Senior Manager, Network Operations

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. You'll 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. We work Flexible First. This role can be performed remotely anywhere within Ontario or British Columbia, Canada. We’d love for you to join us! Backfill: This position is for an existing vacancy. The Impact You’ll Have Leadership & Team Management Shape 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 Build a high-performance culture where automation, reliability, and continuous improvement aren't just goals — they're the standard Drive talent strategy through performance management, career development planning, and bringing exceptional people into the organization Serve as a connective force across security, platform, and infrastructure teams, turning siloed expertise into unified outcomes Infrastructure Modernization & Strategy Lead a pivotal transformation — moving Marqeta's infrastructure from physical data centers to a cloud-native network architecture that scales with the business Champion automation by leveraging Terraform and infrastructure-as-code practices, meaningfully reducing manual operations and accelerating delivery Own the strategic roadmap for right-sizing our physical POP footprint without ever compromising service reliability Design network solutions that are as secure as they are scalable, directly enabling Marqeta's growth and evolving business needs Technical Operations & Hands-On Engineering Stay sharp at the hardware level — bringing hands-on expertise with Cisco switches, Palo Alto firewalls, and data center infrastructure to every decision you make Architect and optimize AWS cloud networking (VPCs, Transit Gateways, Direct Connect, and beyond), setting the foundation for a resilient cloud presence Protect 99.999% uptime through proactive monitoring, sharp incident response, and a relentless commitment to optimization Be the expert others turn to when complex network issues arise — leading troubleshooting across both cloud and on-premises environments Corporate Network Management Take full ownership of Marqeta's corporate network infrastructure, from our Oakland HQ to every remote office location Oversee the Cisco Meraki platform — wireless access points, security appliances, and network management — ensuring everything just works Deliver secure, reliable Wi-Fi access across all corporate locations, setting the connectivity bar for a distributed workforce Own ISP relationships and circuit management, ensuring our HQ and office locations always have the bandwidth and redundancy they need Partner with the security team to implement and uphold corporate network security policies that protect the business without slowing it down Remove friction for our hybrid workforce — ensuring seamless, consistent connectivity whether employees are on-site or remote Plan ahead, managing corporate network capacity so infrastructure never becomes a bottleneck as Marqeta grows Vendor & Stakeholder Management Cultivate strategic relationships with colocation providers like Equinix and key network hardware vendors, keeping Marqeta's infrastructure competitive Negotiate contracts and SLAs that meaningfully optimize both cost and performance outcomes Translate network strategy into business value by aligning capabilities with cross-functional stakeholder needs Bridge the gap between technical and non-technical audiences — communicating complex concepts and project progress with clarity and confidence Who You Are You bring 7+ years of network engineering experience in production environments and at least 3 years leading and developing technical teams You're 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 You've architected and managed Palo Alto Networks firewall deployments and understand how network security decisions ripple across an organization You have deep, practical knowledge of AWS cloud networking — VPCs, Transit Gateways, Direct Connect, CloudFront, Route53 — and know how to design for resilience at scale You have a track record of owning and maintaining high-availability networks at 99.9%+ uptime, and you take that standard personally Infrastructure-as-code is part of how you work — you're experienced with Terraform and understand the value of treating infrastructure like software You think in systems and automate by instinct — with a strong foundation in network automation, scripting, and DevOps practices that help your team move faster with fewer errors You're as comfortable in a vendor negotiation or colocation facility conversation as you are in a technical design review You hold a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or have built equivalent expertise through hands-on experience Nice-To-Haves Experience working in payments, financial services, or another highly regulated industry — you already understand what it means to operate in a high-stakes compliance environment Familiarity with PCI-DSS or other compliance frameworks, and how they shape network design and security decisions Industry certifications such as CCIE, CCNP, PCNSE, or AWS Advanced Networking that demonstrate your depth of expertise Hands-on experience with network observability tools and practices, and a habit of using data to stay ahead of issues before they become incidents A background in leading infrastructure modernization or cloud migration initiatives — you've navigated the complexity before and know how to bring teams along for the journey Experience with SD-WAN technologies and an understanding of how they fit into a modern, distributed network architecture Typical Process Application Submission Recruiter phone call Hiring manager video call Virtual “Onsite” consisting of 4-5, 45 min calls Offer! Compensation and Benefits Marqeta is a Flex First company which allows you to choose your best working environment, whether that be from home or at a company office. To support Flex First, we calibrate pay to a competitive value according to working location.  When determining salaries, we consider several factors including, but not limited to, skills, prior experience, and work location. The new-hire base salary range for this position, reflected in CAD,  is: $177,100 - $221,400 We also believe in recognizing the contributions of our people. That's why we award annual bonuses to eligible employees, rewarding both individual performance and the success of the entire company. Along with monetary compensation, Marqeta offers Multiple health insurance options Flexible vacation time Retirement savings program with company contribution Equity in a publicly-traded company  Monthly stipend to support our remote work model Annual “development dollars” to support our people growth and development Family-forming benefits and up to 20 weeks of Parental Leave