Senior Manager, Network Operations

ABOUT THE ROLE As Marqeta's Senior Manager, Network Operations, you will lead our Network Operations team through a critical infrastructure modernization initiative. This role combines strategic leadership with hands-on technical expertise as we transition from traditional data center infrastructure toward a more cloud-native architecture while maintaining our industry-leading 99.999% uptime commitment. WHAT YOU'LL DO You will lead a team responsible for both our AWS-based cloud network infrastructure and physical Points of Presence (POPs) hosted in colocation facilities, driving automation initiatives and architectural evolution while ensuring the reliability our customers depend on. Key responsibilities include: - Shaping the careers of a talented team of network and software engineers by creating an environment where technical excellence and operational mastery go hand in hand - Building a high-performance culture where automation, reliability, and continuous improvement aren't just goals — they're the standard - Driving talent strategy through performance management, career development planning, and bringing exceptional people into the organization - Serving as a connective force across security, platform, and infrastructure teams, turning siloed expertise into unified outcomes - Leading a pivotal transformation — moving Marqeta's infrastructure from physical data centers to a cloud-native network architecture that scales with the business - Championing automation by leveraging Terraform and infrastructure-as-code practices, meaningfully reducing manual operations and accelerating delivery - Owning the strategic roadmap for right-sizing our physical POP footprint without ever compromising service reliability - Designing network solutions that are as secure as they are scalable, directly enabling Marqeta's growth and evolving business needs - Staying sharp at the hardware level — bringing hands-on expertise with Cisco switches, Palo Alto firewalls, and data center infrastructure to every decision you make - Architecting and optimizing AWS cloud networking (VPCs, Transit Gateways, Direct Connect, and beyond), setting the foundation for a resilient cloud presence - Protecting 99.999% uptime through proactive monitoring, sharp incident response, and a relentless commitment to optimization - Taking full ownership of Marqeta's corporate network infrastructure, from our Oakland HQ to every remote office location - Overseeing the Cisco Meraki platform — wireless access points, security appliances, and network management — ensuring everything just works - Delivering secure, reliable Wi-Fi access across all corporate locations, setting the connectivity bar for a distributed workforce - Partnering with the security team to implement and uphold corporate network security policies that protect the business without slowing it down - Cultivating strategic relationships with colocation providers like Equinix and key network hardware vendors, keeping Marqeta's infrastructure competitive - Negotiating contracts and SLAs that meaningfully optimize both cost and performance outcomes - Translating network strategy into business value by aligning capabilities with cross-functional stakeholder needs WHAT YOU'LL NEED To be successful in this role, you will need: - 7+ years of network engineering experience in production environments and at least 3 years leading and developing technical teams - A hands-on Cisco expert — deeply comfortable with switching platforms and routing protocols like BGP and OSPF, and confident in your ability to operate at both a strategic and technical level - Experience with Palo Alto Networks firewall deployments and understanding