Network Deployment and Maintenance Lead - Data Center Operations

About the role

As a Network Deployment and Maintenance Lead within Anthropic's Data Center Operations (DCO) organization, you will ensure the network inside our data halls is brought online and kept healthy across a growing fleet of partner-operated data centers. The scope is the network within and between data halls: the cluster network, management, telemetry, accelerator chip back-end networks, aggregation layer(s), as well as the cabling, optics, and switching around them. On the deployment side, you are engaged during planning and construction, and will be on site during late-stage construction through network delivery and receiving, cabling, integration, turn-up, validation, and acceptance. You will be the on site lead for structured handover of network delivery into production operations. On the maintenance side, you drive the network repair program including: break-fix and ticket flow, vendor RMA, sparing policies, and the SLAs which operations partners execute against. Finally, some of this work touches core networks, where you will partner with Anthropics WAN/Core network team to support campus/DC core network deployment and maintenance activities.

This is a program and execution role. You will work with the Global Capacity Delivery Program Leads, the Repairs Program Leads, and the broader Data Center Operations organization to extend network coverage across more sites and platforms as the fleet grows. Expect 50%+ travel: you get eyes on the floor at each site during network delivery, turn-up, QA, and close-out, and at sites where repair performance needs attention. Your authority comes from being on site where you foster strong relationships with on site teams. Working with third party vendors and partners, you set direction, priorities, and standards for execution. Success is defined against Anthropic-owned ticket and telemetry data you’ve built rather than self-reported status. If you have deployed and maintained data center networks at scale, are passionate about hyperscale data centers, & enjoy working in complex, fast-paced environments, we welcome you to apply.

Responsibilities Include:

• Own network deployment outcomes for your assigned sites and data-hall waves: DCN, management, telemetry, Accelerator chip back-end networks, aggregation layer(s) turned up and accepted on schedule, with exceptions closed out, or risk called early enough for leadership to act.

• Engage from construction kickoff and confirm network readiness ahead of each wave: pathways and fiber trays, cabling and optics on hand, receiving paths, and partner staffing, working the gaps with the site operations partner and facilities counterparts before gear arrives.

• Be on site at key points during network delivery, cabling, turn-up, QA, and close-out; verify the work with your own eyes rather than from a dashboard, and support the on-site teams with your direct expertise.

• Validate the handover gate for each network build: cabling and link validation complete, acceptance criteria met, documentation delivered, spares positioned, ticketing live, and a structured handover into production operations and the repair program.

• Own the network repair program across the fleet: repair SLAs, prioritization, and escalation paths for switches, optics, and cabling, with turnaround time and backlog tracked in Anthropic-owned ticket and telemetry dashboards.

• Manage RMA and spares for network gear with vendors and site operations partners, including warranty claims, return cycle times, and spares levels by site and part, so that parts availability never gates a repair SLA.

• Lead the operating cadence with partner site leads, including weekly deployment and repair reviews and scorecards; analyze failure patterns and drive corrective actions with network engineering, suppliers, and the WAN/Core teams when the core network/MMR is involved.

• Turn lessons from each deployment and repair into program standards (procedures, checklists, acceptance criteria, and metrics), and communicate status, dependencies, and risk to engineering, capacity planning, and leadership.

You may be a good fit if you:

• Have 8+ years of experience in data center operations or network deployment as a manager, technical lead or related role, including accountability for delivery milestones and production availability.

• Can demonstrate a proven track record leading data center network deployments at a large scale across multiple sites or data-hall waves, from early floor access through turn-up and acceptance.

• Have run break-fix or repair programs for network hardware, including ticket flow, RMA, and spares, and managed vendors, OEMs, or contract workforces to measurable outcomes: milestones, SLAs, quality gates, operational reviews, and corrective action.

• Possess hands-on technical depth in data center networking, including switches, structured cabling, fiber, and optics, enough to independently verify turn-up and repair quality and audit vendor claims.

• Have built or substantially improved operational processes.

• Are comfortable working with schedule, ticket, telemetry, and inventory data to drive decisions.

• Can travel heavily and work on site for extended stretches, including during delivery surges and turn-up windows. 50% travel expected. 

• Possess a bachelor's degree in relevant domain or equivalent practical experience.

It’s a bonus if you have:

• Experience with dense accelerator networks, including high-speed interconnect, optics, and cabling at rack and pod scale.

• Experience standing up network operations at a new site or data hall, from commissioning handoff through first turn-up.

• Experience managing RMA and warranty programs with network OEMs, including failure analysis and supplier quality engagement.

• Experience delivering deployment and repair outcomes inside partner-operated or colocation sites where on-the-floor operations are staffed via third parties.

• Familiarity with meet-me room and WAN bring-up, and with the handoffs between in-hall and building-level network teams.