Senior Data Center Connectivity Engineer – Cisco ACI (ID: 4092)
Key Skills
Job Description
- Develop, design, and improve enterprise-grade data center connectivity products and solutions based on customer requirements and the infrastructure architecture roadmap.
- Translate business and technical requirements into scalable, secure, and standardised connectivity architectures for complex enterprise data center environments.
- Design, implement, and validate connectivity solutions using Cisco ACI, Cisco Nexus, data center routing and switching, F5 load balancing, and application-centric firewalling.
- Design and implement network security capabilities, including micro-segmentation and application-aware security controls, to protect data center workloads.
- Align connectivity requirements with customers, solution architects, domain architects, security teams, operations, and other infrastructure domains such as compute and storage.
- Design, develop, and pilot new connectivity products and solutions, validating functionality, performance, scalability, and deployment efficiency before production adoption.
- Collaborate with operations teams to ensure that connectivity products can be deployed, monitored, maintained, and supported efficiently.
- Contribute to the product roadmap by assessing future customer requirements, technology lifecycle developments, market trends, innovations, and opportunities for automation.
- Develop solution designs for complex infrastructure deployments, balancing specific customer requirements with enterprise architecture standards and reusable product capabilities.
- Ensure the quality, consistency, and reliability of complex data center network deployments.
- Support root cause analysis of recurring or high-impact connectivity issues and identify improvements to prevent future incidents.
- Promote automation and standardisation using APIs, cURL, Git, and other relevant tools to improve deployment efficiency and operational consistency.
- 10 years of experience in designing and deploying connectivity solutions in complex environments, particularly enterprise data centers, as specified in the role description.
- Expert knowledge of Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI), Cisco Nexus, data center routing and switching, and enterprise connectivity architecture.
- Strong experience with F5 load balancing technologies, including GTM and LTM.
- Experience with network-centric and application-centric firewalling, including micro-segmentation and workload-level security controls.
- Ability to translate business and customer requirements into robust technical architectures and detailed solution designs.
- Experience designing, deploying, testing, and validating infrastructure connectivity products and solutions in complex enterprise environments.
- Knowledge of adjacent infrastructure domains, including LAN, SD-WAN, WAN, compute, databases, and storage.
- Experience with infrastructure automation and integration using APIs, cURL, Git, and related tools.
- Understanding of ITIL processes, operational support requirements, incident management, and service delivery.
- Familiarity with Scrum, SAFe, or other Agile methodologies for product development and infrastructure delivery.
- Understanding of enterprise architecture frameworks such as TOGAF and ArchiMate.
- Cisco CCIE Data Center certification is highly preferred.
- Experience with AI technologies and their application to infrastructure products or network automation is an added advantage.
- Design secure, scalable, resilient, and standardised connectivity architectures for enterprise data center environments.
- Evaluate customer requirements and determine appropriate Cisco ACI, Nexus, routing, switching, load balancing, and firewalling solutions.
- Balance customer-specific requirements with enterprise architecture principles, standard products, and long-term infrastructure strategy.
- Assess new connectivity products through proof-of-concept (PoC) exercises, pilots, and technical validation before deployment.
- Collaborate effectively with solution architects, domain architects, security specialists, infrastructure teams, and operations stakeholders.
- Ensure that infrastructure solutions are practical to deploy, operate, monitor, troubleshoot, and maintain.
- Investigate complex network incidents, perform root cause analysis, and recommend sustainable technical improvements.
- Identify opportunities to automate repetitive infrastructure tasks, improve deployment processes, and increase operational efficiency.
- The opportunity to develop and improve enterprise-grade data center connectivity products and solutions.
- Exposure to complex infrastructure architecture, modern data center networking, and enterprise connectivity technologies.
- Opportunities to work with Cisco ACI, Nexus, F5 load balancing, micro-segmentation, and data center routing and switching.
- Collaboration with solution architects, domain architects, security teams, customers, and infrastructure operations specialists.
- Involvement in product roadmap development, technology evaluations, proof-of-concept exercises, and infrastructure innovation.
- Opportunities to improve network automation, deployment standardisation, service reliability, and operational efficiency.
- Exposure to enterprise architecture principles, Agile delivery practices, and IT service management processes.
- The opportunity to influence technical design decisions and contribute to reliable, secure, and scalable infrastructure solutions.
Core Responsibilities
You will design, implement, and validate scalable enterprise-grade data center connectivity solutions using Cisco ACI and other networking technologies. Additionally, you will collaborate with cross-functional teams to automate infrastructure tasks and ensure the reliability and security of network deployments.
Requirements
Candidates must have at least 10 years of experience in designing and deploying connectivity solutions within complex enterprise data centers. Expert knowledge of Cisco ACI, Nexus, F5 load balancing, and network security frameworks is required, with a CCIE Data Center certification highly preferred.
About STAFIDE
Industry: Staffing and Recruiting
Company size: 11-50 employees
Headquartered in the Netherlands, STAFIDE specializes in Niche Tech Recruitment across Europe, connecting top talent with outstanding opportunities in the IT sector. Our data-driven recruitment model ensures the ideal match between candidates and employers, enhancing both skill alignment and cultural fit. With a strong focus on Skill-Based Hiring, we provide candidates with an in-depth understanding of the organization—whether for permanent positions or temporary assignments (interim opdrachten) like secondment (detachering)—strengthening employer branding for our clients as a recruitment company (uitzendbureau). In today’s fast-evolving tech landscape, we recognize the unique challenges companies face in sourcing highly skilled talent. Our advanced, AI-driven talent intelligence system (ATS) is specifically designed to prioritize Skill-Based Hiring for niche IT roles, empowering organizations to address talent shortages by identifying professionals with the expertise to drive innovation and growth. Whether you’re a company in search of exceptional talent or a professional seeking your next ICT role, STAFIDE is your strategic recruitment (werving en selectie) partner. Our deep expertise in the Dutch market, combined with a steadfast commitment to excellence, makes us the preferred choice for all your recruitment needs.