Network Infrastructure Engineer

Job Title:           Network Infrastructure Engineer

Location:           Clinton, MS 39056 (100% Onsite)

Hire Type:         Contract (7 months+)

Position Description: 

Client is seeking a highly skilled and experienced Network Infrastructure Engineer to support and advance enterprise networking environment. This position plays a critical role in designing, deploying, and operating new LDC (Liquor Distribution Center) fabrics, networks, identity-driven access systems, and observability platforms. The engineer will work closely with infrastructure team to ensure the network services remain reliable, scalable, secure, and aligned with enterprise modernization goals. This is a hands-on engineering position that requires strong technical expertise, effective communication, and the ability to support mission-critical systems across data centers and statewide operations.

Required Education:
High School
Preferred Certifications:
• CCNA
• CCNP Data Center
• CCNP Enterprise
• Cisco Specialist – ACI, SDA, or ISE
• PCNSA (Palo Alto)
• PCNSE (Palo Alto)
• Thousand Eyes, Cyber Vision, or related platform training
• Cisco certifications such as CCIE, or equivalent experience.
Required Experience:
• Minimum of 15 years of experience working with Cisco networking
• Hands-on experience with Cisco ACI in production environments
• Deep knowledge of ACI constructs (VRF, BD, EPG, ESG, L3Out, contracts)
• Experience integrating ACI with OpenShift VMM and Cilium/Isovalent
• Proficiency with Cisco Catalyst platforms and SDA fabric technologies
• Experience administering Cisco ISE including TACACS+ and policy-set based NAC
• Strong understanding of Thousand Eyes, Cyber Vision, and DNA Spaces or comparable tools
• Solid command of core TCP/IP, routing, switching, QoS, and network security fundamentals
• Ability to develop clear diagrams, documentation, and architectural artifacts
• Strong analytical and communication skills with the ability to work in fast-paced, mission-critical environments
• Cisco ACI, Nexus platforms, multi-tenant segmentation
• SDA campus architectures
• Cisco ISE policy sets and NAC
• Palo Alto firewall administration and security profiles
• Strong L2/L3 routing and switching skills
• Ability to support high-availability, enterprise-scale infrastructure.
Preferred Experience:
• Hands-on experience with container networking and virtualization integrations
• Familiarity with NIST frameworks and state-level cybersecurity requirements
• Experience with network automation tools (Python, Ansible, REST APIs)
• Prior work in government or large enterprise network environments
• PCCSA – Palo Alto Networks Certified Cybersecurity Associate
Foundational security, NGFW basics, threats, App-ID, and policy
• PCNSA – Palo Alto Network Security Administrator
Focuses on NGFW configuration, security profiles, NAT, App-ID, URL filtering, Wild-Fire
Key Responsibilities: 
This position is responsible for the design, implementation, security, and ongoing support of Client enterprise data center and campus network infrastructure. The engineer will work with Cisco ACI, Software-Defined Access (SDA), Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE), Cisco Catalyst platforms, and observability tools including Thousand Eyes, Cyber Vision, and DNA Spaces. The role also includes the administration of Palo Alto firewalls supporting statewide systems.
• Cisco ACI fabric design and administration (VRF, BD, EPG/ESG, L3Out)
• ACI integrations with OpenShift VMM and Cilium/Isovalent
• Catalyst and SDA wired/wireless fabric deployment and support
• Identity-driven access configuration using Cisco ISE (TACACS+, authentication/authorization, device profiling)
• Thousand Eyes monitoring, Cyber Vision integration, and DNA Spaces analytics
• Palo Alto next-generation firewall configuration, policy development, and troubleshooting
• Network documentation, lifecycle planning, and support of mission-critical services
Cisco ACI & Data Center Networking
• Design, implement, and maintain Cisco Nexus platforms running ACI mode, including VRFs, Bridge Domains, EPGs/ESGs, L3Out, contracts, and fabric policies
• Integrate ACI with virtualization and container platforms including Red Hat OpenShift VMM and Isovalent/Cilium
• Configure and optimize RoCEv2 within the ACI fabric for high-performance, low-latency workloads
• Conduct advanced troubleshooting of ACI fabric health, faults, endpoint learning, contracts, and multi-tenant segmentation
• Develop and maintain fabric documentation, standards, and operational procedures. 
Cisco Catalyst & Software-Defined Access
• Deploy and support Cisco Catalyst platforms within campus environments
• Design and maintain Software-Defined Access (SDA) architectures, including SDA Wired Fabric and Fabric-Enabled Wireless
• Manage fabric underlay and overlay, policy mapping, authentication integrations, and assurance operations
• Collaborate with wireless engineers to optimize coverage, performance, and policy enforcement across SDA
Identity-Driven Networking & Security Technologies
• Configure and administer Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) for TACACS+ device administration, authentication and authorization policy sets, and endpoint profiling
• Integrate Cyber Vision intelligence into profiling, segmentation, and access control workflows
• Support Zero Trust efforts through identity-centric segmentation and policy integration across ACI and SDA fabrics
Visibility, Analytics & Observability
• Deploy and manage Thousand Eyes for end-to-end visibility, routing path analysis, and performance monitoring
• Implement and support Cisco Cyber Vision for OT/IoT asset visibility, device classification, and behavior analysis
• Manage DNA Spaces for location analytics, telemetry ingestion, device behavior, and wireless intelligence
• Provide meaningful insights to leadership using data from these observability platforms
Core Network Engineering
• Troubleshoot complex L2/L3 network issues across multiple environments including VLANs, OSPF, BGP, STP, and multicast
• Designing, and implementing Palo Alto Networks security solutions across enterprise environments
• Create and maintain documentation including architecture diagrams, standards, runbooks, and asset inventories
• Assist in modernization planning, platform upgrades, procurement processes, and statewide technology initiatives.