Expert Network Architect – Telecom

At CN, we work together to move our company—and North America—forward. Be part of our Information & Technology (I&T) team, a critical piece of the engine that keeps us in motion. From enterprise architecture to operational technology, our teams use the agile methodology to automate and digitize our railroad ensuring our operations run optimally and safely and our employees can focus on value-added tasks. You will be able to develop your skills and career in our close-knit, safety-focused culture working together as ONE TEAM. The careers we offer are meaningful because the work we do matters. Join us!

Job Summary

CN IT Architecture is organized in different groups of specialists, each providing architecture expertise in areas such as Solution, Telecom, Information, Security and Technology. The Network Architect defines sound end-to-end network components and patterns that meet solution requirements and aligns with Enterprise Architecture and corporate directions. The Network Architect is also accountable to ensure that solutions are delivered as defined.

Main Responsabilités

Document the existing technology portfolio and propose recommendations for improvements and / or alternatives

Evaluate current and emerging network and infrastructure technologies

Develop and implement various data center and network evolution initiatives

Create, support, and influence pragmatic architectural oversight, using principles, policies, and guardrails

Design solutions that are modular and can be replicated and look for replication opportunities for solution being developed.

Review, understand and evaluate business requests to determine feasibility, impacts, risks and recommendations

Collaborate with System Architecture in shaping, scoping, defining, planning and reviewing solutions

Provide direction to and align specialized architects in project engagements, ensuring proposed solutions meets business needs and are aligned with (or properly exempted from) corporate standards

Present and drive sign-off on the network solution

Manage architectural risk mitigations, issue escalation, and resolution processes

Support other Solution Architects

Requirements

Bachelor degree or more in computer science or related discipline.

10+ years experience in IT, 5+ years in similar role

Strong ability to bring complex concepts to actionable architecture deliverables

Strong ability at taking hard decisions by understanding and explaining trade-offs between business enablement and economics impacts

The role requires people skills to influence and orient business and technical audience toward a common goal that is satisfying all stakeholders

Very good ability to build collaborative cross functional relationships between the business, project managers, analysts, and partners, pulling together and maintaining a cohesive and high functioning team

Strong ability to lead team on a mandate and to lead decisions

Ability to balance requirements and concerns from different stakeholders (business, finance, IT, etc.) and make efficient judgement calls, providing clear rationale for decisions

Ability to deliver mandate with great autonomy – self-driven, at the same time knowing when to reach out and how to provide adequate visibility

Ability to navigate complex organizations such as CN and build collaborative cross functional relationships

Ability to efficiently communicate with people of varying seniority and backgrounds

Capacity to engage on multiple concurrent initiatives efficiently

Curious and interested in acquiring knowledge over multiple new architecture concepts, business domains and technologies

Capacity to perform with little or no prior knowledge of a project context, domain, or technologies

Experience with numerous architectural fields: application, information, technology, security, etc.

Experience with Agile implementation methodology and best practices in applying Agile to architecture activities

Excellent written and oral communications skills, English and French an asset.

Experience and ability to coach other solution architects on new technology platforms and approaches.

Skills & Experience

In depth knowledge of datacenter network technologies; data, voice, WIFI, security networks, and virtualized networks

In depth knowledge of LAN/WAN, SDWAN, Application Delivery Controllers, firewalls

In depth knowledge of network services; DHCP, IPAM, DNS

Experience with wireline backhaul solutions (MPLS, OTN, WDM, Optical fiber and outside plants)

Experience with wireless backhaul solutions (Microwave, LTE, 5G, Point-to-Point)

Experience with standard IT security practices such as encryption, certificates, and key management.

Experience with IT transformational initiatives

Experience with integration between legacy and modern solutions an asset

Experience with Cloud First paradigm shift an asset

Experience in program & project scoping and planning an asset

Experience in delivering agile architectures an asset

Preferred with Security certification or relevant IT security experience (CISSP, CCSP)

Preferred with certification(s) for ITIL concepts

Experience with network automation experience an asset

Preferred with certification(s) on Azure and/or Google Cloud Platform

Knowledgeable in Archimate or UML modeling an asset

Transportation or rail related experience a plus

Technology and Tools

SDWAN, IP routing and switching, MPLS, VPN, B2B, ADC, Infrastructure as Code (IaC), Cloud (Azure, Google Cloud Platform), DevOps (Azure DevOps, JIRA, Confluence), Dynatrace, Kafka, Container Management (Anthos), Kubernetes, API platforms, Micro Services, Data Lake, Netscout, Packet Analysis, Network Performance Management

About CN

CN is a world-class transportation leader and trade-enabler. Essential to the economy, to the customers, and to the communities it serves, CN safely transports more than 300 million tons of natural resources, manufactured products, and finished goods throughout North America every year. As the only railroad connecting Canada’s Eastern and Western coasts with the Southern tip of the U.S. through a 19,500 mile rail network, CN and its affiliates have been contributing to community prosperity and sustainable trade since 1919. CN is committed to programs supporting social responsibility and environmental stewardship. At CN, we work as ONE TEAM, focused on safety, sustainability and our customers, providing operational and supply chain excellence to deliver results.

CN requires that all employees be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and provide proof thereof as a condition of employment. The Company’s vaccination mandate extends to employees of our wholly owned subsidiaries as well as CN’s contractors, consultants, agents and suppliers and anyone who accesses CN properties in Canada.

CN is an employment equity employer and we encourage all qualified candidates to apply. We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only candidates under consideration will be contacted. Please monitor your email on a regular basis, as communication is primarily made through email.