This role pays more than
62%
of similar roles. Most pay
$140,212–$209,633
— the shaded band above.
At the midpoint, this role pays about
$186k
versus about
$175k
for comparable roles.
Based on 240 similar postings.
Employer
About Northern Trust
Northern Trust is a leading provider of wealth management, asset servicing, asset management, and banking services to corporations, institutions, and high-net-worth individuals. Industry: Financial Services & Asset Management
Northern Trust currently has
48 open roles
on FindRole.
Listed pay typically runs
$114,500–$194,700
across 43 roles with salary data.
Principal Network Architect serves as a subject matter expert responsible for architecting and implementing the global network, including the applications and services running upon it. This role involves translating conceptual designs into physical infrastructure while mentoring team members in design, support, and engineering to improve system availability and efficiency. The position requires proactively researching tools to modernize service-delivery functions and managing complex requirements like capacity and performance. Key technologies include BGP, OSPF, EIGRP, SD-WAN, and Layer 2 protocols such as vPC and VRF. Experience with Cisco Catalyst/Nexus, Juniper MX, Aruba, and Arista platforms is essential. The role also involves core services like DNS, DHCP, and load balancing, alongside security technologies including IPsec, RADIUS, and NGFW platforms. This position addresses the challenge of maintaining a high-performance global network in a confidential environment.
Architect and implement global network infrastructure including supporting applications and services.
Translate conceptual designs into physical designs based on performance, capacity, and availability requirements.
Research and evaluate new tools and technologies to improve performance and lower total cost of ownership.
Provide technical leadership and mentorship to engineering teams while serving as the ultimate escalation point for network issues.
Develop strategies for hosting, resiliency, recovery, security, and data center colocation.
Resolve complex global network issues and provide on-call support for critical infrastructure.
Document designs, propose solutions, and author position papers on relevant technologies and strategies.
Participate in the Architecture Review Board to align technical proposals with business outcomes.
What we're looking for
Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, Telecommunication Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Information Systems, or a related technical field.
15 years of experience designing IP network solutions with a four-year degree, or 20 years of relevant experience without a degree.
10+ years of experience with routing protocols including BGP, OSPF, EIGRP, and SD-WAN.
10+ years of experience with Layer 2 protocols, data center zones, and physical cabling.
10+ years of experience with WAN/LAN transport technologies like Ethernet, Frame Relay, MPLS, DWDM, and Equinix Fabric.
10+ years of experience with security technologies (IPsec, IKEv1/v2, RADIUS) and hardware from Cisco, Juniper, Aruba, and Arista.
10+ years of experience with core network services including DNS, DHCP, load balancing, NTP, and NAC.