Applied Methods
~The MetaInfrastructure & ITNetwork Engineer

Network Engineer

Network Engineers in AI companies design and operate the critical infrastructure that keeps training clusters, inference pipelines, and global services running at scale. Day-to-day work spans configuring high-performance backbone networks, automating deployments across distributed data centers, and troubleshooting latency-sensitive systems that power large language models and generative AI products. What distinguishes this role from traditional IT networking is the focus on extreme scale—managing 100k+ GPU clusters, optimizing RoCEv2 and NCCL performance, and balancing hyper-growth infrastructure needs with automation-first operations using Python and Ansible. These engineers typically sit within infrastructure or platform teams that report to VP-level engineering leadership, working closely with ML systems engineers, cloud platform teams, and security groups to ensure networks meet both performance and compliance requirements for real-time AI inference and training workloads.

$ titles --canonical
Network EngineerSenior WAN Network EngineerStaff Network Architect
16open jobs
8companies hiring
$02

Skills

What companies are looking for in this role.

$ skills --core

Designing and implementing scalable campus and enterprise network infrastructure including LAN, WAN, and VPN systems

95%

Developing network automation solutions and infrastructure-as-code for deployment and configuration management

93%

Configuring and optimizing routing protocols and security protocols for reliable network operations

92%

Monitoring network performance, analyzing traffic patterns, and troubleshooting complex network issues

91%

Writing automation scripts and tools to improve operational efficiency and reduce manual engineering tasks

88%

Designing and implementing network security strategies, frameworks, and zero-trust architecture

88%

Managing vendor relationships with telecommunications providers and cloud service providers

85%

Implementing observability, monitoring dashboards, and proactive alerting systems for network infrastructure

84%

Conducting capacity planning, forecasting growth, and driving technology roadmap decisions

81%

Troubleshooting TCP/IP and transport layer issues in complex distributed systems

81%

Leading physical network deployment, site commissioning, and validation testing for new data centers

79%

Implementing DNS infrastructure and cloud VPC connectivity solutions

77%
$ skills --emerging

Architecting high-performance data center and backbone network infrastructure for GPU clusters and AI workloads

87%

Designing network solutions for specialized hardware environments including GPUs and high-performance computing clusters

83%

Optimizing low-latency, high-bandwidth networks for distributed machine learning and AI training operations

82%

Designing and deploying edge networking infrastructure including peering, transit routing, and content delivery

80%
$ skills --soft

Collaborating across cross-functional teams to align network infrastructure with business requirements

89%

Participating in on-call rotation and providing 24/7 incident response and network operations support

80%

Establishing governance processes, change control procedures, and architectural documentation standards

78%

Mentoring junior engineers and establishing best practices for network operations and incident response

76%
$03

Technology

The tools and technologies that define this role.

$ tech --language
Pythonvery high
$ tech --platform
Kuberneteslow
$ tech --tool
Ansiblevery high
Terraformhigh
NCCLmoderate
Dataflowlow
$ tech --concept
BGPvery high
Infrastructure as Codehigh
IPSechigh
IS-IShigh
MPLShigh
VPNhigh
Zero Trusthigh
EVPNmoderate
GitOpsmoderate
MACsecmoderate
RoCEv2moderate
RSVP TEmoderate
SD-WANmoderate
VXLANmoderate
ZTPmoderate
CGNATlow
eDNSlow
WiFi 6low
WiFi 7low
$04

Open Jobs

16 open Network Engineer jobs across 8 companies.

Databricks1w
Sr. Network Engineer
Bengaluru, India·Infrastructure & IT
Crusoe1w
Network Architect
San Francisco, CA - US·Infrastructure & IT
Cerebras Systems1w
Senior WAN Network Engineer
Sunnyvale, CA·Infrastructure & IT
Nebius2w
Senior Enterprise Network Engineer
United States·Infrastructure & IT
xAI2w
Network Engineer
Memphis, TN·Infrastructure & IT
xAI2w
Network Engineer - Planning & Procurement
Palo Alto, CA; Seattle, WA·Infrastructure & IT
Waymo2w
Senior Network Engineer
Washington, DC, USA; New York, New York, USA·Infrastructure & IT
xAI3w
Network Engineer - Backbone
Palo Alto, CA·Infrastructure & IT
xAI3w
Network Engineer - Backbone
Seattle, WA·Infrastructure & IT
xAI3w
Network Engineer - AI/HPC
Palo Alto, CA·Infrastructure & IT
xAI3w
Network Engineer - Edge
Seattle, WA·Infrastructure & IT
xAI3w
Network Engineer - AI/HPC
Memphis, TN·Infrastructure & IT
Helsing3w
Network Engineer
Munich·Infrastructure & IT
Crusoe1mo
Senior Network Operations Engineer
Dublin - IE·Infrastructure & IT
OpenAI2mo
Network Security Engineer
San Francisco·Infrastructure & IT
Crusoe5mo
Staff Network Engineer, Deployment
San Francisco, CA - US·Infrastructure & IT