Senior Network Engineer

Job Title: Senior Network Engineer / Network Architect / Principal Network Engineer

Experience Required: 11–15+ years
Employment-Type: Fulltime (Contract W2)

Role Summary

Seeking a highly experienced Network Engineer to design, implement, and manage large-scale enterprise/data center network infrastructure, lead network architecture decisions, mentor junior engineers, and drive network reliability, security, and automation initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, deploy, and manage LAN/WAN/WLAN infrastructure across enterprise/data center/branch environments
• Lead network architecture design for scalability, redundancy, and high availability
• Manage routing and switching infrastructure (BGP, OSPF, EIGRP, MPLS, VLANs, STP)
• Own firewall, VPN, and network security policy design and implementation
• Lead SD-WAN, cloud networking (AWS/Azure/Google Cloud Platform VPC, Transit Gateway, ExpressRoute), and hybrid connectivity projects
• Drive network automation using Python, Ansible, Terraform, or similar tools
• Perform capacity planning, performance tuning, and proactive monitoring (SolarWinds, PRTG, SNMP, NetFlow)
• Lead incident/problem management for major network outages (L3 escalation point)
• Create and maintain network documentation, HLD/LLD, and runbooks
• Mentor and guide junior/mid-level network engineers
• Collaborate with security, infrastructure, and application teams on cross-functional projects
• Manage vendor relationships (Cisco, Juniper, Palo Alto, Fortinet, Arista, F5)
• Ensure compliance with ITIL processes (Change/Incident/Problem Management)
• Support audits, DR/BCP planning, and network security assessments

Required Skills & Technical Expertise

• Strong hands-on expertise in Routing & Switching: Cisco (IOS/IOS-XE/NX-OS), Juniper, Arista
• Deep knowledge of BGP, OSPF, MPLS, VRF, VXLAN
• Firewall & security: Palo Alto, Fortinet, Checkpoint, Cisco ASA/FTD
• Load balancers: F5 / Citrix NetScaler
• SD-WAN technologies: Cisco Viptela/Meraki, VMware VeloCloud, Fortinet
• Cloud networking: AWS/Azure/Google Cloud Platform networking components
• Network monitoring & troubleshooting tools
• Scripting/automation: Python, Ansible, REST APIs
• Strong understanding of network security principles (Zero Trust, segmentation, IDS/IPS)
• ITIL-based service management experience

Preferred Certifications

• CCNP / CCIE (R&S, Security, or Data Center)
• JNCIP / JNCIE (if Juniper-heavy environment)
• PCNSE (Palo Alto)
• AWS/Azure Networking Specialty
• ITIL v4 Foundation

Soft Skills

• Strong leadership and mentoring capability
• Excellent stakeholder communication and documentation skills
• Ability to work under pressure during critical outages
• Vendor and project management experience