Senior Level Principal Network Engineer Jobs
Senior level principal network engineer jobs place experienced engineers at the helm of enterprise architecture decisions, owning outcomes across complex multi-site and cloud-hybrid infrastructure while guiding the teams that build and operate them. Openings concentrate in Technology & Software, Education, and Aerospace & Defense, with a mix of on-site, remote, and hybrid settings, and employers like Oracle, NetApp, and Reltio hiring at this level now.
Find JobsOverview
Showing 5 of 16+ Senior Level Principal Network Engineer jobs
INTRODUCTION
We are seeking a hands-on Principal Lead – Plant OT Network Engineering to integrate and elevate OT network engineering services across multiple manufacturing plants. Reporting to the Network Leader, this role provides the standards, technical guidance, and performance management that enable plant-based OT network engineers to deliver consistent, high-quality support, and service as the primary point of coordination for cross-site activities, reporting, and escalation for plant network engineering. Plant OT Network Engineers operate within the assignment of their respective plants and own decisions within their plant. The Principal Lead supports cross-plant decisions for Network Leaders and standardization, combining technical depth, and strong relationship management across IT, OT, and plant stakeholders.
ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Description / Essential Functions:
- Provide technical leadership, coaching, and development for plant-based OT network engineers, with an emphasis on both technical growth and strong communication skills.
- Integrate plant network engineering services across sites into a single, standardized service, aligning support models, processes, and service levels.
- Support cross-plant technical decisions and OT network standards, implementation practices, and documentation with Network Leaders; technical decisions within a plant remain with the plant OT Network Engineer.
- Provide technical advice and escalation support to plant engineers on complex issues, designs, and changes.
- Provide decision support to the Network Leaders on priorities, risks, resourcing, and technical direction.
- Manage the performance of plant network engineering services, including KPIs, regular performance reports, team capacity and workload, and backlog.
- Hold regular status meetings with each plant OT Network engineer and drive continuous improvement of support quality.
- Provide on-site backup support at plants during critical cutovers and network incidents when assigned OT Network Engineers are unavailable.
- Define and improve standard procedures for major outage response, maintenance windows, cutovers, and operational readiness.
- Act as the first point of customer communication for multi-plant or major network incidents as required; lead post-incident reviews and ensure lessons learned are applied to future work.
- Build and maintain effective relationships with site stakeholders at plants.
- Act as a bridge between engineering teams and business partners to keep teams focused on project delivery and operational priorities.
- Partner with stakeholders to translate business and production requirements into practical network designs and solutions.
- Oversee and prioritize project delivery and production support across plants.
- Participate in the hiring and onboarding of plant OT network engineers and support their development plans and certification goals.
- Develop and maintain knowledge of customer-specific network technologies, site requirements, and operating procedures.
TECHNOLOGY SCOPE
Experience should include a broad mix of enterprise and industrial networking technologies, such as:
- Cisco technologies including SD-Access, Cisco Catalyst Center (formerly DNA Center), Wireless, ISE, and ACI.
- SD-WAN networking, VLANs, routing, switching, and redundancy.
- Network security, firewalls, segmentation, secure connectivity, and IDMZ architecture.
- Industrial network connectivity and protocols, plant-floor systems, and edge-connected devices.
- Remote access and secure support patterns.
- Network monitoring, troubleshooting, and high-availability design.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, computer science, or related field; and/or commensurate work experience.
- 10+ years of progressive network engineering experience.
- 5+ years of experience leading technical teams, including senior engineers.
- Experience supporting OT, industrial, or manufacturing network environments.
- Familiarity with OT cybersecurity, IDMZ, and segmentation strategies.
- Strong expertise in enterprise networking and secure network design.
- Experience managing network services across multiple sites, including KPIs and service reporting.
- Proven ability to collaborate across IT, OT, and manufacturing teams.
- Experience troubleshooting complex issues in high-availability environments.
- Experience communicating incident status and business impact to customer leadership.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills with technical and non-technical audiences.
- Experience supporting deployments, maintenance windows, and cutovers.
- Demonstrated ability to mentor others and drive accountability.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Experience with automation, controls, or industrial networking systems.
- Background in large-scale OT deployments or plant modernization.
- Experience working with production engineering, maintenance, and operations teams.
- Experience developing network standards, deployment procedures, or architecture guidance for manufacturing.
- Relevant certifications such as CCNP, CISSP, or ISA/IEC 62443.
LOCATION
Hybrid role based in Plano, Texas. Travel to manufacturing plants and on-site backup coverage as needed. International travel for site visits and on-site support may also be required.
INTRODUCTION
We are seeking a hands-on Principal Lead – Plant OT Network Engineering to integrate and elevate OT network engineering services across multiple manufacturing plants. Reporting to the Network Leader, this role provides the standards, technical guidance, and performance management that enable plant-based OT network engineers to deliver consistent, high-quality support, and service as the primary point of coordination for cross-site activities, reporting, and escalation for plant network engineering. Plant OT Network Engineers operate within the assignment of their respective plants and own decisions within their plant. The Principal Lead supports cross-plant decisions for Network Leaders and standardization, combining technical depth, and strong relationship management across IT, OT, and plant stakeholders.
ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Description / Essential Functions:
- Provide technical leadership, coaching, and development for plant-based OT network engineers, with an emphasis on both technical growth and strong communication skills.
