Principal Cloud Network Engineer
Yahoo
Unknown, Unknown
Full-Time
$120,750
HybridSenior
We're seeking a Principal Cloud Network Engineer to lead our GCP networking strategy and own the full lifecycle — from business requirements and architectural vision through design, implementation, and operational excellence. You'll be the technical authority for our networking pod, translating business and product needs into scalable, secure network architecture. You'll work at the strategic level to define multi-year infrastructure roadmaps while remaining hands-on with design and implementation decisions.
What You'll Do
Own end-to-end network architecture strategy: gather requirements from product, engineering, and operations teams, then translate them into comprehensive GCP networking designs
Lead architectural decisions across VPC topology, Cloud Interconnect, load balancing, and service mesh strategy — balancing performance, security, cost, and operational complexity
Design and implement Infrastructure as Code frameworks using Terraform that scale across multiple GCP projects and regions, setting standards for the entire infrastructure organization
Mentor and guide the networking pod through complex design challenges, code reviews, and architectural decisions
Partner with security and compliance teams to evolve network security and compliance as business requirements change
Drive observability strategy — define what gets monitored, build dashboards and alerting frameworks, and establish SLOs for network reliability
Make trade-off decisions between architectural purity and operational pragmatism; communicate those trade-offs to leadership
Use AI-driven tools to accelerate design iteration, code generation, and problem analysis — staying ahead of how AI can improve engineering velocity
Lead incident response for critical network outages; drive systemic improvements from post-mortems
Define hiring, onboarding, and technical growth paths for the networking team
What We're Looking For
8+ years in cloud or network engineering, with at least 4 years at a principal or staff-equivalent level owning networking strategy at scale
Expert-level mastery of GCP networking: VPC architecture, Cloud Interconnect, Cloud VPN, Cloud Load Balancing, Cloud Router, service mesh design
Deep understanding of networking fundamentals: BGP, OSPF, TCP/IP, DNS, routing protocols, and how they interact in cloud environments
Proven ability to translate business requirements into technical architecture — you think in terms of outcomes, not just tools
Strong systems thinking: you understand how networking decisions cascade across security, cost, reliability, and developer experience
Demonstrated mentorship and leadership experience; you've grown junior engineers into senior contributors
Comfortable with ambiguity and long-term vision: you can define strategy when requirements are evolving
Proficiency with Terraform at scale; experience building reusable, well-documented infrastructure modules
Hands-on technical skills remain sharp: you write code, design systems, and debug issues yourself
Success Looks Like
You've reduced operational toil through automation and clear runbooks
Teams across the organization understand networking trade-offs and can make informed decisions
Your architecture decisions are still sound 2 to 3 years later, even as business needs evolve
Junior engineers on your team are growing into senior roles
You've influenced company-wide standards for security, observability, and cost management
The material job duties and responsibilities of this role include those listed above as well as adhering to Yahoopolicies;exercising sound judgment;working effectively, safely and inclusively with others;exhibiting trustworthinessandmeeting expectations;and safeguarding business operations and brand integrity.
At Yahoo, we offer flexible hybrid work options that our employees love! While most roles don’t require regular office attendance, you may occasionally be asked to attend in-person events or team sessions. You’ll always get notice to make arrangements. Your recruiter will let you know if a specific job requires regular attendance at a Yahoo office or facility. If you have any questions about how this applies to the role, just ask the recruiter!
Yahoo is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, and will not be discriminated against based on age, race, gender, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, disability or any other protected category. Yahoo will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with applicable law. Yahoo is dedicated to providing an accessible environment for all candidates during the application process and for employees during their employment. If you need accessibility assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability, please submit a request via the Accommodation Request Form (www.yahooinc.com/careers/contact-us.html) or call +1.866.772.3182. Requests and calls received for non-disability related issues, such as following up on an application, will not receive a response.
We believe that a diverse and inclusive workplace strengthens Yahoo and deepens our relationships. When you support everyone to be their best selves, they spark discovery, innovation and creativity. Among other efforts, our 11 employee resource groups (ERGs) enhance a culture of belonging with programs, events and fellowship that help educate, support and create a workplace where all feel welcome.
The compensation for this position ranges from $120,750.00 - $251,250.00/yr and will vary depending on factors such as your location, skills and experience.The compensation package may also include incentive compensation opportunities in the form of discretionary annual bonus or commissions. Our comprehensive benefits include healthcare, a great 401k, backup childcare, education stipends and much (much) more.Currently work for Yahoo? Please apply on our internal career site.