Principal Architect, Technology - Infrastructure

About Us We're building the fiber network you deserve. Consistently fast, refreshingly straightforward and giving you control. From our home base in Kirkland, Washington, we're connecting over one million homes and businesses across the states we serve with fiber internet that works the way it should. No gimmicks, no gotchas. Internet shouldn’t get in the way of life: it should make it better. Job Description This is a remote position. Position Title: Principal Architect, Technology - Infrastructure Base Salary: $155,000 to $230,000 annually DOE Bonus: Target annual bonus Benefits: Medical, dental, vision, 401k, flexible spending account, paid sick leave and paid time off, parental leave, quarterly performance bonus, training, career growth and education reimbursement programs. Ziply Fiber is a local internet service provider dedicated to elevating the connected lives of the communities we serve. We offer the fastest home internet in the nation, a refreshingly great customer experience, and affordable plans that put customers in charge. As our state-of-the-art fiber network expands, so does our need for team members who can help us grow and realize our goals. Our Company Values: Genuinely Caring: We treat customers and colleagues like neighbors, with empathy and full attention. Empowering You: We help customers choose what is best for them, and we support employees in implementing new ideas and solutions. Innovation and Improvement: We constantly seek ways to improve how we serve customers and each other. Earning Your Trust: We build trust through clear, honest, human communication. Job Summary Ziply Fiber's network runs on infrastructure — the compute, hypervisors, databases, containers, and bare metal platforms that power everything from network functions and OSS/BSS systems to subscriber-facing services. The Principal Architect for Infrastructure is the technical authority for this entire stack. This role will lead the VMware-to-OpenStack migration, define our containerization and orchestration strategy, architect redundant and geographically diverse compute environments, and ensure every platform we run meets carrier-grade reliability standards. This is a hands-on senior independent contributor role. You will set the standards, own the architecture, and work directly with engineering teams to design and deliver infrastructure that is scalable, automated, and built for operational independence. Essential Duties and Responsibilities: The Essential Duties and Responsibilities listed below are a range of duties performed by the employee and not intended to reflect all duties performed. Virtualization & Compute ● Own the hypervisor and private cloud strategy: OpenStack/KVM architecture, cluster topology, and operational model — including the full migration program from VMware. ● Define Proxmox deployment architecture for environments requiring lightweight, flexible virtualization: cluster design, storage integration, and operational standards. ● Architect bare metal server infrastructure: provisioning automation, lifecycle management, firmware governance, and integration with virtualization and container platforms. ● Lead the VMware → OpenStack migration program: workload inventory and assessment, migration sequencing, dependency mapping, and zero-impact cutover execution. Containers & Orchestration ● Define and own the Kubernetes platform architecture: cluster design, networking (CNI), storage (CSI), RBAC, and multi-cluster strategy across on-premise and cloud environments. ● Establish Docker image lifecycle governance: base image standards, registry management, vulnerability scanning, and build pipeline integration. ● Design CI/CD pipeline for infrastructure and network function delivery: GitOps workflows, automated testing, and rollout orchestration using ArgoCD, Flux, or equivalent. Databases & Storage ● Own the database platform architecture: PostgreSQL deployment patterns, high-availability configuration (Patroni, pgBouncer, or equivalent), replication, backup, and disaster recovery. ● Define storage architecture across tiers: block (Ceph, iSCSI), object (S3-compatible), and file storage — with backup, replication, and RPO/RTO targets aligned to service criticality. ● Establish database governance standards: schema versioning, migration tooling, performance monitoring, and operational runbooks. Cloud & Hybrid Architecture ● Define hybrid and multi-cloud integration patterns: workload placement strategy, cloud bursting, and private/public interconnect architecture (AWS Direct Connect, Azure ExpressRoute, or equivalent). ● Establish infrastructure-as-code standards across on-premise and cloud environments: Terraform, Ansible, or equivalent — with version control, peer review, and automated compliance checks. Redundancy, Diversity & Resilience ● Own redundancy and geographic diversity planning for all infrastructure tiers: compute clusters, database platforms, storage, and network connectivity — with documented failure domain analysis and RTO/RPO targets for every critical system. ● Design active-active