Staff HPC Network Architect

Lambda is hiring a Staff HPC Network Architect. It pays $284k-$420k a year and Level rates it ; you can apply on Lambda.

Level's read on this job

On Level's scale, this role is Builds AI ●●●●: the job is building AI systems.
The posting allows some remote work.
Tools and skills the posting cites include Infiniband, Roce and Bgp.
Level classifies it as a lead role.
Level lists 92 other open roles at Lambda.

AI in this role

Architect high-performance, ultra-low-latency networking solutions optimized for large-scale GPU clusters and AI workloads.

infinibandrocebgpvxlanevpn

networkinghpcdatacenterdistributed-systems

Lambda, The Superintelligence Cloud, is a leader in AI cloud infrastructure serving tens of thousands of customers. Our customers range from AI researchers to enterprises and hyperscalers. Lambda's mission is to make compute as ubiquitous as electricity and give everyone the power of superintelligence. One person, one GPU.

If you'd like to build the world's best AI cloud, join us.

*Note: This position requires presence in our San Jose, San Francisco, or Bellevue office location 4 days per week; Lambda’s designated work from home day is currently Tuesday.

What You’ll Do

Architect high-performance networking solutions that power cloud platforms, with a focus on ultra-low-latency and high-bandwidth connectivity.
Define the network topology and architectural patterns for large-scale GPU clusters, storage backends, and multi-tenant environments.
Evaluate, benchmark, and select next-generation network technologies (e.g., InfiniBand NDR/XDR, RoCE, 400G-1.6T Ethernet, Ultra Ethernet, ESUN, OCI, etc) to meet AI workload requirements.
Develop and maintain network architecture standards, reference designs, and scalability roadmaps for multi-site and hybrid environments.
Partner with compute and storage architects to ensure seamless end-to-end data flow and fault tolerance.
Guide network automation strategies and tooling to enable efficient provisioning, telemetry, and operational visibility.
Mentor engineers and cross-functional teams on advanced network concepts, troubleshooting, and architectural best practices.

You

Proven experience (7+ years) architecting high-performance data center networks, preferably for HPC, AI/ML, or large-scale cloud infrastructure.
Deep expertise with InfiniBand (HDR/NDR) and advanced Ethernet fabrics, including RoCE and RDMA protocols.
Strong understanding of data center switching architectures, congestion control (PFC, ECN), QoS, and network virtualization technologies such as VXLAN and EVPN.
Skilled in designing for low-latency and high-throughput data paths, including GPU-to-GPU and storage traffic optimization.
Expertise with BGP-based fabric design, including eBGP underlays, MP-BGP EVPN, ECMP, route policy, and convergence.
Experience with SDN, APIs, automation, and network telemetry.
Strong optical networking competency, including transceiver technologies, fiber types and topologies, link budgets, breakout architectures, and WDM.
Experience building resilient, fault-tolerant high-performance network architectures with redundancy, failover, and high availability.
Excellent communication and leadership skills, capable of influencing technical decisions across diverse teams.
Strong ownership and can do attitude, self-starter who feels comfortable working in ambiguity.

Nice to Have

Hands-on experience with AI workload profiling, collective communication patterns (e.g., NCCL, MPI), and network tuning for distributed training.
Familiarity with network automation frameworks and telemetry tools.
Exposure to DPU/SmartNIC technologies, including NVIDIA BlueField, or similar.
Knowledge of large-scale, multi-site interconnect design, including DWDM or metro/long-haul networking.
Experience collaborating with hyperscale or enterprise customers on highly customized network designs.

Salary Range Information

The annual salary range for this position has been set based on market data and other factors. However, a salary higher or lower than this range may be appropriate for a candidate whose qualifications differ meaningfully from those listed in the job description.

About Lambda

Founded in 2012, with 500+ employees, and growing fast
Our investors notably include TWG Global, US Innovative Technology Fund (USIT), Andra Capital, SGW, Andrej Karpathy, ARK Invest, Fincadia Advisors, G Squared, In-Q-Tel (IQT), KHK & Partners, NVIDIA, Pegatron, Supermicro, Wistron, Wiwynn, Gradient Ventures, Mercato Partners, SVB, 1517, and Crescent Cove
We have research papers accepted at top machine learning and graphics conferences, including NeurIPS, ICCV, SIGGRAPH, and TOG
Our values are publicly available: https://lambda.ai/careers
We offer generous cash & equity compensation
Health, dental, and vision coverage for you and your dependents
Wellness and commuter stipends for select roles
401k Plan with 2% company match (USA employees)
Flexible paid time off plan that we all actually use

Equal Opportunity Employer

Lambda is an Equal Opportunity employer. Applicants are considered without regard to race, color, religion, creed, national origin, age, sex, gender, marital status, sexual orientation and identity, genetic information, veteran status, citizenship, or any other factors prohibited by local, state, or federal law.

How we rate this

Staff HPC Network Architect at Lambda rates 90 out of 100 for how much of the daily work is AI. That makes it Builds AI (AI Level 4 of 4). The level is about AI in the job, not seniority.

Classification

Builds AI. The job is building AI systems.

●●●● Builds AI80 to 100
●●●○ Works on AI60 to 79
●●○○ Uses AI40 to 59
●○○○ Little AI0 to 39

Levels come from how often the tools, models and workflows of the role are named in the posting itself. Read the description and count the AI tools, models and workflows it names.

Key facts

Staff HPC Network Architect is an open job at Lambda.
Level rates this role AI Level 4 of 4: Builds AI.
The listed salary is $284k-$420k a year.
The role is based in San Jose Office (First St) and is marked remote.
The job was posted on September 14, 2026.
Seniority: lead.
Applications are handled by Lambda. Apply on Lambda

Prepare for this job

Built from this posting and from similar jobs on Level.

Skills and AI tools this role asks for

NetworkingHpcDatacenterDistributed SystemsInfinibandRoceBgpVxlan

Questions you could be asked

Tell me about a project where networking was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where hpc was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where datacenter was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where distributed systems was part of your work. What did you do?
Walk me through how you've used Infiniband in your day-to-day work.

Adapt your resume

List these exact terms on your resume: Networking, Hpc, Datacenter, Distributed Systems, and Infiniband. An applicant tracking system matches the wording, not the idea.
Attach one line of real, concrete experience to at least one of them. A tool named with nothing behind it rarely survives a human read.
Lead with what you built, trained or shipped. This role is judged on the AI system itself, not the tools around it.

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