Sr. Network Engineer, Network Operations, Data Center

About the role

Sr. Network Engineer, Network Operations, Data Center | Tesla (Engineering & Information Technology)

Location: Fremont, California | Req ID: 275716 | Job Type: Full-time

What to Expect

We are seeking an experienced Senior Network Engineer to drive network refresh and infrastructure operations across data center environments. This role requires hands-on expertise in hardware migration/refresh planning, configuration management, and operational excellence.

What You'll Do

• Lead the planning and execution of large-scale network refresh programs for switches and routers approaching or at End-of-Support, including hardware staging, configuration migration, and phased cutovers with minimal production impact
• Develop, maintain, and implement detailed Method of Procedure (MOP) documents, migration runbooks, and rollback plans for all planned changes and refresh activities
• Operate and maintain production data center network infrastructure across newly built and expanding clusters, ensuring high availability, reliability, and performance
• Build and maintain operational dashboards (e.g., Grafana) to monitor network health, track refresh program progress, and validate post-migration performance across data center clusters
• Coordinate with vendors for TAC support escalations, RMA processing, firmware guidance, and support contract management
• Create and maintain comprehensive network documentation, datacenter cutsheets, topology diagrams, IP address management (IPAM) records, and operational runbooks
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams — Compute, Storage, SRE, Security, and Datacenter team — to support cluster build-outs, capacity expansions, and operational readiness
• Participate in on-call rotation and provide support during occasional weekends, after-hours periods, and holidays as needed
• Travel up to 10% as required to support datacenter projects and operations

What You'll Bring

• 6+ years of experience in mid- to large-scale data center network operations and infrastructure
• Extensive experience with Juniper platforms (QFX, MX, EX series) and Arista platforms and Arista EOS, including upgrades, configuration management, and troubleshooting
• Deep knowledge of IP networking and L2/L3 protocols — BGP, OSPF, spanning-tree, LACP, MC-LAG, VRRP, VLANs, and ACLs. EVPN-VXLAN experience is a plus
• Hands-on experience planning and executing large-scale network hardware refresh or migration programs
• Experience with network monitoring and observability tools such as SNMP, syslog, NetFlow/IPFIX, Grafana, SolarWinds, LibreNMS, Kentik, or similar
• Experience implementing scripts and automation for infrastructure deployment and configuration (Python, Jinja2). Software development experience is a plus
• Familiarity with network configuration management tools (Git-based workflows)
• Solid understanding of change management processes, maintenance window planning, and MOP development
• Experience with infrastructure cabling, optics, and physical layer troubleshooting
• Familiarity with IPAM, RADIUS/TACACS+, DHCP, DNS, and out-of-band management networks

Benefits

Along with competitive pay, as a full-time Tesla employee, you are eligible for the following benefits at day 1 of hire:

• Medical plans > plan options with $0 payroll deduction
• Family-building, fertility, adoption and surrogacy benefits
• Dental (including orthodontic coverage) and vision plans, both have options with a $0 paycheck contribution
• Company Paid (Health Savings Accounts) HSA Contribution when enrolled in the High-Deductible medical plan with HSA
• Healthcare and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
• 401(k) with employer match, Employee Stock Purchase Plans, and other financial benefits
• Company paid Basic Life, AD&D
• Short-term and long-term disability insurance (90 day waiting period)
• Employee Assistance Program
• Sick and Vacation time (Flex time for salary positions, Accrued hours for Hourly positions), and Paid Holidays
• Back-up childcare and parenting support resources
• Voluntary benefits to include: critical illness, hospital indemnity, accident insurance, theft & legal services, and pet insurance
• Weight Loss and Tobacco Cessation Programs
• Tesla Babies program
• Commuter benefits
• Employee discounts and perks program
• Earned Wage Access: Real-time pay access paid daily, subject to eligibility and schedule (applicable for below Sr. Managers levels)

Expected Compensation$168,000 - $300,000/annual salary + cash and stock awards + benefitsPay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The total compensation package for this position may also include other elements dependent on the position offered. Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment.