Fluidstack · 2 months ago
Lead Network Engineer, Deployment & Integration
New York City
Full-time
Onsite
Senior Level, Lead/Staff
$200K/yr - $300K/yr
8+ years expFluidstack is seeking a Senior Staff Network Engineer to lead their Network Deployment & Integration pillar. This role involves hands-on building of AI datacenter fabrics and establishing a scalable deployment playbook while leading a team to ensure successful and timely production handovers.
Cloud ComputingCloud StorageGenerative AIGPUInformation TechnologyMachine LearningPrivate CloudSoftware
Responsibilities
Own hands-on deployment of datacenter networks - front-end fabric, back-end fabric, BMS, management networks
Configure and validate switches, coordinate fiber/cabling remediation, manage hardware RMAs, and drive the first datacenter handover to production
Build the repeatable deployment process that scales from double digit Megawatt to Gigawatt deployments
Define pre-deployment checklists, turn-up procedures, validation gates, and handover criteria
Document blockers, failure modes, and workarounds
Create the operations manual that allows future deployment engineers to execute independently with minimal guidance
Partner with DC Operations (rack/stack, power, structured cabling), ICT teams (fiber validation, insertion loss), Hardware (device staging, logistics), and Network Engineering (design review, config validation) to drive deployments to completion
Own the critical path - identify blockers within hours, escalate decisively, and ensure nothing stalls deployment timelines
Lead deployment teams in the field - coordinate travel, assign work, provide technical guidance during complex turn-ups, and ensure quality standards
Define and enforce exit criteria for production handovers to Network Operations
Ensure every fabric meets standards for physical layer validation (OTDR traces, insertion loss), logical configuration (BGP/EVPN validation, reachability tests), observability (monitoring integration, alerting), and documentation (as-builts, cutsheets, runbooks)
Own the relationship with Operations to ensure smooth transitions
Qualification
Required
Proven Deployment Leadership: 8+ years in network engineering with significant datacenter deployment experience. You've built large-scale fabrics from the ground up - not just designed them, but physically turned them up in the field. You understand the gap between design and reality, and you know how to close it through detailed planning and relentless execution
AI Fabric Expertise: Deep hands-on experience with modern datacenter fabrics - EVPN/VXLAN, BGP, CLOS topologies, high-radix switching. Ideally, you've deployed AI/ML fabrics with RDMA (RoCEv2), lossless Ethernet (PFC, ECN), or equivalent high-performance networking. You understand the precision required when every packet matters
Player-Coach Mentality: You're equally comfortable getting hands on and building the team that scales beyond you. You've mentored, and developed engineers before. You know when to lead by example and when to delegate. You see building a team as part of the mission, not a distraction from technical work
Operational Pragmatism: You thrive in fast-paced, ambiguous environments where perfection is the enemy of progress. You make pragmatic tradeoffs between speed and quality. You document as you go. You build processes that are good enough to scale, then iterate. You don't wait for perfect tooling - you ship with what you have and improve incrementally
Cross-Team Influence: Exceptional at partnering across functions. You've coordinated complex projects involving hardware vendors, datacenter operators, cabling contractors, and internal engineering teams. You communicate clearly, escalate decisively, and earn trust through follow-through and accountability
Travel Ready: Comfortable with 70-80% travel for extended onsite deployments during datacenter turn-ups. Remote-based but willing to be wherever the work is. You understand that deployment leadership means showing up when it's hard
Preferred
Hyperscale Background: Experience deploying networks at hyperscale companies (Meta, Google, Microsoft, AWS) or large AI infrastructure providers. You've seen what 'good' looks like at scale and can adapt those lessons to a fast-growing startup
Vendor Ecosystems: Deep familiarity with Arista, Juniper, or NVIDIA networking platforms. You know the quirks, the failure modes, and the workarounds. You have relationships with vendor TAC/SE teams and know how to escalate effectively
Automation Mindset: Exposure to network automation tools (Ansible, Terraform, Python) and source-of-truth systems (Netbox, DCIM). You may not be writing automation yourself, but you understand how to design deployments that are automatable and you partner effectively with automation engineers
Project/Program Management: Formal or informal experience with project coordination, Gantt charts, critical path management, and cross-functional program execution. You've been the person who keeps complex initiatives on track when everyone else is focused on their own domain
Startup Experience: You've built something from scratch before - ideally in a high-growth infrastructure or cloud company. You're comfortable with rapid context switching, evolving requirements, and the intensity of early-stage company building
Benefits
Retirement or pension plan, in line with local norms.
Health, dental, and vision insurance.
Generous PTO policy, in line with local norms.
Company
Fluidstack
FluidStack is an AI cloud platform for frontier labs and startups.
51-200 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Fluidstack 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 (1)
2024 (2)
Funding
Current Stage
Growth StageTotal Funding
unknownKey Investors
Seedcamp
2025-06-01Undisclosed
2024-10-01Private Equity
2018-02-01Pre Seed
Leadership Team
Gary Wu
CEO, Co-Founder
Recent News
2026-01-23
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The Motley Fool
2026-01-16
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