Lead Director - Network and Data Center Engineering

About the role

We’re building a world of health around every individual — shaping a more connected, convenient and compassionate health experience. At CVS Health®, you’ll be surrounded by passionate colleagues who care deeply, innovate with purpose, hold ourselves accountable and prioritize safety and quality in everything we do. Join us and be part of something bigger – helping to simplify health care one person, one family and one community at a time. Position Summary The Lead Director, AI Network & Data Center Engineering is responsible for leading the strategy, design, and delivery of the organization’s network infrastructure supporting enterprise applications and next-generation AI/ML workloads. This role oversees the development of high‑performance, low‑latency data center and cloud networking capabilities that enable large-scale GPU environments, advanced data processing, and modern application platforms. By establishing architectural standards, driving consistent execution, and ensuring secure, resilient connectivity, this position plays a critical role in supporting the organization’s most demanding technology initiatives. This leader is accountable for building and guiding a high-performing team of network and data center engineers, while aligning infrastructure capabilities to evolving business and security needs. Working closely with cloud, platform, and cybersecurity leadership, the role drives adoption of modern architectures, automation, and performance optimization practices to improve reliability, scalability, and efficiency. Through strong strategic direction and operational leadership, the Lead Director ensures the network function can support long-term growth, increasing AI demand, and enterprise-wide digital transformation.   Role Responsibilities: Development & Enforcement  Define and enforce network architecture standards, security controls, and compliance policies  Establish best practices for configuration, deployment, and operations  Ensure alignment with enterprise governance frameworks (HIPAA, NIST, PCI, HITRUST, CSA)  Collaboration & Expertise  Advise executives on network strategy, roadmaps, emerging technologies, and industry trends  Partner with cross-functional teams (platform, cloud, security, infrastructure) to deliver integrated, secure and scalable solutions  Engage vendors on solution architectures, design, contracts, and delivery  Analysis & Configuration  Design and implement:   Data center fabrics (leaf-spine, Clos, EVPN/VXLAN)  AI/GPU-optimized networking (low latency, high throughput) and related technologies  Optimize performance for GPU workloads (RDMA, RoCE, ECN, PFC)  GCP and multi-cloud network architectures  Routing & switching (BGP, OSPF, MPLS, STP; Cisco, Juniper, Arista)  High-speed networking (100/200/400Gb+)  GPU cluster networking, traffic optimization, and congestion management  Drive network monitoring and performance optimization (SolarWinds, NetFlow, Wireshark)  Support SaaS and multi-tenant environments with zero trust patterns  Operational Support  Oversee 24/7 network operations across cloud and data centers  Lead incident response and ensure high availability, resiliency and scalability across network and cloud environments  Mentorship & Training  Build and mentor high-performing engineering teams  Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous learning  Innovation and Research  Advance networking capabilities for:   AI/ML infrastructure and GPU clusters (NVIDIA architectures)  High-performance networking (RoCE, PFC, ECN)  Champion automation and Infrastructure as Code (IaC)  Contribute to industry and open-source initiatives  Strategic Planning  Own network architecture strategy and roadmap  Define standards for AI, cloud, and data center environments  Support budgeting, risk management, and long-term planning  Required Qualifications   10+ years’ experience in network and/or data center engineering 5+ years’ experience in a strategic leadership position with people management   5+ years’ experience in large scale enterprise environments Preferred Qualifications   Strong expertise in large-scale data center design, security, and high availability  Advanced problem-solving, execution, and stakeholder management skills  Experience with AI factory / GPU cluster environments at scale  Enterprise networking, Cisco Nexus/ACI or similar platforms  Network automation / IaC, SDN, service mesh, and cloud-native security frameworks  High availability/disaster recovery design and cyber resilience  Certifications: CCIE/CCNP, PCNSE, CISSP, Cloud networking  Education   Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience (High School Diploma and 4 years relevant experience)  Pay Range The typical pay range for this role is: $144,200.00 - $288,400.00 This pay range represents the base hourly rate or base annual full-time salary for all positions in the job grade within which this position falls.  The actual base salary offer will depend on a variety of factors including experience, education, geography and other relevant factors.  This position is eligible for a CVS Health bonus, commission or short-term incentive program in addition to the base pay range listed above.  This position also includes an award target in the company’s equity award program.    Our people fuel our future. Our teams reflect the customers, patients, members and communities we serve and we are committed to fostering a workplace where every colleague feels valued and that they belong. Great benefits for great people We take pride in offering a comprehensive and competitive mix of pay and benefits that reflects our commitment to our colleagues and their families. This full‑time position is eligible for a comprehensive benefits package designed to support the physical, emotional, and financial well‑being of colleagues and their families. The benefits for this position include medical, dental, and vision coverage, paid time off, retirement savings options, wellness programs, and other resources, based on eligibility. Additional details about available benefits are provided during the application process and on Benefits Moments. We anticipate the application window for this opening will close on: 09/14/2026 Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with all federal, state and local laws.