Sr. Network Edge Engineer

About the role

This position offers the opportunity to help shape the future of global internet connectivity by developing and deploying critical interconnection infrastructure for the Starlink constellation. The hired individual will focus on optimizing network performance and cost efficiency through strategic peering, transit, caching, and exchange initiatives. They will be instrumental in delivering fast, reliable, and low-latency internet access to users worldwide, extending connectivity to even the most remote locations. Success in this role requires a balance of strategic vision and operational excellence to manage complex interconnection programs. The candidate will directly influence the user experience by ensuring robust and efficient global network handoffs. This role is central to the scalability and reliability of one of the world's largest satellite communication systems.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Define and manage project roadmaps, milestones, and priorities for program delivery, ensuring alignment with Starlink's aggressive deployment timelines.
• Evaluate and analyze peering and transit opportunities globally, balancing cost, performance, and routing control to maximize network efficiency.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to improve peering processes based on their needs, fostering a culture of continuous operational improvement.
• Build and maintain technical and commercial relationships with global peering partners to secure favorable terms and reliable connectivity.
• Design and uphold peering policies, including traffic management, route filtering, and redundancy, to maintain network integrity and security.
• Ensure seamless integration of peering implementations across various Starlink teams, acting as a central point of coordination and technical authority.
• Lead global Internet Exchange (IX) strategy, including site selection, capacity planning, and onboarding, to optimize global traffic exchange points.
• Work with partner teams to automate interconnection workflows, such as route validation and incident response, reducing manual overhead and increasing reliability.
• Analyze network telemetry to identify performance bottlenecks and implement data-driven solutions for interconnection challenges.
• Champion best practices in interconnection engineering, documenting procedures and standards for internal and external partners.
• Conduct regular reviews of peering and transit performance, presenting findings and recommendations to technical and executive leadership.
• Interface directly with Internet Exchange Point (IXP) communities to advocate for Starlink's interests and technical requirements.
• Develop contingency plans for interconnection failures, ensuring business continuity and minimal service disruption.
• Guide junior engineers through code reviews and architectural discussions, elevating the overall technical capability of the team.
• Stay current with emerging trends in IP transport, optical networking, and edge computing to future-proof the interconnection strategy.

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience in network infrastructure, specifically in peering, interconnection engineering, or backbone architecture.
• Experience with BGP, IP routing, and network telemetry is mandatory for success in this position.
• Experience with Internet Exchange Points (IXPs), colocation environments, optical transport, and traffic engineering is required.
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex projects and deliver results in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
• Strong understanding of routing policies, prefix delegation, and autonomous system coordination is essential.
• Proficiency in network monitoring tools and methodologies to ensure high visibility into interconnection health.
• A proven track record of troubleshooting intricate network issues and resolving them efficiently.
• The ability to communicate technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders is required.
• Must be eligible to work in the United States and pass a background check as required by U.S. Government regulations.
• Willingness to comply with all company policies, security protocols, and operational procedures without exception.

Nice to have

• 10+ years of experience designing, building, and optimizing internet interconnects and peering systems.
• Experience identifying, negotiating, and executing legal agreements related to interconnection and peering.
• Experience building systems to support and maintain peering/interconnections, including automation frameworks.
• Extensive professional network within the global ISP, IXP, and content distribution community.
• Experience building real-time monitoring and alerting systems for interconnect performance and routing anomalies.
• Familiarity with Starlink-style distributed systems and the interaction of terrestrial and orbital network layers.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including technical documentation and stakeholder reporting.

Practical notes

• Compensation includes base salary, potential long-term incentives (stock, options, cash awards), discretionary bonuses, and an Employee Stock Purchase Plan.
• Benefits include comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, 401(k) retirement plan, short and long-term disability, life insurance, paid parental leave, and various discounts.
• Accrue 3 weeks of paid vacation and 10+ paid holidays per year.
• Washington State employees accrue paid sick time.
• Company shuttles are available for roundtrip travel from select Seattle locations to the Redmond office Monday to Friday.
• Must be willing to travel 10-15% domestically and globally.
• Must be available for on-call rotations and extended hours as needed.
• Due to U.S. Government export regulations (ITAR), applicants must be a U.S. citizen or national, a U.S. lawful permanent resident, a Refugee, or an Asylee, or eligible to obtain required authorizations.