Senior Director, Network Core Services

At Epiq, your work contributes to complex, global legal outcomes. You’ll join a values‑driven community where integrity guides decisions, relentless service sets the bar, and we thrive on big challenges together. We invest in your growth with enterprise‑wide learning and mobility. We celebrate who you are, and we respect life beyond work with flexibility that’s recognized externally. Enabled by modern platforms and AI, you’ll do the most meaningful work of your career and see your impact at scale.

Job Description:

Role Summary

We are seeking a strategic, hands-on Senior Director of Network Core Services to lead the strategy, engineering, and operations of our global network platforms across data centers, campus, cloud, and edge. This leader will own the end‑to‑end lifecycle of core network services routing/switching, SD‑WAN, load balancing, DNS/DHCP/IPAM (DDI), remote access, and network security while driving reliability, scalability, security, and cost efficiency. You will lead a high‑performing team of engineers, set the technical vision, establish engineering excellence, and deliver measurable outcomes aligned to business priorities.

What You’ll Do

Strategy & Architecture

• Define the multi‑year roadmap for core network services (DC, WAN/SD‑WAN, campus, cloud/virtual networking, and edge) with clear modernization and simplification milestones.
• Lead zero‑trust network segmentation and secure access architecture in partnership with Security, Cloud, and End‑User Computing.
• Standardize reference architectures and golden configurations for the following stack:
  • Fortinet Secure SD‑WAN
  • Cisco enterprise routing/switching/Wi‑Fi
  • Zscaler (ZIA/ZPA) for secure Internet and private app access
  • VMware NSX (incl. Distributed Firewall / micro‑segmentation)
  • Cumulus Linux and Dell switching for data center fabrics
  • SonicWall, pfSense (edge/firewalling where applicable)
  • HAProxy (L4–L7 load balancing/reverse proxy)

Operational Excellence

• Own availability, performance, capacity, and lifecycle management (firmware/OS currency, EOL/EOS plans).
• Establish SRE practices—SLOs/SLIs, error budgets, incident postmortems, and blameless learning.
• Mature change, release, and configuration management (ITIL v4 aligned) with strong risk controls.
• Drive a 24×7 follow‑the‑sun model for major incident response and problem management.

Automation & Observability

• Scale automation for provisioning, configuration drift, compliance, and repetitive ops (e.g., IaC with Terraform/Ansible, API‑driven workflows, CI/CD pipelines for network).
• Advance end‑to‑end observability (flow telemetry, synthetic testing, NPMD, NDR, log/metrics/traces) and business‑level dashboards.
• Implement proactive capacity forecasting and cost optimization across circuits, hardware, and cloud egress.

Security, Compliance & Risk

• Partner closely with Security to implement zero trust, micro‑segmentation, secure web gateway/ZTNA, and inline inspection strategies.
• Ensure alignment with regulatory and audit requirements (SOX, SOC 2, ISO 27001, etc.) with strong evidence trails.
• Lead DR/BCP strategies for network services with tested runbooks and recovery objectives.

People Leadership

• Build, coach, and retain a diverse, high‑performing team of network engineers, architects, and SREs.
• Set clear OKRs, career paths, and a culture of engineering excellence, documentation, and continuous improvement.
• Foster collaboration across Infra, Security, Apps, Cloud, and Business Units; simplify interfaces and SLAs.

Financials & Vendor Management

• Own budgeting, forecasting, and TCO for network platforms (hardware, software, licensing, circuits, cloud).
• Lead vendor strategy, RFPs, and performance management; negotiate favorable terms and consumption models.
• Plan and execute hardware refreshes, migrations, and M&A integrations with minimal disruption.

