Workday · 2 weeks ago
Sr Principal, Network Architect
Pleasanton, CA
Full-time
Hybrid
Senior Level, Lead/Staff
$207K/yr - $310K/yr
12+ years expWorkday is a Fortune 500 company and a leading AI platform for managing people, money, and agents. They are seeking a highly experienced Sr. Principal Network Engineer & Architect to lead the strategic development and implementation of their global network infrastructure, focusing on Zero Trust architecture and advanced cloud networking solutions.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)Cloud ComputingEnterprise SoftwareHuman ResourcesSaaSSoftware
Responsibilities
Instrumental in evolving our Zero Trust architecture and pioneering advanced cloud networking solutions, leveraging state of the art solutions and extensive automation
Guide and mentor our network engineering teams and be responsible for driving consensus and managing expectations across diverse business and technical stakeholders
Own and define the long-term, multi-year network strategy and architecture, aligning it with executive business objectives, security mandates, and future technology trends
Architectural owner for our Zero Trust security model. This includes integrating and maximizing the capabilities of Zscaler (ZIA/ZPA), Palo Alto Networks Firewalls (including GlobalProtect), AWS Network Firewall to create an impenetrable security posture
Lead the design and integration of all major networking technologies across our enterprise, with a specific focus on complex, multi-region cloud environments utilizing AWS Cloud WAN, VPCs, SD-WAN
Maintain deep technical currency by remaining highly hands-on—designing, prototyping, and deploying core architectural components and complex automation frameworks
Mandate, develop, and govern the use of automation for network provisioning, security policy deployment, and operations driving a true Infrastructure as Code (IaC) model
Establish global network engineering standards, perform critical design reviews, and provide technical sign-off for all major network changes and projects
Serve as the primary network domain expert in discussions with Executive Leadership, translating highly technical designs into clear business impact, risk, and financial justification
Drive consensus and secure investment for architectural transformation across Security, Finance, Application Development, and Cloud Operations teams through compelling presentations and strong technical advocacy
Function as a Principal Mentor for the entire Network Engineering and Architecture organization, elevating the team's technical capabilities, leading complex technical deep dives, and delegating execution while retaining strategic oversight
Qualification
Required
12+ years of progressive enterprise experience within network engineering
5+ years operating as a Principal Architect or equivalent role with global responsibility
12+ years pioneering experience designing and implementing large-scale Zero Trust architectures
12 + years of expertise with the following security components:
Zscaler (ZIA/ZPA): Architecting global ZTNA and Secure Web Gateway solutions
Palo Alto Networks: Expert with Firewalls (physical/virtual), Panorama, SD-WAN and GlobalProtect
AWS Security: Deep knowledge of AWS Network Firewall and other native services
Proven, large-scale design and implementation experience with AWS Cloud WAN and advanced AWS networking
Expert-level knowledge of F5 Big-IP (LTM/GTM)
Extensive architecture and deployment experience with Aruba ClearPass for Network Access Control (NAC)
Significant experience with modern campus/wireless platforms, including Cisco and Juniper Mist
Expert proficiency in Python for network programming, API interaction, and security orchestration, alongside extensive experience leading Ansible automation projects
Exceptional ability to influence without direct authority, manage high-level stakeholder expectations
Ability to simplify complex technical concepts for non-technical audiences
Executive-level strategic thinking combined with an expert-level, hands-on technical background across multiple network domains
Open to 50% flex-hybrid reporting to Pleasanton campus
Benefits
Workday Bonus Plan
Annual refresh stock grants
Company
Workday
Workday provides SaaS-based enterprise solutions for a company's human resources and financial management activities.
10001+ employees
H1B Sponsorship
Workday has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (331)
2024 (388)
2023 (262)
2022 (503)
2021 (290)
2020 (229)
Funding
Current Stage
Public CompanyTotal Funding
$2.23BKey Investors
Elliott Management Corp.New Enterprise AssociatesGreylock
2025-09-16Post Ipo Equity· $2B
2012-10-12IPO
2011-10-24Series F· $85M
Leadership Team
Aneel Bhusri
CEO and Co-Founder
Peter Bailis
Chief Technology Officer
Recent News
EIN Presswire
2026-01-07
Company data provided by crunchbase