Principal Network Development Engineer
$102.3k - $209.5k/yr+ Bonus + Equity
Senior
Nashville, TN, USA
In Person
IT OperationsNetwork Engineering & Administration
About the job
Requirements
- Extensive experience designing, building, operating, or delivering large-scale networks within hyperscale cloud, Tier 1 internet service provider, telecommunications, service provider, or comparable environments.
- Expert-level knowledge in at least one networking domain such as routing, optical transport, Internet, backbone, or data center networking, with strong knowledge across multiple adjacent domains.
- Deep understanding of network architectures and network device behavior.
- Strong knowledge of routing and networking protocols including Border Gateway Protocol, Open Shortest Path First, Intermediate System to Intermediate System, Multiprotocol Label Switching, Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol, Internet Protocol version 4, and Internet Protocol version 6.
- Deep experience troubleshooting complex network problems across physical, optical, Ethernet, transport, and routing layers.
- Strong understanding of optical networking, fiber infrastructure, structured cabling, cross-connects, transceivers, and physical network design.
- Experience with Internet peering, transit, inter-domain networking, backbone infrastructure, or large-scale service provider connectivity.
- Experience translating high-level architectures into detailed technical designs and implementation requirements.
- Demonstrated ability to lead complex technical initiatives involving multiple engineers and cross-functional organizations.
- Experience working directly with supplier engineering teams to resolve technical issues and improve infrastructure solutions.
- Demonstrated ability to serve as an escalation point and lead root cause analysis for complex or large-scale network events.
- Strong technical judgment and ability to evaluate tradeoffs involving architecture, resiliency, performance, cost, schedule, and operational complexity.
- Experience with scripting or programming and a strong understanding of software development and network automation concepts.
- Experience defining technical requirements for automation, tooling, monitoring, or operational systems.
Responsibilities
- Provide senior technical leadership for complex global connectivity programs supporting OCI regions, AI infrastructure, capacity expansion, and strategic network deployments.
- Own technical outcomes across the lifecycle of carrier circuits, dark fiber, lit fiber, wavelengths, optical transport, Internet transit, peering, backbone connectivity, cross-connects, and data center interconnects.
- Translate high-level network architecture and business requirements into detailed technical delivery requirements and implementation strategies.
- Lead technical design reviews covering topology, physical paths, diversity, demarcation, transport, interfaces, optics, capacity, routing, resiliency, and operational readiness.
- Identify design and delivery risks early and drive engineering decisions that prevent downstream deployment and operational issues.
- Define technical acceptance standards and validation requirements for network infrastructure delivered by external providers.
- Lead complex Layer 1 through Layer 3 troubleshooting across fiber, optical transport, Ethernet, routing, and provider networks.
- Serve as a senior escalation point for systemic or high-impact connectivity issues.
- Lead deep-dive root cause analysis and drive permanent corrective actions across Oracle and supplier engineering organizations.
- Act as a technical authority in supplier engagements, challenging proposed solutions and ensuring services meet OCI engineering, reliability, scalability, and operational requirements.
- Partner with Program Managers to assess technical risk, establish delivery strategy, make tradeoffs, and develop recovery plans for critical infrastructure.
- Lead cross-functional engineering efforts involving network architecture, backbone, Internet, optical, capacity, deployment, operations, data center teams, and suppliers.
- Develop technical standards, design patterns, acceptance criteria, Methods of Procedure, runbooks, and engineering best practices that can be applied globally.
- Identify systemic gaps in network acquisition and delivery and lead technical improvements that increase quality, predictability, and operational readiness.
- Influence supplier capabilities, technical roadmaps, testing methodologies, and service offerings based on OCI requirements.
- Lead or contribute to technical evaluation of new carriers, services, hardware, optical technologies, and connectivity solutions.
- Define requirements for automation and tooling that improve network delivery, validation, monitoring, inventory accuracy, and troubleshooting.
- Partner with software and automation teams to ensure engineering requirements are translated into scalable tools and workflows.
