Networking Patch Management Specialist

Role Summary
The Network Patch Management Specialist is responsible for planning, coordinating, and executing patch management activities across the organization's network infrastructure. This role ensures network devices remain secure, stable, and compliant by managing patch cycles, assessing vulnerabilities, coordinating maintenance windows, and minimizing operational risk.

Key Responsibilities
Own the end-to-end patch management life cycle for network infrastructure, including Routers (Cisco), Switches( Cisco Cat Switches and Nexus), Firewalls(Cisco ASA, Firepower and Palo Aloto), F5 load balancers, F5 BigIQs,VPN gateways, and related appliances
Own the end-to-end patch management life cycle for network infrastructure, including Routers, Switches, Firewalls, load balancers, Cisco ISE nodes, VPN gateways, and related appliances
Partner with cybersecurity teams and Service Assurance Teams to prioritize remediation of critical and high-risk vulnerabilities
Own the end-to-end patch management life cycle for network infrastructure, including Routers, Switches, Firewalls, load balancers, VPN gateways, and related appliances
Review vendor advisories, security bulletins, and vulnerability notifications to assess patch relevance and priority
Plan and schedule patch deployment activities in coordination with network operations, security, infrastructure, and business stakeholders
Validate patch compatibility, dependencies, rollback requirements, and implementation risks before deployment
Coordinate testing of patches in lab, staging, or controlled production environments where applicable
Execute or support patch deployment during approved maintenance windows
Monitor post-patch health, performance, and service stability, and lead rollback actions if required
Maintain accurate patch status records, remediation trackers, exception logs, and compliance reporting
Partner with cybersecurity teams to prioritize remediation of critical and high-risk vulnerabilities
Track patch compliance across the network estate and escalate overdue or high-risk gaps
Support audit, regulatory, and internal control requirements related to patching and security hygiene
Contribute to patch management standards, runbooks, governance processes, and continuous improvement initiatives
Required Qualifications
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Network Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience
Proven experience in network operations, infrastructure support, or patch management in an enterprise environment
Strong understanding of network devices and platforms such as Routers, Switches, Firewalls, and load balancers
Experience with vulnerability management, patch governance, change management, and incident response processes
Familiarity with enterprise maintenance planning, risk assessment, and rollback procedures
Ability to analyze vendor documentation, technical advisories, and patch dependencies
Strong coordination and stakeholder management skills across operations, security, and business teams
Good documentation, reporting, and communication skills

Preferred Qualifications
Experience with multi-vendor network environments such as Cisco, Juniper, Palo Alto, Fortinet, F5, or similar platforms
Familiarity with vulnerability and patch tools such as Tenable, Qualys, Rapid7, ServiceNow, SCCM, Ansible, or equivalent operational tooling
Understanding of ITIL-based change and incident management practices
Relevant certifications such as CCNA, CCNP, CompTIA Security+, ITIL, or vendor-specific network/security certifications
Key Skills
Network patch life cycle management
Vulnerability remediation prioritization
Change and release coordination
Risk assessment and rollback planning
Stakeholder communication
Operational governance and reporting
Troubleshooting and incident support
Process improvement
Success Measures
Timely remediation of critical and high-risk network vulnerabilities
High patch compliance across in-scope network assets
Minimal service disruption during patch execution
Accurate audit-ready documentation and reporting
Strong coordination across infrastructure, security, and operations teams