Network Design Engineer

Network Design Engineer Overview

This role sits within Google’s Network Engineering organization, part of the broader Technical Infrastructure team that keeps the company’s products and services running at global scale. The team is responsible for operating a network that serves millions of internet users worldwide, and this position plays a direct part in shaping the design and evolution of that network. The work is centered on keeping systems reliable, efficient, and ready for growth while supporting major infrastructure changes across Google’s global production environment.

The position is based in either Dublin, Ireland or London, UK, and applicants are able to indicate which of those locations they prefer during the application process. Google describes the role as mid-level, meaning it is intended for someone who can drive progress, solve problems independently, and help guide less experienced team members while bringing strong practical expertise to the area.

What you will do

• Apply Google’s network architecture standards to plan and design global infrastructure that can satisfy capacity needs and service-level objectives while keeping capital and operating costs in balance.
• Work new product introductions into network plans and designs, and make sure the planning and design tools, as well as the related business processes, are ready to support those new solutions.
• Improve the full lifecycle of the planning and design workflow, including how information is collected, how plans are produced, how they are checked, how they are published, and how they are handed over to the next stage.
• Help define, establish, and maintain the policies and operating practices used in network planning and design, including architecture and topology decisions, hardware lifecycle management, and capacity or utilization targets, with the goal of improving reliability, performance, and risk control.
• Build and promote automation tools and scripts for network planning and design, and contribute to the roadmap for automating tasks so the team can reduce turnaround time and improve consistency and quality.
• Contribute to the design of Google’s production global network as it undergoes capacity expansions, migrations, and the introduction of new technologies worldwide, including the transition to Alphanet.
• Help ensure that the optical, edge, core, and campus network infrastructure is built efficiently, on schedule, and in line with reliability and policy expectations.
• Support the development of better planning and design practices, processes, and tooling for the network engineering function.
• Participate in efforts to improve automation across the planning and design workflow, including scripts and tooling that reduce manual effort and shorten cycle times.

What Google says about the team and the work

Google explains that its Technical Infrastructure organization builds and maintains the systems behind the company’s online products. That includes data centers, next-generation platform infrastructure, and the networks that keep services available and fast. The company emphasizes that its infrastructure engineers work on the systems that make Google’s product portfolio possible and that the network team is focused on keeping those systems up and running for users around the world.

The posting also notes that the network environment is complex and constantly changing, so the role requires someone who can adapt to new technologies and help solve ongoing operational and design challenges. The work is framed as having a direct impact on reliability, user experience, and the ability of Google’s services to scale.

Minimum qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• At least 3 years of experience with network routing protocols, network design, troubleshooting, and working with network equipment providers.
• At least 3 years of experience in DWDM, TCP/IP, or network systems design operations.
• Experience programming in one or more languages such as C++, Go, or Python.
• Experience writing scripts or code in Go or Python, along with SQL scripting.
• Experience with CDNs, IP transit and peering, dark fiber, colocation, optical transport, and cloud technologies.

Preferred qualifications

• Experience planning and designing networks that span multiple sites or multiple products.
• Experience in telecommunications at carrier scale, including work with DWDM optical and IP networks, plus automation scripting in Go or Python and SQL.
• Experience leading or supporting large capacity expansion or migration programs in telecom, hyperscale, data center, or colocation networking environments.
• Experience defining system or process requirements and building, integrating, or delivering layer 1, layer 2, or layer 3 network systems.
• Experience with forecasting and planning, design tools, workflow automation tools, and process-improvement scripts.

Compensation and other notes

The posting lists Ireland compensation as a salary range of €100,000 to €103,000, plus a 15% bonus target, equity, and benefits. Google also states that individual pay is determined by factors such as job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

Google includes standard hiring and policy information in the posting, including its equal opportunity and affirmative action commitments, its applicant and candidate privacy policy, and a note that accommodations are available for applicants who need them. The posting also says that English proficiency is required for all roles unless the job ad says otherwise, and that Google does not accept agency resumes or unsolicited submissions from recruitment agencies.

Equity is described as being granted at Alphabet’s discretion under the relevant stock plan and grant agreement, subject to approval and the terms of the plan. The posting also clarifies that equity grants are not guaranteed and do not affect statutory payments.

Degree Requirement: Bachelor’s

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