Senior Network Architect

Job description

**At [Kepler Communications](https://kepler.space/), we're not just imagining the future of on-demand space connectivity - *we're leading it!*** Our mission is to provide real-time on-orbit connectivity for critical missions, enabling a new era of data-driven intelligence and innovation. With **33 satellites launched to date,** Kepler operates the first commercial optical data relay constellation, enabling real-time, continuous space communications while supporting advanced on-orbit compute and hosted payload capabilities. Industry-leading technology is only part of the story. **What sets Kepler apart is our team:** bold thinkers, skilled builders, and passionate problem-solvers who thrive on pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in space. We believe great ideas come from diverse perspectives, and we’re committed to creating an environment where you can grow, lead, and make a global impact. If you’re ready to reach higher, move faster, and do work that shapes the future space economy - this is your launchpad. **Come build the future with Kepler!** **What We Offer:** **\* Competitive compensation** with a robust equity plan to share in our success. **\* Comprehensive coverage for health, dental, and vision insurance**—including dependents. **\* Unlimited vacation, supportive parental leave policy,** and company-wide holiday shutdown. **\* Semi-annual company-wide parties** and frequent in-office team events. **\* Relocation packages** available for approved roles. **\* $1,500 annual professional development fund** to support your growth. **\* Fully stocked Toronto office kitchen** with snacks, drinks, games and top-notch kitchen appliances. **\* Town Halls, Celebration Calls, and Company-wide events** to stay connected and engaged. **\* We’re a certified [Great Place to Work](https://www.greatplacetowork.ca/en/certification-menu/certified-organizations-updated#certified-organizations2/view-sub-list-details70/5f3438830d6f2900170827a4/)**®, seven years in a row! Kepler is seeking a **Network Architect** to join our Network Engineering team. In this role, you will design, build, and operate our mission-critical networks that support our constellation of satellites and, ultimately, customers of the Kepler Network; ensuring performance, scalability, and reliability. Your secondary responsibility will be to design, build, and operate Kepler’s internal corporate networks (on-premises and cloud). The ideal candidate will have extensive hands-on experience with complex networks and will fully embrace software and automation initiatives. This includes driving network automation and programmability while working closely with network architects, software engineers, and FPGA developers to deliver services to our customers. ### Key Responsibilities: - Work with network architects to design, build and operate Kepler’s mission-critical networks - Contribute to the team to design, build. and operate the corporate network infrastructure, including LAN, WAN, Wi-Fi, security appliances, and hybrid cloud connectivity - Manage network security and segmentation, ensuring infrastructure adheres to security best practices and company policies - Design and maintain hybrid cloud networking architectures, integrating on-prem environments with AWS services - Develop and maintain network automation tools, leveraging Python, Ansible, and infrastructure-as-code approaches to improve reliability and operational efficiency - Collaborate closely with software, FPGA, and mission operations teams to support network infrastructure for satellite operations and ground systems - Provide operational support for corporate and service provider network infrastructure, including participation in on-call rotations - Implement monitoring, logging, and observability tools to proactively detect and resolve network issues - Maintain accurate network documentation, diagrams, and operational runbooks - Participate in change management processes, including planning, implementation, and post-change validation - Support incident response and root cause analysis for network-related outages or performance issues ### Required Skills & Qualifications: - Strong foundation in routing and switching concepts (ISIS, MPLS, BGP, GRE, VLAN) at an equivalent level to CCNP - Hands-on experience deploying and supporting large WAN environments - Hands-on experience designing and operating hybrid cloud networking, including AWS VPCs, TGW routing, VPN connectivity, and secure integration with on-prem networks - Hands-on experience with software defined network concepts, including: - - Network Function Virtualization - Infrastructure as Code - CI/CD - Python scripting - Jinja templating - Terraform - JSON/YAML configuration formats - Ansible playbooks and automation workflows - Git version control - Basic Linux networking knowledge including interface configuration, routing tables, firewall rules, and troubleshooting connectivity - Hands-on experience implementing and managing IPsec VPNs for site-to-site and remote connectivity - Hands-on experience implementing network monitoring and observability platforms, such as SNMP-based monitoring, NetFlow/sFlow, or telemetry pipelines - Hands-on experience managing network infrastructure changes, including structured change management practices - Strong systems-level thinking, with the ability to design integrated network solutions supporting complex distributed systems - Strong problem solving and troubleshooting skills across multiple layers of the network stack - Strong documentation practices, including network diagrams, configuration standards, and operational procedures - Ability to work independently and remotely, while maintaining strong collaboration with distributed engineering teams ### Bonus Points: - Expert-level routing and switching experience at an equivalent level to CCIE - Advanced Linux networking expertise, including kernel networking concepts, traffic shaping, and advanced routing - Hands-on experience with network simulation or emulation platforms, such as EVE-NG, GNS3, or container-based network labs - Hands-on experience designing complex network architectures, including multi-site or globally distributed networks - Hands-on experience supporting small to mid-scale data center environments, including switching fabrics and server connectivity - Hands-on experience working with network controllers or intent-based networking platforms - Hands-on experience implementing and supporting Fortinet solutions, including SD-WAN configuration, firewall policies, and firmware upgrades - Hands-on experience supporting satellite communications or space-ground network infrastructure