{"schemaVersion":"jobsearcher.job.v1","id":"ed160f205152ea3a2aae65cf","url":"https://jobsearcher.com/jobs/ed160f205152ea3a2aae65cf","canonicalUrl":"https://jobsearcher.com/jobs/ed160f205152ea3a2aae65cf","title":"Network Engineer","description":"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.\nJob Summary\nIPAC 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.\nIPAC, 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.\nThis 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.\nEssential Job Duties\nAs an IPAC Network Engineer, your role will be to:\nCollaborate 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.\nStreamline 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.\nOptimize Performance: Conduct proactive network performance analysis, optimization, and capacity planning to support high-performance computing (HPC) and research archive workloads.\nConsult & Coordinate: Evaluate upcoming scientific project networking requirements in tandem with project engineers, IPAC systems staff, and peer research institutions.\nShare 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.\nPerform other duties as assigned.\nBasic Qualifications\nBachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related field, plus 5+ years of relevant experience (or equivalent combination of education and experience).\nExtensive experience with Arista, Cisco, or similar networking hardware (switches, routers).\nCore 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.\nStrong Linux systems experience (Red Hat or Debian preferred).\nExperience 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.\nExperience with enterprise network and data center management platforms (e.g. Arista CloudVision or similar).\nQualify 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.\nPreferred Qualifications\nBeyond 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:\nNetwork Automation: Experience or a strong interest in helping a team transition toward network automation using Python, Ansible, Terraform, or related tooling.\nInfrastructure Services: Experience managing RADIUS authentication and access control servers. Knowledge of X.500 directory service models.\nHigh-Performance Networking: Experience supporting High Performance Computing (HPC) environments or large-scale storage/archive systems.\nCloud Environments: Experience integrating on-premises networks with public cloud environments (e.g., AWS).\nMission 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.\nTeamwork & 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.\nRequired Documents\nFull Resume.\nCover Letter (briefly highlighting key qualifications and fit for this role).\nNames and Contact information of 3 professional references\nApplication Details\nThis is an on-site position at the Caltech campus in Pasadena, California. Remote work is normally allowed up to one day per week.\nApplicants 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.\nApplications are due by August 31, 2026\n\nLife at IPAC\nPeople 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.\nUnlike 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.\nHiring Range\n$47.75 - 62.25 Per Hour\n\nThe salary of the finalist(s) selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to, internal equity, experience, education, specialty and training.\n\nAs one of the largest employers in Pasadena, CA, Caltech is committed to providing comprehensive benefits to eligible employees and their eligible dependents. Our benefits package includes competitive compensation, health, dental, and vision insurance, retirement savings plans, generous paid time off (vacation, holidays, sick time, parental leave, bereavement, etc.), tuition reimbursement, and more. Non-benefit eligible employees will have access to some benefits such as onsite counseling and sick time. Learn more about our benefits and staff perks.\n\nEEO Statement\nWe are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.\n\nCaltech is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor.\nTo read more Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) go to eeoc_self_print_poster.pdf.\nDisability Accommodations\nCaltech complies with the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). We consider reasonable accommodation measures that may be necessary for eligible applicants and employees to perform the essential functions of a position.\nIf you would like to request an accommodation to complete this application, interview, or otherwise participate in the employee selection process, please contact Caltech Recruiting at employment@caltech.edu.\nAdditionally, if you do not meet the basic qualifications of a role but believe you can perform the essential functions of the job with reasonable accommodation, please reach out to Caltech Recruiting at employment@caltech.edu.","company":"Californiainstituteoftechnology","rawCompany":"californiainstituteoftechnology","city":"Pasadena","state":"CA","isRemote":false,"isActive":false,"createdAt":"2026-08-05T14:36:10.064Z","occupations":[{"code":"15-1244.00","title":"Network and Computer Systems Administrators","slug":"network-and-computer-systems-administrators"},{"code":"15-1241.00","title":"Computer Network Architects","slug":"computer-network-architects"},{"code":"15-1299.08","title":"Computer Systems Engineers/Architects","slug":"computer-systems-engineers-architects"}],"industries":[{"code":"541512","title":"Computer Systems Design Services","slug":"computer-systems-design-services"},{"code":"518210","title":"Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services","slug":"computing-infrastructure-providers-data-processing-web-hosting-and-related-services"},{"code":"927110","title":"Space Research and Technology","slug":"space-research-and-technology"}],"jobPosting":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"JobPosting","title":"Network Engineer","description":"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.