Network Engineer

Key Responsibilities 1. Network Architecture, Operations & Support • Design, configure, deploy, and maintain core enterprise network infrastructure, including switches, routers, firewalls, wireless networks, and load balancers. • Provide L2/L3 production support, managing complex incidents, service requests, and Requests for Change (RFCs) across network environments. • Lead network diagnostic troubleshooting during high-priority incidents and drive rapid root-cause analysis (RCA) and preventive resolution. • Perform proactive performance monitoring, capacity planning, latency optimization, and bandwidth utilization tracking. • Participate in rotating on-call shifts and scheduled after-hours maintenance activities. 2. Network Security, Governance & Compliance • Implement and manage next-generation firewalls (e.g., Palo Alto, Fortinet, Cisco ASA/Firepower), VPN gateways, and intrusion prevention systems (IPS). • Define and enforce network access control (NAC), perimeter security policies, micro-segmentation, and zero-trust security frameworks. • Oversee routine firmware updates, vulnerability patching, security risk assessments, and network audit compliance. • Drive Business Continuity Planning (BCP) and Disaster Recovery (DR) execution, ensuring seamless network failover protocols. 3. Automation, Cloud & Infrastructure Projects • Collaborate with enterprise architects and cloud operations teams to build and manage hybrid-cloud connectivity (AWS DirectConnect, Azure ExpressRoute, GCP Cloud Interconnect). • Develop and maintain network automation scripts (Python, Ansible, Terraform) to streamline configuration deployments and routine operational tasks. • Manage vendors, service providers, and telco carriers for WAN/SD-WAN link provisioning, circuit maintenance, and SLA compliance. • Create, update, and maintain comprehensive network topology diagrams (Visio), Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), runbooks, and inventory records. Qualifications & Requirements Experience & Education • Total Experience: 5 to 8+ years of hands-on enterprise networking experience, preferably within a financial services, telecommunications, or regulated enterprise IT environment. • Education: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Network Engineering, or a related discipline. Technical Competencies • Routing & Switching: Deep expertise in core networking protocols including BGP, OSPF, EIGRP, STP, VXLAN, MPLS, and IPv4/IPv6. • Firewalls & Security: Hands-on administration of Palo Alto, Fortinet, Check Point, or Cisco ASA firewalls, site-to-site IPsec VPNs, and Remote Access VPNs. • Hardware Platforms: Strong command of enterprise-grade hardware (Cisco Catalyst/Nexus, Arista, Juniper, HPE/Aruba). • Load Balancing & SASE: Experience with F5 BIG-IP (LTM/GTM), Citrix ADC, or SD-WAN solutions (Velocloud, Versa, Silver Peak). • Network Automation: Proficiency in Python or Ansible for network configuration management and automated compliance checking. • Monitoring & Analysis: Experience using enterprise network monitoring and packet analysis tools (Wireshark, SolarWinds, PRTG, Splunk, ThousandEyes). Industry Certifications (Preferred) • Cisco: CCNP Enterprise / CCNP Security or CCIE (a strong advantage). • Security & Cloud: PCNSE (Palo Alto), NSE 4+ (Fortinet), or AWS Certified Advanced Networking. Key Soft Skills • Exceptional diagnostic, analytical, and troubleshooting mindset under high-pressure outage scenarios. • Strong written and verbal communication skills for presenting network changes and project updates to cross-functional stakeholders. • Proven ability to collaborate effectively with application support, cybersecurity, and cloud engineering teams.