Sr Network Engineer

Sr. Network Engineer - Contract - Denver, CO - $70.00 - $74.00/hr.

The final salary or hourly wage, as applicable, paid to each candidate/applicant for this position is ultimately dependent on a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, the candidate's/applicant's qualifications, skills, and level of experience as well as the geographical location of the position.

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Sponsorship not available.

Our client is seeking a Sr. Network Engineer in Denver, CO.

ROLE DESCRIPTION

As a Network Engineer, you will be responsible for the implementation, administration, optimization, and security of the organization's network infrastructure. You will support both on-premise data centers and cloud environments, ensuring the network is resilient, scalable, secure, and aligned with business and operational needs. This role will also help advance network automation and support operational improvements through modern tools and technologies.

Design, implement, maintain, and optimize enterprise network infrastructure across on-premise data centers, branch locations, and hybrid cloud environments.
Configure, monitor, and troubleshoot routing and switching technologies to ensure network stability, performance, and scalability across multi-site environments.
Deploy, administer, and support Palo Alto firewalls, including policy management, NAT, VPN configuration, threat prevention, URL filtering, and security rule optimization.
Manage and maintain network security technologies, including firewalls, IDS/IPS, VPNs, segmentation controls, and secure remote access solutions.
Support network segmentation and isolation strategies to protect sensitive data, critical systems, and regulatory compliance requirements.
Implement and support secure connectivity between on-premise infrastructure, cloud platforms such as AWS and Azure, and remote users.
Configure and maintain load-balancing solutions to support high availability, efficient traffic distribution, and optimal application performance.
Support the deployment and operational management of technologies such as SD-WAN, SDN, and other modern networking solutions to improve agility and efficiency.
Monitor network health, availability, and capacity; perform performance analysis, troubleshooting, and proactive tuning to minimize downtime and service disruptions.
Create and maintain network documentation, including diagrams, configurations, standard operating procedures, and implementation plans.
Collaborate with cybersecurity, cloud engineering, systems, and application teams to ensure network solutions meet technical, business, and security requirements.
Develop and implement network automation solutions using scripting and infrastructure-as-code tools to streamline provisioning, configuration management, compliance checks, and repetitive operational tasks.
Leverage tools such as Python, Ansible, Terraform, or APIs to automate network deployments, firewall policy administration, monitoring, and reporting.
Evaluate and support emerging technologies that improve network operations, visibility, and service reliability.
Stay current on networking, security, and automation best practices to continuously modernize the network environment.

SKILLS & REQUIREMENTS

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
5+ years of progressive experience in network engineering supporting enterprise-level network environments.
Strong hands-on experience with routing and switching technologies and configurations in enterprise environments (e.g., Cisco, Juniper, or similar platforms).
Proven experience managing and troubleshooting Palo Alto firewalls, including security policies, NAT, VPNs, and advanced threat prevention features.
Strong knowledge of network security technologies, including firewalls, IDS/IPS, VPNs, segmentation, and secure access controls.
Experience supporting secure networking solutions across both on-premise and cloud environments, including AWS and Azure.
Familiarity with SDN, SD-WAN, and modern network design principles.
Experience with load balancing, high availability design, and performance optimization.
Hands-on experience with network automation using scripting languages such as Python and automation tools/frameworks such as Ansible, Terraform, or REST APIs.
Experience with network monitoring, capacity planning, performance analysis, and root cause troubleshooting.
Strong analytical, problem-solving, organizational, and communication skills.
Relevant industry certifications such as CCNP, PCNSE, AWS Certified Advanced Networking, Azure Network Engineer Associate, or similar are highly desirable.

Benefits/Other Compensation

Medical, Dental, Life Insurance, 401K.

Why Hays?

You will be working with a professional recruiter who has intimate knowledge of the industry and market trends. Your Hays recruiter will lead you through a thorough screening process in order to understand your skills, experience, needs, and drivers. You will also get support on resume writing, interview tips, and career planning, so when there's a position you really want, you're fully prepared to get it.

Nervous about an upcoming interview? Unsure how to write a new resume?

Visit the Hays Career Advice section to learn top tips to help you stand out from the crowd when job hunting.

Hays is committed to building a thriving culture of diversity that embraces people with different backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences. We believe that the more inclusive we are, the better we serve our candidates, clients, and employees. We are an equal employment opportunity employer, and we comply with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, creed, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), age, national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, veteran status, marital status, genetic information, HIV-positive status, as well as any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. One of Hays' guiding principles is 'do the right thing'.
We also believe that actions speak louder than words.
In that regard, we train our staff on ensuring inclusivity throughout the entire recruitment process and counsel our clients on these principles. If you have any questions about Hays or any of our processes, please contact us.

In accordance with applicable federal, state, and local law protecting qualified individuals with known disabilities, Hays will attempt to reasonably accommodate those individuals unless doing so would create an undue hardship on the company. Any qualified applicant or consultant with a disability who requires an accommodation in order to perform the essential functions of the job should call or text .

Drug testing may be required; please contact a recruiter for more information.

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