and active-passive architectures for carrier-grade availability: load balancing, failover automation, and health monitoring across sites. ● Define and test disaster recovery playbooks: regular DR exercises, runbook validation, and post-exercise gap remediation. Other Duties · Performs other duties as required to support the business and evolving organization . Required Qualifications: · High school diploma or GED. · Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Information Technology, Telecommunications, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and directly relevant infrastructure architecture experience. · 10+ years of infrastructure engineering with deep expertise in virtualization, private cloud, and data center operations in a network operator or telco environment. · Demonstrated senior independent contributor experience setting infrastructure architecture standards, influencing technical direction, mentoring engineers, and driving cross-functional architecture decisions without direct people-management responsibility. · Expert-level OpenStack knowledge: Nova, Neutron, Cinder, Glance, Keystone — architecture, deployment, and operations at production scale. · Hands-on Kubernetes experience: production cluster design, CNI/CSI selection, RBAC, and multi-cluster management. · Strong PostgreSQL expertise: HA architecture, replication, performance tuning, and operational management in production environments. · Proven VMware → OpenStack (or equivalent hypervisor migration) program delivery: workload assessment, migration tooling, and zero-impact cutover execution. · Experience with bare metal provisioning and lifecycle management: Ironic, MAAS, or equivalent. · Solid redundancy and diversity planning background: failure domain analysis, RTO/RPO definition, and DR program execution. · Infrastructure-as-code proficiency: Terraform, Ansible, or equivalent in a network or telecom production environment. Preferred Qualifications: ● Experience with Proxmox VE in production ISP or data center environments. ● Familiarity with DPDK, SR-IOV, or high-performance networking in virtualized environments for network function hosting. ● Experience with ETSI NFV/MANO frameworks and virtual network function (VNF) or cloud-native network function (CNF) onboarding. ● Prior work in co-location data center operations: power, cooling, cross-connect standards, and colo vendor management. Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: · Ability to work independently and apply sound judgment and reasoning skills to a variety of situations. · Ability to multi-task and collaborate effectively with other personnel to meet deadlines. · Strong verbal and written communication, attention to detail, and organizational skills. · Ability to work within critical deadlines. · Ability to adjust to rapidly changing priorities and schedules. · Ability to provide excellent customer service. · Senior technical leadership skills with the ability to influence engineering direction, mentor technical teams, establish standards, and build alignment without direct people-management authority. · Strong analytical and systems-thinking skills with the ability to balance reliability, scalability, security, operational independence, cost, and delivery risk. · Executive presence and communication skills to explain complex infrastructure architecture decisions clearly and credibly to Technology, Operations, Finance, Security, vendors, and senior leadership. Work Authorization Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the US for any employer. Sponsorship is not available for this position. Physical Requirements The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Essential and marginal functions may require maintaining physical condition necessary for bending, stooping, sitting, walking, or standing for prolonged periods of time; most of time is spent sitting in a comfortable position with frequent opportunity to move about. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus. Work Environment Work is performed in an office setting with exposure to computer screens and requires extensive use of a computer, keyboard, mouse, and multi-line telephone system. The work is primarily a modern office setting. At all times, Ziply Fiber must be your primary employer. Unless otherwise prohibited by law, employees may not hold outside employment nor be self-employed without obtaining approval in writing from Ziply Fiber. In holding outside employment or self-employment, employees should ensure that participation does not conflict with responsibilities to Ziply Fiber or its business interests. Diverse Workforce / EEO: Ziply Fiber is an equal opportunity employer. Ziply Fiber will consider all qualified candidates regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, sexual orientation, veteran status, and the presence of a non-job-related handicap or disability or any other legally protected status. Ziply Fiber requires a pre-employment background check as conditions of employment. Ziply Fiber may require a pre-employment drug screening. Ziply Fiber is a drug free workplace.