- Use AI-assisted engineering tools to accelerate technical analysis, troubleshooting, documentation, and solution development while maintaining engineering rigor.
- Provide technical coaching and mentorship to Network Development Engineers, Program Managers, and partner teams.
- Raise the technical bar for NAT and serve as a trusted technical advisor across the organization.
Desired Qualifications
- Experience designing or delivering carrier connectivity at global scale.
- Deep experience with dark fiber, lit fiber, Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing, optical transport, wavelengths, metro fiber, or long-haul networks.
- Experience with Optical Time-Domain Reflectometer, optical power testing, fiber characterization, acceptance testing, and complex optical troubleshooting.
- Experience working directly with major telecommunications carriers, Internet service providers, fiber providers, optical vendors, or colocation providers.
- Experience with network diversity, route engineering, physical path analysis, and resiliency requirements.
- Experience with Internet peering, transit architecture, Border Gateway Protocol policy, and inter-domain networking.
- Experience supporting hyperscale artificial intelligence or graphics processing unit infrastructure.
- Familiarity with Broadcom and NVIDIA/Mellanox-based networking platforms.
- Familiarity with YANG, OpenConfig, NETCONF, gNMI, telemetry, and model-driven networking.
- Experience influencing supplier technical roadmaps, hardware adoption, testing strategies, or service capabilities.
- Experience using AI-assisted engineering tools to accelerate troubleshooting, analysis, documentation, scripting, and engineering workflows.
- Demonstrated mentorship and technical leadership across engineering organizations.
About the company
Oracle builds databases, business applications, and cloud infrastructure for companies and public-sector organizations. Oracle Database stores and processes business data, while Oracle Cloud Infrastructure provides computing, storage, and networking for applications and AI workloads. Fusion Cloud Applications support finance, human resources, supply chains, and customer service, helping businesses manage everyday operations and reporting. Customers pay for cloud subscriptions and usage, software licenses, support, hardware, and consulting, with deployment options in Oracle's cloud or their own data centers. Oracle was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Austin, Texas.
Company Size
10,001+
Company Stage
IPO
Headquarters
Austin, Texas
Founded
1977
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- Cloud infrastructure sales grew: Oracle reported $7.4 billion quarterly revenue, up 121% yearly, in September 2026.
- Employees build transferable skills: Oracle offers free product certifications and access to Coursera, O'Reilly, and LinkedIn Learning.
- Existing licenses create repeat business: Oracle sells annual technical support covering software updates, fixes, and assistance.
What critics are saying
- Expansion consumes cash: Oracle reported negative $5 billion free cash flow for its August 2026 quarter despite profitable operations.
- Job security faces active restructuring: Oracle's September 2026 filing added $700 million to a plan centered on employee severance.
- Future datacenters lock in costs: Oracle's September 2026 filing lists $288 billion of future lease commitments, typically lasting 15-19 years.
What makes Oracle unique
- Its database runs inside rival clouds: Oracle delivers native database services in AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud datacenters.
- Global expansion keeps one rate card: Oracle charges the same OCI service prices across regions, including government clouds.
- Hardware participates in database work: Oracle's Exadata storage servers process data-intensive queries alongside specialized database servers and networking.
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Benefits
- 401(k) Savings and Investment Plan with company match
- Paid time off: Flexible Vacation is provided to all eligible employees assigned to a salaried (non-overtime eligible) position. Accrued Vacation is provided to all other employees eligible for vacation benefits. For employees working at least 35 hours per week, the vacation accrual rate is 13 days annually for the first three years of employment and 18 days annually for subsequent years of employment. Vacation accrual is prorated for employees working between 20 and 34 hours per week. Employees working fewer than 20 hours per week are not eligible for vacation.
- 11 paid holidays
- Paid sick leave: 72 hours of paid sick leave upon date of hire. Refreshes each calendar year. Unused balance will carry over each year up to a maximum cap of 112 hours.
- Paid parental leave
- Adoption assistance
- Employee Stock Purchase Plan
- Financial planning and group legal
- Voluntary benefits including auto, homeowner and pet insurance