Principal Network Engineer (Gap Analysis- CCIE)

Principal Network Engineer – Cisco Catalyst/Nexus

Location: Aliso Viejo, CA (Hybrid – 2–3 days onsite)

CCNP Required | CCIE Preferred

Position Overview

Seeking a Principal Network Engineer with 12+ years of experience in enterprise and data center networking. Must have strong Cisco Catalyst/Nexus expertise, CCNP certification, and experience conducting network assessments, identifying infrastructure gaps, and designing highly available, secure network architectures.

Key Responsibilities

• Assess enterprise LAN, data center, and perimeter network infrastructure.

• Identify network vulnerabilities, single points of failure, and redundancy gaps.

• Evaluate Layer 2/3 architecture, routing, switching, and network security.

• Analyze Cisco Catalyst/Nexus configurations and infrastructure lifecycle.

• Prepare network assessment reports, architecture diagrams, and remediation roadmaps.

• Recommend improvements for network resilience, security, and high availability.

• Present technical findings and recommendations to IT leadership.

• Lead or support network remediation initiatives.

Required Skills

• 12+ years of enterprise or data center networking experience.

• Active Cisco CCNP certification (Enterprise or Data Center) – Mandatory.

• Strong hands-on experience with Cisco Catalyst and Nexus switches.

• Expertise in Layer 2/3 networking: VLAN, STP, vPC, LACP, OSPF, EIGRP, BGP, HSRP/VRRP.

• Experience in network architecture assessments and gap analysis.

• Strong knowledge of network security, firewalls, redundancy, and high availability.

• Experience with fiber optics (SFP/QSFP, SMF/MMF).

• Familiarity with SolarWinds, Wireshark, or similar network monitoring tools.

• Excellent documentation and communication skills.

Preferred Skills

• CCIE or CCDE certification.

• Healthcare or life sciences industry experience.

• HIPAA, NIST CSF, or CIS Controls knowledge.

• VXLAN/EVPN, Arista EOS, and network automation experience.