms is designed built and evolved. This executive will lead the architecture design technology selection and validation of Equinixs global network across the full interconnection stack from optical transport and Metro Connect to software-defined Equinix Fabric and Fabric Cloud Router. The role will establish the technical foundation that enables Equinix to deliver secure resilient automated and increasingly intelligent connectivity worldwide.

This is not a traditional network engineering role. It is an opportunity to shape the future of digital interconnection at a moment when applications and AI agents are beginning to provision and optimize infrastructure through software. The successful candidate will set architectural direction make critical technology bets engage the worlds leading cloud and AI companies and build the team that architects the next generation of Equinix infrastructure.

The role may be based at Equinix headquarters in Redwood City California or in another major Equinix metro.

The Opportunity

Equinix is advancing from foundational connectivity toward an intelligent software-defined interconnection platform. Fabric One is being developed as an intent-driven any-to-any connectivity platform that enables applications and AI agents to provision their own networks. Fabric Intelligence introduces an AI-native operations layer designed to manage and optimize network performance. Fabric Geo Zones extends this architecture further by enabling compliant data paths across jurisdictions.

The Senior Director of Network Architecture will determine how these capabilities come together as a secure scalable and coherent global platform. This leader will balance the demands of todays production network with the emerging requirements of distributed AI autonomous infrastructure data sovereignty and real-time digital services.

Responsibilities

What You Will Own

• Define the Future of the Equinix Network

• Own the end-to-end architecture for the Equinix interconnection portfolio including:

  • Equinix Fabric

  • Fabric Cloud Router

  • Metro Connect

  • Internet Exchange

  • Network Edge

  • Precision Time

  • Internet Access

  • Future software-defined and AI-enabled interconnection services

• Create an architectural foundation that supports the companys long-term product ambitions and enables a seamless multiyear roadmap of differentiated products and services

• Architect the Next Generation of Interconnection

• Serve as the design authority for the network supporting Fabric One and future intent-driven connectivity capabilities

• Translate product vision into a secure resilient and scalable network architecture capable of supporting increasingly dynamic applications distributed AI workloads autonomous services and machine-to-machine infrastructure consumption

• Lead Technology Strategy and Critical Design Decisions

• Set Equinixs strategy across optical transport network fabrics routing software-defined interconnection automation and emerging infrastructure technologies

• Lead the evaluation selection and validation of technologies across:

  • Network silicon

  • Optical and coherent systems

  • DWDM and OTN

  • IP/MPLS and BGP

  • Software-defined networking

  • Network orchestration

  • Automation and telemetry platforms

  • Vendor and open technology ecosystems

• Make disciplined architectural trade-offs that improve scalability reliability customer experience and long-term economics

• Build Intelligence into the Network

• Shape the technical foundation for Fabric Intelligence and other AI-native capabilities that manage optimize and protect the Equinix network

• Advance Equinix toward increasingly predictive and autonomous network operations through intelligent observability intent-driven orchestration automated optimization and closed-loop remediation

• Enable Distributed AI and Data Sovereignty

• Partner with Product to define the network architecture supporting emerging capabilities such as Distributed AI Hub Inference Exchange and future AI infrastructure services

• Design for the performance data movement latency security and resiliency requirements of distributed AI training and inference

• Advance the architecture for Fabric Geo Zones enabling compliant data paths and infrastructure consumption across geographic and jurisdictional boundaries

• Deliver Architecture That Operates Reliably at Global Scale

• Partner closely with Network Operations to translate architecture and design into a highly reliable production network

• Ensure architectural decisions account for operational readiness lifecycle management observability resilience maintainability and the realities of running mission-critical global infrastructure

• Engage Customers and Shape the Industry

• Represent Equinixs network architecture with senior executives strategic customers board stakeholders and industry audiences

• Engage CTO-level leaders across hyperscalers neoclouds network providers technology partners and the broader digital infrastructure ecosystem

• Use these relationships to anticipate market shifts influence partner roadmaps and ensure Equinixs architecture remains aligned with the needs of the worlds most demanding infrastructure customers

• Build a World-Class Architecture Organization

• Recruit develop and lead an exceptional global team of network architects systems engineers and technical program managers

• Create an environment capable of attracting and retaining engineers who have operated at cloud and hyperscale network scale

• Establish clear technical standards raise architectural quality and build a culture of accountability innovation and engineering excellence

What Success Looks Like

• Establish a clear multiyear architecture for Equinixs global interconnection platform

• Create the technical foundation for Fabric One and future intent-driven network services

• Accelerate the evolution toward intelligent and autonomous network operations

• Enable new products supporting distributed AI cloud connectivity and data sovereignty

• Improve alignment among Architecture Product Engineering and Network Operations

• Make technology and vendor decisions that improve performance reliability scalability and economics

• Build an architecture organization recognized for technical excellence and industry influence

• Strengthen Equinixs credibility with major cloud AI network and infrastructure partners

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• 15 years of experience designing building or operating large-scale global networks

• Direct experience at a major public cloud provider or responsibility for a hyperscale carrier exchange or similarly complex global network

• Deep expertise across optical networking DWDM OTN coherent systems IP/MPLS BGP at scale SD-WAN and software-defined interconnection

• Demonstrated success defining architecture and technology strategy for mission-critical infrastructure

• Proven experience leading senior engineers and building high-performing technical organizations

• Ability to translate product and business strategy into scalable architecture and executable roadmaps

• Strong executive presence including experience engaging senior customers executive teams boards strategic partners and industry audiences

• Ability to influence across Product Engineering Operations Security and commercial organizations without relying solely on direct authority

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience designing network infrastructure for distributed AI training inference or other high-performance computing workloads

• Understanding of the latency bandwidth data movement and resiliency requirements associated with AI infrastructure

• Experience with intent-driven networking OpenAPI-based orchestration autonomous operations or software-defined infrastructure

• Familiarity with data sovereignty jurisdictional routing and compliance-driven network design

• Experience within interconnection ecosystems internet exchanges carrier-neutral colocation or cloud exchange platforms

• Demonstrated industry impact through standards participation open-source contributions patents publications or external thought leadership

Why This Role Matters

The next generation of infrastructure will not be provisioned solely by people. It will increasingly be consumed and optimized by applications platforms and AI agents. Equinix sits at the intersection of the networks clouds partners and infrastructure upon which that future depends.

The Senior Director of Network Architecture will determine how those environments connect and how Equinix evolves from a global interconnection leader into an increasingly intelligent software-defined infrastructure platform.

This is an opportunity to build more than a network. It is an opportunity to define the architecture through which the next generation of digital and AI services operates.