Sr. Network Engineer

A highly skilled Senior Network Engineer with a minimum of 8 years of experience and strong Cisco expertise to join our IT infrastructure team. The ideal candidate will play a pivotal role in managing, maintaining, and advancing client's network infrastructure. This role requires someone who is not only technically proficient but also a strong collaborator capable of aligning network solutions with the company's growth and security objectives.

Network Design & Implementation:

Design, deploy, and manage robust LAN, WAN, and SD-WAN infrastructure across datacenters and branch offices.

Lead the architecture and implementation of scalable and secure network solutions, ensuring low latency and high availability for business-critical applications.

Collaborate with internal teams and vendors to drive network projects from concept to completion, ensuring alignment with IT modernization strategy.

Network Security & Compliance:

Implement and manage advanced security protocols such as VPNs, firewalls, network access control (NAC), and segmentation.

Perform network hardening, vulnerability assessments, and remediation activities to ensure compliance with internal policies and industry regulations (e.g., PCI-DSS).

Monitor, analyze, and respond to network security incidents and proactively address potential risks.

Operational Support & Troubleshooting:

Provide day-to-day operational support, including troubleshooting and resolution of network-related issues, focusing on minimizing downtime and improving performance.

Lead efforts in managing upgrades, patches, and firmware updates for network devices, ensuring optimal functioning and security.

Administer and maintain routing and switching protocols (BGP, OSPF, EIGRP) across enterprise network.

Diagnosing and resolving problems across a variety of hardware platforms and vendors including Cisco, F5, Palo Alto, Solarwinds, ForeScout and more.

Network Optimization & Performance Monitoring:

Use monitoring tools (e.g., SolarWinds, Splunk, Nagios) to evaluate network performance, detect anomalies, and ensure efficient bandwidth usage.

Lead continuous improvement efforts, optimizing network performance by reviewing traffic patterns, capacity planning, and load balancing.

Oversee QoS (Quality of Service) strategies for prioritizing critical application traffic and improving end-user experience.

Collaboration & Leadership:

Partner closely with the cybersecurity, DevOps, and other Infrastructure teams to ensure secure, scalable, and future-proof network architecture.

Act as the lead engineer during major network incidents, providing guidance to junior engineers and working with cross-functional teams to ensure swift issue resolution.

Mentor and guide junior network engineers, fostering a collaborative and learning-oriented environment.

Vendor & Project Management:

Manage relationships with external vendors and service providers, ensuring that services align with technical and business needs.

Lead network-related projects, including migrations, hardware upgrades, and infrastructure expansions, ensuring timely and successful completion.

Participate in Change Advisory Board (CAB) meetings, driving the approval of network changes and ensuring minimal impact to business operations.

Required Qualifications:

Education:

Bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering, or related field preferred.

Experience:

Minimum 8 years of hands-on experience in network engineering, including design, implementation, and management of complex network infrastructures.

Proven experience with Cisco technologies, including Cisco switches, routers, firewalls, and wireless controllers.

Certifications:

Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) required.

Knowledge of industry standards and frameworks (e.g., ITIL, NIST).

Technical Skills:

Strong expertise in routing and switching protocols (BGP, OSPF, EIGRP), as well as network security protocols (IPsec, SSL VPN).

Experience with network automation and scripting (Python, Ansible) is a plus.

Familiarity with SD-WAN technologies, NAC solutions (Cisco ISE or ForeScout), and network monitoring tools.

Preferred Qualifications:

Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple projects in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.

Experience with network infrastructure for virtualized environments (VMware NSX, Cisco ACI).

Familiarity with cloud networking (AWS, Azure) and hybrid cloud integration.

Soft Skills:

Exceptional analytical, problem-solving, and troubleshooting abilities.

Excellent written and verbal communication skills, capable of articulating complex technical issues to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Strong leadership and team collaboration skills, with the ability to mentor and guide junior engineers.

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work

This is a full-time position. Days of work are typically Monday through Friday. The daily schedule may vary based on work needing to be performed. Typical hours are from 8 am to 5 pm or 9 am to 6 pm, however, afterhours, nights and weekends may also be needed. Hours may vary or exceed 40 in any given week depending on the needs of the business. This position is 100% work from the office