Director, Network Engineering

Fleet Data Centers designs, builds and operates mega-scale data center campuses. Fleet provides its customers flexibility and predictability to meet their upside demand forecasts, addressing a key need in the market as traditional leased models are struggling to keep pace with the demand for new Cloud and AI infrastructure. Fleet is led by a team of industry veterans that have already made a lasting imprint on the evolution of global digital infrastructure and are committed and uniquely capable of upleveling data center development scale and operations in the face of rising demand. Fleet is well positioned to bring in-house design, engineering and operational capabilities to collaborate with customers on tailored solutions for campuses of 500MW+. This unique model enables Fleet to provide the world’s largest and most sophisticated customers a seamless extension of their own data center fleets with constant access to design innovation. Fleet is headquartered in Denver, Colorado, with satellite offices in Seattle, WA and Arlington, VA.

Position Overview:
As the Director of Network Engineering, you will play a crucial leadership role in designing, architecting, and delivering innovative, scalable, and secure network solutions to support global cloud services. You will oversee complex, cross-functional projects across multiple regions, collaborating closely with engineering teams to ensure high availability, performance, and security across large-scale projects and a global network infrastructure.

In this role, you will serve as both a leader and a hands-on contributor, guiding the team responsible for building and maintaining the fiber infrastructure—both inside and outside plants—across Fleet’s data center campuses. Additionally, you will lead a team in defining the architecture for the internal IoT, BMS, and EPMS networks. The ideal candidate will possess deep technical expertise in either inside or outside fiber plant design, along with working knowledge of the other.

Key Responsibilities:

Inside-Plant Fiber Design

1. Design

a. Partner with customers to understand their detailed connectivity requirements (both fiber and copper).
• Document design standards in customer-acceptable formats
b. Design structured cable solutions, cable layouts and pathways. Select and utilize industry standard tools to document and convey designs.
• Select and deploy various copper cable types (e.g., Cat6, Cat6a, Cat7, Cat8) based on data transfer speeds, distance limitations, and shielding requirements to minimize electromagnetic interference (EMI).
• Implement designs based on Advanced knowledge of single-mode and multi-mode fiber plants, including cable designs, connector types, attenuation rates, and bandwidth capabilities.
• Apply knowledge of cable jackets (e.g., plenum, riser, LSZH) for appropriate fire safety and environmental standards within data centers.
c. Assess and design structured cabling solutions, ensuring optimal performance and scalability, as well as minimal signal interference and crosstalk.
d. Capacity Planning: Plan and manage the cabling infrastructure for current and future growth, accounting for potential increases in bandwidth, new device deployments, and changing technology standards

2. Project and Vendor Management

a. Evaluate and select vendors based on the quality of materials, adherence to standards, lead times, and pricing.
b. Demonstrate skills in sourcing materials such as fiber cables, copper cables, connectors, racks, patch panels, and cable management products.
c. Initiate and execute requests for proposals (RFPs), negotiating contracts, and managing relationships with suppliers.
d. Negotiate terms and service level agreements (SLAs) with material suppliers, including warranties, return policies, and compliance with industry standards.
e. Coordinate with cross-functional teams, including data center operations, IT, construction, and facility management, to meet project milestones.
f. Skilled in managing timelines, budgets, and resource allocation to keep cabling infrastructure projects on track.

3. Design and Management Software

a. Apply proficiency in AutoCAD, Visio, or specialized cabling design software to create detailed infrastructure layouts and pathway plans
b. Operate GIS and facility management software for accurate mapping and documentation of data center infrastructure.