Principal Network Engineer (AI)

Location: Must be based in or able to commute to Bellevue, WA or San Francisco, CA (4 days per week in-office)

Compensation: $372,000 – $550,000 per year

Lambda is a leader in AI cloud infrastructure, providing high-performance compute solutions to researchers and enterprises worldwide.

What you will do

• Own the multi-year technical strategy for the network fabric, backbone, and edge infrastructure.
• Set technical standards and direction for network design, build, and operations.
• Resolve complex technical ambiguities spanning network, hardware, platform, and product teams.
• Lead high-level technical relationships with enterprise customers on mission-critical projects.
• Participate in day-to-day operations and on-call rotations to ensure system reliability.
• Mentor engineers and raise the technical bar through design reviews and hiring.

Requirements

• 8+ years of experience in cloud computing, systems engineering, and large-scale network infrastructure.
• Deep expertise in datacenter, backbone, and internet protocols.
• Production experience with software-defined networking and distributed systems.
• Proficiency in Linux networking internals and command-line operations.
• Strong automation skills using Python and configuration management tools.
• Experience with network monitoring stacks such as Datadog, Prometheus, or Grafana.

Nice to have

• Hands-on experience with HPC/AI networking (RoCEv2, InfiniBand, GPUDirect RDMA).
• Experience with public cloud networking (AWS, GCP, OCI).
• Familiarity with IPAM tooling like Netbox and DWDM/SD-WAN technologies.
• Understanding of data center power, space, and cooling trade-offs.

Culture & Benefits

• Generous cash and equity compensation packages.
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents.
• 401k plan with 2% company match.
• Flexible paid time off policy.
• Wellness and commuter stipends for eligible roles.