\nJob Summary\nIPAC 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.\nIPAC, 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.\nThis 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.\nEssential Job Duties\nAs an IPAC Network Engineer, your role will be to:\nCollaborate 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.\nStreamline 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.\nOptimize Performance: Conduct proactive network performance analysis, optimization, and capacity planning to support high-performance computing (HPC) and research archive workloads.\nConsult & Coordinate: Evaluate upcoming scientific project networking requirements in tandem with project engineers, IPAC systems staff, and peer research institutions.\nShare 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.\nPerform other duties as assigned.\nBasic Qualifications\nBachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related field, plus 5+ years of relevant experience (or equivalent combination of education and experience).\nExtensive experience with Arista, Cisco, or similar networking hardware (switches, routers).\nCore 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.\nStrong Linux systems experience (Red Hat or Debian preferred).\nExperience 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.\nExperience with enterprise network and data center management platforms (e.g. Arista CloudVision or similar).\nQualify 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.\nPreferred Qualifications\nBeyond 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:\nNetwork Automation: Experience or a strong interest in helping a team transition toward network automation using Python, Ansible, Terraform, or related tooling.\nInfrastructure Services: Experience managing RADIUS authentication and access control servers. Knowledge of X.500 directory service models.\nHigh-Performance Networking: Experience supporting High Performance Computing (HPC) environments or large-scale storage/archive systems.\nCloud Environments: Experience integrating on-premises networks with public cloud environments (e.g., AWS).\nMission 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.\nTeamwork & 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.\nRequired Documents\nFull Resume.\nCover Letter (briefly highlighting key qualifications and fit for this role).\nNames and Contact information of 3 professional references\nApplication Details\nThis is an on-site position at the Caltech campus in Pasadena, California. Remote work is normally allowed up to one day per week.\nApplicants 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.\nApplications are due by August 31, 2026\n\nLife at IPAC\nPeople 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.\nUnlike 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.\nHiring Range\n$47.75 - 62.25 Per Hour\n\nThe salary of the finalist(s) selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to, internal equity, experience, education, specialty and training.\n\nAs one of the largest employers in Pasadena, CA, Caltech is committed to providing comprehensive benefits to eligible employees and their eligible dependents. Our benefits package includes competitive compensation, health, dental, and vision insurance, retirement savings plans, generous paid time off (vacation, holidays, sick time, parental leave, bereavement, etc.), tuition reimbursement, and more. Non-benefit eligible employees will have access to some benefits such as onsite counseling and sick time. Learn more about our benefits and staff perks.\n\nEEO Statement\nWe are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.\n\nCaltech is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor.\nTo read more Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) go to eeoc_self_print_poster.pdf.\nDisability Accommodations\nCaltech complies with the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). We consider reasonable accommodation measures that may be necessary for eligible applicants and employees to perform the essential functions of a position.\nIf you would like to request an accommodation to complete this application, interview, or otherwise participate in the employee selection process, please contact Caltech Recruiting at employment@caltech.edu.\nAdditionally, if you do not meet the basic qualifications of a role but believe you can perform the essential functions of the job with reasonable accommodation, please reach out to Caltech Recruiting at employment@caltech.edu.","datePosted":"2026-08-05T14:36:10.064Z","dateModified":"2026-08-05T14:36:10.064Z","hiringOrganization":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Californiainstituteoftechnology","sameAs":"https://jobsearcher.com"},"jobLocation":{"@type":"Place","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","addressLocality":"Pasadena","addressRegion":"CA","addressCountry":"US"}},"identifier":{"@type":"PropertyValue","name":"JobSearcher","value":"ed160f205152ea3a2aae65cf"},"url":"https://jobsearcher.com/jobs/ed160f205152ea3a2aae65cf"}}