Network Engineering Architect, Director

About this role Network Engineering Architect (Director) Overview of Technology roles: At BlackRock, technology is at the heart of our mission to help people build better financial futures. We foster a culture of curiosity, collaboration, and innovation, where technologists work across teams and regions to solve complex challenges. You’ll find an environment that encourages continuous learning, cross-functional teamwork, and the freedom to experiment – all while building systems that support a leading global financial institution. About this role: The Network Engineering Architect (Director) is a senior technical leader responsible for defining BlackRock’s enterprise network architecture strategy and driving its successful implementation across the firm. This hands-on role combines visionary architecture leadership with deep technical expertise to modernize our global network, making it more automated, resilient, and secure . You will influence network technology decisions at the highest levels and ensure our network infrastructure evolves to meet BlackRock’s business needs in an innovative yet risk-aware manner. Role Overview: In this role, you will set the north-star architecture for a complex global network spanning on-premises and cloud environments. You will lead architecture governance forums and design reviews, establishing reference patterns and standards that guide teams worldwide. Partnering closely with cybersecurity, platform engineering, site reliability engineering (SRE), and application development teams, you will ensure network designs integrate smoothly with security requirements and application needs. A key focus will be transforming traditional networking into “network-as-code” – leveraging automation, Infrastructure as Code (IaC), and even AI-driven tools to make network changes safe, auditable, and routine . As a player-coach, you’ll mentor senior network engineers and architects, promoting best practices and a culture of continuous improvement. Ultimately, you will help BlackRock achieve a secure, high-performance, and agile network foundation that empowers our business and developers. What Makes This Opportunity Unique: Strategic Impact at Global Scale: Shape the network architecture of a top-tier global financial institution, directly influencing how our infrastructure supports millions of clients and mission-critical services around the world. Intersection of Network & Cutting-Edge Tech: Drive the convergence of networking with automation and AI , moving from traditional manual processes to a programmable, intelligent network that sets new standards for speed and reliability. Innovator’s Canvas: Lead a modernization journey that turns complex network systems into a developer-friendly platform – enabling self-service capabilities, reducing risk through automation, and accelerating innovation across the firm. Mission-Forward Environment: Work in a highly regulated, security-focused environment where resilience, performance, and integrity are paramount – giving you the opportunity to architect solutions that truly matter for the firm’s success. Leadership & Growth: Join a dynamic technology organization that values executive leadership and hands-on expertise in equal measure, offering a platform to influence senior stakeholders , mentor a global team of technologists, and be at the forefront of BlackRock’s continued transformation. Key Responsibilities: Define and evolve the enterprise network architecture strategy and multi-year roadmap, ensuring alignment with business goals, security requirements, and emerging technology opportunities. Establish and enforce network architecture standards, reference patterns, and design principles for core network domains (e.g., data center, campus, WAN, cloud connectivity), balancing innovation with operational stability. Lead architecture governance and design reviews: chair architecture boards or forums to evaluate key network designs, ensuring solutions are scalable, resilient, compliant, and aligned with BlackRock’s risk controls. Champion an Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and automation-first approach to networking – implement declarative network configuration, CI/CD pipelines, and version control for network changes to improve agility and consistency. Implement robust change management processes that make safe, auditable network changes routine – including automated testing, validation, and traceability for every network configuration update with built-in human approval checkpoints. Design and advocate for identity-based network segmentation and policy frameworks (e.g., label or identity-driven routing) to enhance security and flexibility, enabling dynamic, intent-based traffic management across our environments. Develop self-service networking capabilities: create templates, APIs, guardrails, and “paved path” abstractions that allow application teams and non-network specialists to safely consume network services and deploy network changes with confidence. Integrate AI-driven tools and workflows into network engineering: pioneer the use of AI-assisted configuration (e.g. large language model-based assistants) and agent-based automation to streamline network planning and change implementation. Leverage AI/ML for network analytics and optimization: apply machine learning techniques to analyze network configurations and real-time telemetry, identifying opportunities to improve performance, capacity, and resilience. Ensure all AI-driven decisions integrate sensible human-in-the-loop oversight, transparency, and auditability. Ensure robust core network design and performance: Oversee the architecture of routing, switching, load balancing, DNS, and connectivity solutions, delivering highly available and resilient networks (including modern overlay/underlay design) across on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments. Enhance network observability and incident response: drive adoption of advanced monito