Network Engineer

**Job Title**: Network Engineer**Position Type**: Full-Time, Remote**Working Hours**: U.S. client business hours (with flexibility for on-call support and critical incident response)**About the Role**:Our client is seeking a Network Engineer to design, configure, secure, and maintain enterprise networks. This role requires strong technical expertise in routing, switching, firewalls, and network monitoring. The Network Engineer ensures networks are high-performing, secure, and resilient, while supporting daily operations and long-term infrastructure planning.**Responsibilities**:Network Configuration & Maintenance**:- Configure and manage routers, switches, and firewalls (Cisco, Juniper, Palo Alto, Fortinet).- Implement VLANs, VPNs, QoS, and routing protocols (OSPF, BGP, EIGRP).**Monitoring & Troubleshooting**:- Monitor performance with SolarWinds, Nagios, PRTG, or Zabbix.- Use packet analyzers (Wireshark, TCPdump) to diagnose latency, packet loss, or routing issues.- Resolve escalated tickets and provide root cause analyses.**Security & Compliance**:- Enforce firewall rules, access control lists (ACLs), and intrusion prevention (Snort, Suricata).- Support compliance requirements (PCI-DSS, HIPAA, SOX, GDPR).- Implement network segmentation and Zero Trust security models.**Performance & Optimization**:- Conduct bandwidth and capacity planning.- Optimize load balancing and failover systems.- Maintain ≥99.9% uptime across client environments.**Documentation & Governance**:- Maintain updated network diagrams, runbooks, and topology maps (Visio, Lucidchart).- Document changes through ITIL or change management processes.**Collaboration & Projects**:- Partner with DevOps and cloud teams to integrate hybrid cloud networking (AWS VPCs, Azure VNets, GCP).- Support office expansions, migrations, and new data center buildouts.- Provide recommendations for hardware and vendor selection.**What Makes You a Perfect Fit**:- Strong troubleshooting instincts and calm under pressure.- Detail-oriented engineer who documents thoroughly.- Excellent communicator, able to explain technical issues clearly.- Proactive mindset to prevent outages before they occur.**Required Experience & Skills (Minimum)**:- 3+ years in network engineering.- Cisco CCNA/CCNP or equivalent hands-on experience.- Knowledge of routing protocols (OSPF, BGP) and enterprise networking concepts.- Familiarity with network monitoring platforms.**Ideal Experience & Skills**:- CCNP/CCIE, Palo Alto, or Fortinet certifications.- Experience with cloud networking (AWS VPC, Azure VNets, hybrid networks).- Familiarity with automation tools (Python, Ansible, Terraform for networking).- Background supporting multi-site enterprise networks.What Does a Typical Day Look Like?A Network Engineer’s day revolves around ensuring networks are stable, secure, and optimized. You will:- Monitor network health using dashboards and alerts, responding to issues immediately.- Review and resolve escalated tickets on connectivity or performance.- Configure devices and services (firewall updates, VPN setup, routing changes).- Collaborate on migrations, new setups, or cloud integrations.- Update diagrams and documentation post-change.- Plan for capacity upgrades and propose network improvements.**In essence**: you are the guardian of connectivity and security, ensuring clients have fast, stable, and safe networks every day.**Key Metrics for Success (KPIs)**:- Network uptime ≥ 99.9%.- Mean Time to Resolution (MTTR) within SLA.- Zero missed critical patches or compliance violations.- Accurate, up-to-date network documentation.- Positive end-user feedback on performance.**Interview Process**:- Initial Phone Screen- Video Interview with Pavago Recruiter- Technical Task (e.g., troubleshoot a simulated network diagram or configure a VLAN)- Client Interview with Engineering/IT Team- Offer & Background Verification