Director Networking-Data Center

The Director of Networking will shape the network architecture and technology strategy for data centre and digital infrastructure projects. This senior role is responsible for ensuring that network solutions are scalable, resilient, secure and suitable for demanding enterprise and hyperscale environments. The director will guide architecture decisions, technical governance, vendor engagement and delivery support while building a capable networking team.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop the overall networking strategy, architecture standards, design guidelines and governance framework for data centre programmes.
• Lead planning for spine-leaf architectures, core, aggregation and access networks, software-defined networking, network virtualisation, WAN, internet and cloud connectivity.
• Define security zoning, segmentation, redundancy and disaster recovery approaches that support availability, performance and cyber security objectives.
• Review and approve network designs, technical specifications, engineering submissions and related project deliverables.
• Coordinate with data centre design, ICT, cloud, cyber security, operations and construction teams to integrate network solutions with the facility.
• Manage technical relationships with telecom operators, internet service providers, OEMs, technology vendors and engineering consultants.
• Support procurement by reviewing technical proposals, vendor assessments and RFP responses; contribute to budgets and lifecycle cost planning.
• Provide leadership during execution, testing, commissioning and handover, while mentoring engineers and evaluating emerging technologies.

Requirements and Qualifications

A bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering, Telecommunications, Information Technology or a related field is required; a master's degree is preferred. Candidates should have at least 10 years of networking or digital infrastructure design experience and at least 7 years in leadership roles supporting large enterprise or hyperscale data centre projects. Experience with hyperscale operators, colocation providers or other mission-critical environments is strongly preferred.

Skills

Strong knowledge of data centre networking, enterprise architecture, cloud connectivity, SDN, telecom integration and cyber security-aligned design is expected. The role also requires strategic thinking, vendor management, team development and clear communication with technical and business stakeholders.