Poolside
ABOUT POOLSIDE
In this decade, the world will create Artificial General Intelligence. There will only be a small number of companies who will achieve this. Their ability to stack advantages and pull ahead will define the winners. These companies will move faster than anyone else. They will attract the world's most capable talent. They will be on the forefront of applied research, engineering, infrastructure and deployment at scale. They will continue to scale their training to larger & more capable models. They will be given the right to raise large amounts of capital along their journey to enable this. They will create powerful economic engines. They will obsess over the success of their users and customers.
poolside exists to be this company
- to build a world where AI will be the engine behind economically valuable work and scientific progress.
View GDPR Policy
ABOUT THE ROLE
The Director of Network Infrastructure and Capacity will lead the engineering, planning, deployment, and optimization of network systems to support
AI-centric datacenter operations . This role requires a forward-looking vision, deep technical expertise, and strong leadership to ensure
ultra-low latency, high-bandwidth, and scalable
network performance across large-scale AI clusters. The ideal candidate will drive innovation in
AI networking fabrics, interconnects, and capacity planning
to meet the exponential demands of machine learning and generative AI workloads.
RESPONSIBILITIES
AI Workload-Ready Design Architect high-throughput, low-latency networking fabrics (e.g.,
InfiniBand, RoCE, NVLink over Ethernet ) to support distributed AI training and inference at scale. Develop strategies for network scalability to handle
massive east-west traffic , model checkpointing, and inter-GPU communication.
Capacity Planning & Optimization Forecast and plan for exponential growth in compute and storage traffic. Design capacity models that balance
throughput, resiliency, and energy efficiency .
Inference Ingress Bandwidth Management Engineer external connectivity strategies to support
large-scale inference services
with high ingress bandwidth demands. Optimize
north-south traffic flows
to handle millions of concurrent API calls, streaming requests, and customer-facing inference workloads. Deploy and manage
multi-terabit ingress points , global load balancing, and edge integration to minimize latency for user-facing applications. Collaborate with service teams to ensure
predictable ingress performance
for real-time AI/ML products, including
LLMs, multimodal inference, and recommendation systems .
Deployment & Operations Oversee structured cabling, spine-leaf architectures, optical networking, and high-density interconnects optimized for AI clusters. Ensure uptime, low jitter, and predictable latency across multi-terabit fabrics. Collaborate with datacenter operations on
cooling, power, and space requirements
tied to network growth.
Advanced Network Engineering Integrate
software-defined networking (SDN)
and
network automation
for rapid scaling and operational efficiency. Implement
telemetry, real-time observability, and AI-driven monitoring tools
to optimize traffic flows. Stay ahead of
new standards in AI networking (e.g., Ethernet AI Consortium, OpenAI fabric blueprints, NVIDIA/AMD interconnects) .
Security & Compliance Ensure robust segmentation, encryption, and compliance for sensitive AI workloads. Partner with cybersecurity to build
zero-trust architectures
for AI clusters.
Leadership & Vendor Engagement Lead and grow a high-performing team of network engineers. Manage strategic vendor relationships for next-gen switches, optics, and interconnect technologies. Represent the organization in industry groups and forums shaping the future of AI datacenter networking.
SKILLS & EXPERIENCE
Education : Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Network Engineering, or related field. Experience : 10+ years in datacenter networking or infrastructure engineering. 3+ years in a leadership role overseeing
large-scale, high-performance networking environments . Direct experience with
AI/ML cluster networking
strongly preferred.
Technical Skills : Expertise in routing, switching, and
high-performance fabrics (InfiniBand, RoCE, 400/800G Ethernet) . Experience with datacenter networking (Cisco, Juniper, Arista, NVIDIA/Mellanox). Deep understanding of
cloud networking, SDN, and network automation . Familiarity with
optical networking, DWDM, and hyperscale interconnects .
Soft Skills : Strategic thinker with ability to translate AI growth into network design. Strong leadership and cross-functional collaboration. Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement.
