Network Engineer

Caltech is a world-renowned science and engineering institute that marshals some of the world's brightest minds and most innovative tools to address fundamental scientific questions. We thrive on finding and cultivating talented people who are passionate about what they do. Join us and be a part of the diverse Caltech community.

Job Summary

IPAC at Caltech is seeking a Network Engineer to support the design, optimization, and operation of the high-performance network infrastructure powering world-class NASA, NSF, and privately funded ground and spaceborne observatories. As a member of the IPAC Support Group (ISG) Data Center Engineering team, you will work alongside other network, systems, and database engineers to build and maintain the vital pipelines that connect the global astronomical community to invaluable scientific data.

IPAC, situated within the Division of Physics, Mathematics, and Astronomy at Caltech (www.caltech.edu), provides science operations, pipeline processing, user support, and data services for high-profile missions including the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, SPHEREx, Euclid, the Near-Earth Object Surveyor, and the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF). Our diverse portfolio of research archives includes multi-petabyte datasets like the NASA/IPAC Infrared Science Archive (IRSA), alongside highly curated reference repositories like the NASA Extragalactic Database (NED) and the NASA Exoplanet Archive, which are key research references for modern astrophysics and exoplanet science.

This role offers a rare combination of mission-driven work, technical variety, and collaborative engineering. As part of a close-knit team of about ten engineers, you will have broad visibility across IPAC's infrastructure, contribute directly to project architecture and design, and advance the technologies that support IPAC's scientific mission.

Essential Job Duties

As an IPAC Network Engineer, your role will be to:

• Collaborate on Architecture & Automation: Partner with team members and project engineers to develop and maintain the overall IPAC network architecture, helping to introduce and expand modern network automation and Infrastructure as Code (IaC) methodologies.
• Streamline Data Movement: Design and implement improvements to internal network and software architectures to optimize both massive, bursty data transfers and frequent updates to our curated science archives-spanning environments within IPAC, external global mission partners, and the general science community.
• Optimize Performance: Conduct proactive network performance analysis, optimization, and capacity planning to support high-performance computing (HPC) and research archive workloads.
• Consult & Coordinate: Evaluate upcoming scientific project networking requirements in tandem with project engineers, IPAC systems staff, and peer research institutions.
• Share Infrastructure & Security Duties: Co-manage firewalls and security policies in close collaboration with infrastructure and security staff, implement network monitoring tools, and share responsibility for data center physical layout and cabling plant operations.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related field, plus 5+ years of relevant experience (or equivalent combination of education and experience).
• Extensive experience with Arista, Cisco, or similar networking hardware (switches, routers).
• Core data center and wide-area networking (WAN) experience, with strong proficiency with LAN/WAN configuration and routing protocols, including IPv4, IPv6, dynamic routing, port aggregation.
• Strong Linux systems experience (Red Hat or Debian preferred).
• Experience managing enterprise security perimeters using Palo Alto or comparable enterprise firewalls, with practical experience in security zoning, VPN configuration, and application control and threat prevention.
• Experience with enterprise network and data center management platforms (e.g. Arista CloudVision or similar).
• Qualify as a US PERSON as defined by ITAR regulations: A US person is a citizen of the United States, a lawful permanent resident alien of the US ("Green Card" holder), or an individual granted refugee or asylee status under US law.

Preferred Qualifications

Beyond these basic qualifications, there are skills and experiences which will give you a head start here. We are a specialized environment looking for a well-rounded engineer who thrives in a shared-responsibility model. If you have experience in a few of these areas, you will hit the ground running, but even if these don't yet describe you and your experience, we would still like to hear from you:

• Network Automation: Experience or a strong interest in helping a team transition toward network automation using Python, Ansible, Terraform, or related tooling.
• Infrastructure Services: Experience managing RADIUS authentication and access control servers. Knowledge of X.500 directory service models.
• High-Performance Networking: Experience supporting High Performance Computing (HPC) environments or large-scale storage/archive systems.
• Cloud Environments: Experience integrating on-premises networks with public cloud environments (e.g., AWS).
• Mission Alignment: A genuine interest in science, astronomy, or space exploration. Understanding mission objectives helps us build better systems for the scientists and staff we support.
• Teamwork & Collaboration: A strong collaborative mindset, a willingness to share operational duties, and the ability to communicate technical concepts clearly within a multidisciplinary team and across administrative boundaries.

Required Documents

• Full Resume.
• Cover Letter (briefly highlighting key qualifications and fit for this role).
• Names and Contact information of 3 professional references

Application Details

• This is an on-site position at the Caltech campus in Pasadena, California. Remote work is normally allowed up to one day per week.
• Applicants for this position must be a United States (US) person as defined by ITAR regulations - A US person is a citizen of the United States, a lawful permanent resident alien of the US ("Green Card" holder), or individuals granted refugee and asylee status under US law.
• Applications are due by August 31, 2026
  

Life at IPAC

People choose to work at IPAC for many reasons, and our casual, employee-centric culture often leads to fulfilling, long-term careers and positive relationships. Whether in science, engineering, or administration, IPAC staff share a unique sense of pride in knowing their individual talents support human discovery.

Unlike traditional corporate tech, IPAC emphasizes sustainable workloads and a healthy work-life balance: after-hours work is rare, shared across the operations team, and typically limited to exceptional situations. We actively support ongoing professional development, including training, conferences, and skill development aligned with your career goals. Caltech's benefits program offers a highly competitive benefits package, an exceptional 403(b) defined contribution plan, and access to campus facilities including the athletic center, libraries, on-site daycare, and Athenaeum club membership.