Qualifications

Required

• 12+ years in enterprise networking with 5–7+ years leading engineering teams at scale (multi‑region/global).
• Expert knowledge across routing/switching (BGP, OSPF, EVPN/VXLAN), SD‑WAN, L4–L7 services, and network security.
• Proven leadership of large transformation programs (e.g., SD‑WAN rollout, NSX micro‑segmentation, Zscaler adoption, DC fabric refresh).
• Hands‑on depth with several of: Fortinet Secure SD‑WAN, Cisco, Zscaler (ZIA/ZPA), VMware NSX (DFW/T0/T1), Cumulus/Dell, SonicWall, pfSense, HAProxy.
• Demonstrated success implementing network automation (Terraform, Ansible, Python) and observability (NetFlow/IPFIX, SNMP, streaming telemetry, synthetics).
• Strong command of ITIL, change/risk management, and incident/problem management.
• Excellent communication, executive presence, and stakeholder management.

Preferred

• Bachelor’s/Master’s in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field.
• Certifications: CCIE, Fortinet NSE 7/8, Zscaler ZCCA‑IA/ZCNA/ZCP, VMware VCP‑NV/VCIX‑NV, Dell/Cumulus, SonicWall CSSA, PCNSE (or equivalent).
• Experience with hybrid/multi‑cloud networking (Azure/AWS/GCP constructs, private connectivity, cloud firewalls).
• Prior accountability for 24×7 global operations and regulated environments.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Reliability: Core network SLO attainment (availability/latency/loss/jitter), MTTR, change success rate.
• Security: Policy coverage (micro‑segmentation %, ZTNA adoption), patch/firmware currency, audit findings closure.
• Efficiency: Automation coverage (% automated changes), unit cost per site/user, circuit utilization and savings.
• Delivery: On‑time/on‑budget program milestones (SD‑WAN, NSX, Zscaler expansions), M&A integration timelines.
• People: Retention, internal mobility, engagement scores, skill progression/certifications.

What You’ll Lead

• Global Core Network Services Portfolio: WAN/SD‑WAN, DC & campus networking, cloud/virtual networking, load balancing (HAProxy), remote access, DDI, and perimeter/inline security in partnership with Security.
• Engineering & Operations: Architecture, build, run, SRE/automation, lifecycle, and 24×7 support.

Nice to Have (Stack‑Specific Outcomes)

• Fortinet SD‑WAN policy and overlay designs with dynamic path selection and application steering.
• Cisco fabric designs (EVPN/VXLAN), SDA or campus refresh standardization.
• Zscaler traffic forwarding patterns (PAC/GRE/IPSec/ZPA connectors), posture controls, and policy governance.
• NSX DFW rule governance, app‑centric policy modeling, and migration from legacy VLAN firewalls.
• Cumulus/Dell EVPN leaf‑spine deployments with declarative config and CI guardrails.
• pfSense/SonicWall roles in branch/edge standard designs and transition plans.
• HAProxy blue/green and canary patterns for internal apps and partner connectivity.

Work Model & Travel

• Hybrid; periodic travel (10–20%) to data centers, major sites, and key vendors.

The Compensation range for this role is 190,000 to 215,000 USD annually and may be eligible for an annual bonus.

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In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire.

Must be authorized to work in the United States for any employer. 

Your specific salary will be determined based on several factors:

• Location-based market rate for the role

• Your abilities in relation to the job specification

• Performance during screening and interview

• Pay parity with the wider team in the considered location

Further details about the package will be provided during the initial screening call with the Talent Acquisition Team.

Click here to learn about Epiq's Benefits.

It is Epiq’s policy to comply with all applicable equal employment opportunity laws by making all employment decisions without unlawful regard or consideration of any individual’s race, religion, ethnicity, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expressions, transgender status, sexual and other reproductive health decisions, marital status, age, national origin, genetic information, ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, veteran or family status or any other basis protected by applicable national, federal, state, provincial or local law. Epiq’s policy prohibits unlawful discrimination based on any of these impermissible bases, as well as any bases or grounds protected by applicable law in each jurisdiction. In addition Epiq will take affirmative action for minorities, women, covered veterans and individuals with disabilities. If you need assistance or an accommodation during the application process because of a disability, it is available upon request. Epiq is pleased to provide such assistance and no applicant will be penalized as a result of such a request.  Pursuant to relevant law, where applicable, Epiq will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.