Preferred Certifications : CCIE, JNCIE, or equivalent advanced networking certifications. PROCESS
Intro call with Lance, our VP of Data Center Interview with Pierre-Yves, Founding Engineer Interview with Eiso, our Co-CEO Team fit call with the People team BENEFITS
Hybrid work & flexible hours 37 days/year of vacation & holidays Health insurance allowance for you and dependents Company-provided equipment
In this decade, the world will create Artificial General Intelligence. There will only be a small number of companies who will achieve this. Their ability to stack advantages and pull ahead will define the winners. These companies will move faster than anyone else. They will attract the world's most capable talent. They will be on the forefront of applied research, engineering, infrastructure and deployment at scale. They will continue to scale their training to larger & more capable models. They will be given the right to raise large amounts of capital along their journey to enable this. They will create powerful economic engines. They will obsess over the success of their users and customers.
poolside exists to be this company
- to build a world where AI will be the engine behind economically valuable work and scientific progress.
View GDPR Policy
ABOUT THE ROLE
The Director of Network Infrastructure and Capacity will lead the engineering, planning, deployment, and optimization of network systems to support
AI-centric datacenter operations . This role requires a forward-looking vision, deep technical expertise, and strong leadership to ensure
ultra-low latency, high-bandwidth, and scalable
network performance across large-scale AI clusters. The ideal candidate will drive innovation in
AI networking fabrics, interconnects, and capacity planning
to meet the exponential demands of machine learning and generative AI workloads.
RESPONSIBILITIES
AI Workload-Ready Design Architect high-throughput, low-latency networking fabrics (e.g.,
InfiniBand, RoCE, NVLink over Ethernet ) to support distributed AI training and inference at scale. Develop strategies for network scalability to handle
massive east-west traffic , model checkpointing, and inter-GPU communication.
Capacity Planning & Optimization Forecast and plan for exponential growth in compute and storage traffic. Design capacity models that balance
throughput, resiliency, and energy efficiency .
Inference Ingress Bandwidth Management Engineer external connectivity strategies to support
large-scale inference services
with high ingress bandwidth demands. Optimize
north-south traffic flows
to handle millions of concurrent API calls, streaming requests, and customer-facing inference workloads. Deploy and manage
multi-terabit ingress points , global load balancing, and edge integration to minimize latency for user-facing applications. Collaborate with service teams to ensure
predictable ingress performance
for real-time AI/ML products, including
LLMs, multimodal inference, and recommendation systems .
Deployment & Operations Oversee structured cabling, spine-leaf architectures, optical networking, and high-density interconnects optimized for AI clusters. Ensure uptime, low jitter, and predictable latency across multi-terabit fabrics. Collaborate with datacenter operations on
cooling, power, and space requirements
tied to network growth.
Advanced Network Engineering Integrate
software-defined networking (SDN)
and
network automation
for rapid scaling and operational efficiency. Implement
telemetry, real-time observability, and AI-driven monitoring tools
to optimize traffic flows. Stay ahead of
new standards in AI networking (e.g., Ethernet AI Consortium, OpenAI fabric blueprints, NVIDIA/AMD interconnects) .
Security & Compliance Ensure robust segmentation, encryption, and compliance for sensitive AI workloads. Partner with cybersecurity to build
zero-trust architectures
for AI clusters.
Leadership & Vendor Engagement Lead and grow a high-performing team of network engineers. Manage strategic vendor relationships for next-gen switches, optics, and interconnect technologies. Represent the organization in industry groups and forums shaping the future of AI datacenter networking.
SKILLS & EXPERIENCE
Education : Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Network Engineering, or related field. Experience : 10+ years in datacenter networking or infrastructure engineering. 3+ years in a leadership role overseeing
large-scale, high-performance networking environments . Direct experience with
AI/ML cluster networking
strongly preferred.
Technical Skills : Expertise in routing, switching, and
high-performance fabrics (InfiniBand, RoCE, 400/800G Ethernet) . Experience with datacenter networking (Cisco, Juniper, Arista, NVIDIA/Mellanox). Deep understanding of
cloud networking, SDN, and network automation . Familiarity with
optical networking, DWDM, and hyperscale interconnects .
Soft Skills : Strategic thinker with ability to translate AI growth into network design. Strong leadership and cross-functional collaboration. Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement.
Preferred Certifications : CCIE, JNCIE, or equivalent advanced networking certifications. PROCESS
Intro call with Lance, our VP of Data Center Interview with Pierre-Yves, Founding Engineer Interview with Eiso, our Co-CEO Team fit call with the People team BENEFITS
Hybrid work & flexible hours 37 days/year of vacation & holidays Health insurance allowance for you and dependents Company-provided equipment