Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. Ziply Fiber is a local internet service provider dedicated to elevating the connected lives of the communities we serve. The Principal Architect for IP Core & Metro is responsible for designing the core and metro network architecture, owning capacity engineering, and ensuring the backbone is resilient and scalable as the company expands.
Responsibilities
- Own the IP core architecture: BGP topology design, iBGP/eBGP policy, MPLS/SR-MPLS label distribution, and traffic engineering across Ziply's backbone
- Define core routing policy: BGP community strategy, path selection policy, route filtering, and prefix management across all peering and transit relationships
- Architect Segment Routing (SR-MPLS) strategy: SID allocation, TE policy design, and migration path from legacy LDP/RSVP-TE where applicable
- Own upstream peering and transit strategy: peering policy, Internet Exchange presence, transit provider diversity, and route optimization
- Design metro Ethernet and aggregation ring architecture: topology, redundancy models, and handoff standards between access, aggregation, and core layers
- Define OLT/DSLAM handoff to the IP core: aggregation design, VLAN tagging and QinQ standards, and QoS pass-through policy
- Architect EVPN and L2VPN services across the metro fabric for business and wholesale customers
- Define metro ring protection and fast-reroute strategy: BFD tuning, FRR timers, and documented convergence targets
- Own core-to-metro capacity engineering: traffic matrix modeling, link utilization thresholds, and upgrade triggers to stay ahead of subscriber demand
- Define and maintain IP address management standards: core and metro IP addressing plans, BGP AS policy, and route summarization strategy
- Own NetFlow/IPFIX telemetry architecture for traffic analysis: collector design, sampling policy, and integration with capacity planning and security tools
- Collaborate with the Transport architect to ensure IP and optical layer integration is optimized — including traffic engineering across the DWDM layer
- Define and manage Ziply's peering strategy: public and private peering relationships, IX presence (Seattle IX, SIX, or equivalent), and route optimization
- Own transit provider architecture: provider diversity, failover policy, and commercial alignment with capacity planning
- Collaborate with the Subscriber Edge architect to ensure seamless BNG-to-core integration and consistent QoS policy end to end
- Performs other duties as required to support the business and evolving organization
Skills
- High school diploma or GED
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Information Technology, Telecommunications, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and directly relevant IP network architecture experience
- 10+ years of IP network engineering with expert-level routing and switching in a service provider, ISP, or large carrier environment
- Demonstrated senior independent contributor experience setting IP architecture standards, influencing technical direction, mentoring engineers, and driving cross-functional architecture decisions without direct people-management responsibility
- Deep BGP expertise: large-scale iBGP/eBGP design, route policy, community strategy, BGP-LS, path selection, and peering/transit architecture
- Strong MPLS proficiency: LDP, RSVP-TE, Segment Routing (SR-MPLS), and traffic engineering — including migration from legacy MPLS to SR
- Metro Ethernet and carrier aggregation experience: EVPN, QinQ, and ring-based aggregation topologies with fast-reroute and redundancy
- Track record designing and operating high-availability core networks: documented failure domain analysis, RTO/RPO targets, and convergence benchmarks
- Strong capacity planning skills: traffic matrix modeling, NetFlow/IPFIX analysis, and proactive upgrade planning
- Experience with router platforms from Nokia, Juniper, and/or Cisco in a carrier-grade production environment
- Experience creating architecture decision records, reference designs, routing standards, implementation patterns, operational runbooks, and governance processes for production IP Core and Metro platforms
- Experience with SRv6 (Segment Routing over IPv6) in a service provider context
- Familiarity with EVPN-VXLAN for metro and data center fabric integration
- Background in network automation for routing infrastructure: NETCONF/YANG, gNMI, OpenConfig, or Ansible with network vendor modules
- Experience at an Internet Exchange or with large-scale public peering programs
- JNCIE-SP, CCIE-SP, or equivalent certification
- Experience with routing security practices such as RPKI/ROA coordination, MANRS-aligned controls, route leak prevention, DDoS routing workflows, RTBH, or equivalent production routing-security practices
- Experience presenting IP Core, Metro, peering/transit, capacity, or resiliency strategy to VP-level or executive audiences
Benefits
- Medical
- Dental
- Vision
- 401k
- Flexible spending account
- Paid sick leave
- Paid time off
- Parental leave
- Quarterly performance bonus
- Training
- Career growth and education reimbursement programs
- Target annual bonus
Company Overview