- Integrate plant network engineering services across sites into a single, standardized service, aligning support models, processes, and service levels.
- Support cross-plant technical decisions and OT network standards, implementation practices, and documentation with Network Leaders; technical decisions within a plant remain with the plant OT Network Engineer.
- Provide technical advice and escalation support to plant engineers on complex issues, designs, and changes.
- Provide decision support to the Network Leaders on priorities, risks, resourcing, and technical direction.
- Manage the performance of plant network engineering services, including KPIs, regular performance reports, team capacity and workload, and backlog.
- Hold regular status meetings with each plant OT Network engineer and drive continuous improvement of support quality.
- Provide on-site backup support at plants during critical cutovers and network incidents when assigned OT Network Engineers are unavailable.
- Define and improve standard procedures for major outage response, maintenance windows, cutovers, and operational readiness.
- Act as the first point of customer communication for multi-plant or major network incidents as required; lead post-incident reviews and ensure lessons learned are applied to future work.
- Build and maintain effective relationships with site stakeholders at plants.
- Act as a bridge between engineering teams and business partners to keep teams focused on project delivery and operational priorities.
- Partner with stakeholders to translate business and production requirements into practical network designs and solutions.
- Oversee and prioritize project delivery and production support across plants.
- Participate in the hiring and onboarding of plant OT network engineers and support their development plans and certification goals.
- Develop and maintain knowledge of customer-specific network technologies, site requirements, and operating procedures.
TECHNOLOGY SCOPE
Experience should include a broad mix of enterprise and industrial networking technologies, such as:
- Cisco technologies including SD-Access, Cisco Catalyst Center (formerly DNA Center), Wireless, ISE, and ACI.
- SD-WAN networking, VLANs, routing, switching, and redundancy.
- Network security, firewalls, segmentation, secure connectivity, and IDMZ architecture.
- Industrial network connectivity and protocols, plant-floor systems, and edge-connected devices.
- Remote access and secure support patterns.
- Network monitoring, troubleshooting, and high-availability design.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, computer science, or related field; and/or commensurate work experience.
- 10+ years of progressive network engineering experience.
- 5+ years of experience leading technical teams, including senior engineers.
- Experience supporting OT, industrial, or manufacturing network environments.
- Familiarity with OT cybersecurity, IDMZ, and segmentation strategies.
- Strong expertise in enterprise networking and secure network design.
- Experience managing network services across multiple sites, including KPIs and service reporting.
- Proven ability to collaborate across IT, OT, and manufacturing teams.
- Experience troubleshooting complex issues in high-availability environments.
- Experience communicating incident status and business impact to customer leadership.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills with technical and non-technical audiences.
- Experience supporting deployments, maintenance windows, and cutovers.
- Demonstrated ability to mentor others and drive accountability.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Experience with automation, controls, or industrial networking systems.
- Background in large-scale OT deployments or plant modernization.
- Experience working with production engineering, maintenance, and operations teams.
- Experience developing network standards, deployment procedures, or architecture guidance for manufacturing.
- Relevant certifications such as CCNP, CISSP, or ISA/IEC 62443.
LOCATION
Hybrid role based in Plano, Texas. Travel to manufacturing plants and on-site backup coverage as needed. International travel for site visits and on-site support may also be required.
See All 16 Senior Level Principal Network Engineer Jobs
Find roles that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find JobsSenior Level Principal Network Engineer Job Market
Who's Hiring
Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software10
- Education1
- Aerospace & Defense1
Senior Level Principal Network Engineer Jobs: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a senior level principal network engineer job?
Employers at this level expect more than deep protocol knowledge. They want candidates who have owned large-scale architecture decisions end-to-end, led cross-functional technical initiatives, and mentored junior and mid-level engineers. A strong portfolio of enterprise network designs, demonstrated experience with automation and cloud-native networking, and a history of translating complex technical tradeoffs into business outcomes will set you apart from peers who have similar technical credentials.
Which companies hire senior level principal network engineers?
Companies hiring senior level principal network engineers right now include Oracle, NetApp, and Reltio, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Hiring at this level tends to come from large enterprises, defense contractors, cloud infrastructure providers, and managed service organizations that run complex, mission-critical networks requiring senior-level ownership and strategic technical direction.
Are there remote senior level principal network engineer jobs?
Yes, though availability varies by employer and the nature of the infrastructure involved. About 82% of senior level principal network engineer openings are remote or hybrid as of November 2026, reflecting broader industry shifts toward distributed engineering teams. Roles tied to classified environments or hands-on data center work are more likely to require on-site presence, while architecture-focused and consulting-oriented positions offer the most flexibility.
What makes a principal network engineer role senior level?
Senior level principal network engineer roles are defined by scope and accountability rather than task execution. Engineers at this level set technical direction for large or enterprise-wide network environments, make binding architectural decisions, and are responsible for outcomes rather than just deliverables. They typically mentor staff and mid-level engineers, engage directly with leadership and stakeholders, and drive initiatives that cover multiple teams, systems, or business units.
Which industries hire the most senior level principal network engineers?
Senior Level principal network engineer roles concentrate in Technology & Software, Education, and Aerospace & Defense, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. These sectors tend to operate at a scale and complexity that demands senior-level network ownership, whether because of regulatory requirements, global infrastructure footprints, or the critical nature of uptime and security in their core operations.