Overview:
A Network Architect is responsible for designing and governing network architecture that supports business services.
This includes translating requirements into scalable, secure, and resilient designs, and making informed trade-off decisions across cost, risk, and performance.
Responsibilities:
Core Responsibilities
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Design enterprise network architecture across data center, WAN, cloud, and hybrid environments
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Define standards, patterns, and reference architectures
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Ensure scalability, resiliency, and security by design
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Trade-off and Decision Making
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Balance performance, cost, risk, and operability
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Evaluate competing approaches (e.g., overlay vs underlay, vendor vs open solutions)
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Make design decisions at the system level rather than the device level
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This is a key differentiator compared to a technical project manager or engineer
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Vendor and Technology Neutrality
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Evaluate technologies across multiple vendors (e.g., Cisco, VMware, Juniper) and open source.
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Avoid designing around a single vendor’s constraints or bias
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Select solutions based on best architectural fit
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Complex Programme Delivery
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Lead architecture across large, multi-domain programmes
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Collaborate with infrastructure, security, cloud, and application teams
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Own end-to-end design coherence rather than isolated components
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Typically involves large-scale enterprise or highly regulated environments with multi-region and high-resilience requirements
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Stakeholder Management (Conflict Handling)
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Align stakeholders across security, operations, business, and vendors
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Manage conflicting requirements such as:
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Security vs usability
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Cost vs resiliency
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Speed vs governance
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Drive decisions to closure through effective communication
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Governance and Standards
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Define and enforce network standards
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Review designs to ensure alignment with architectural principles
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Provide guidance to engineering and delivery teams
Requirements:
Required Skills
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Technical (Core Expectations)
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Strong fundamentals:
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Routing and protocols: BGP (mandatory), OSPF, TCP/IP
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Data center networking and fabric design
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Network security principles (e.g., segmentation, access control)
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Modern enterprise stack:
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Software-defined networking (e.g., NSX)
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VXLAN and overlay networking
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Hybrid cloud networking
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Network automation (e.g., Python, APIs)
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Platform expertise:
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Strong Linux and networking integration
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Ability to troubleshoot network issues at the operating system level
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Y working with containers and infrastructure tooling
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Experience
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Proven delivery of complex, enterprise-scale projects
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Preferably within financial services or similarly regulated environments
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Experience with:
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High availability and disaster recovery designs
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Multi-region and data center interconnects
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Secure access models
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Soft Skills (Critical for the Role)
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Strong ability to articulate trade-offs
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Confidence in constructively challenging stakeholders
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Clear communication across both technical and non-technical audiences
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Ability to drive decisions, not just facilitate discussions
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Anti-Patterns (What This Role Is Not)
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Not a technical project manager
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Not limited to facilitating discussions
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Not focused solely on explaining architecture without making decisions
Not driven by vendor-led solutions
