Network Engineer - Acacia (hybrid)

The application window is expected to close on: 06/05/2026

Job posting may be removed earlier if the position is filled or if a sufficient number of applications are received .

This position is onsite and requires candidates to be in office a minimum of 3 days per week. Preferred candidates will be based in Maynard, MA.

Meet the Team

Acacia (part of Cisco) is a well-known market leader in high-speed coherent optical transceivers, pioneering the development of coherent pluggable transceivers. Acacia's coherent products are deployed by all hyperscalers to connect their Data Centers over distances from a few kilometers to thousands of kilometers and even in submarine networks. The emergence of AI has drastically increased the demand for Acacia's coherent transceivers, and our team is focused on the exciting challenge to architect, build, and maintain test automation software using scalable and maintainable methods.

Your Impact

We are looking for a motivated and skilled Network Engineer to join our team. In this role, you will support the deployment, maintenance, optimization, and troubleshooting of enterprise network infrastructure across multiple US and international sites. Working closely with senior engineers, you'll contribute to network reliability, security, and scalability in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.

Your expertise in modern infrastructure, including software-defined networking, virtualized environments, and enterprise storage will be critical in supporting Acacia's mission to deliver industry-leading solutions that drive the digital world forward. You will be empowered to solve complex problems, contribute to architecture decisions, and help elevate the overall technology stack to meet current and future business needs Key Responsibilities include:

• Routing & Switching: Configure, deploy, and troubleshoot Cisco Catalyst and Nexus switches and enterprise routers. Support OSPF, BGP, VLAN segmentation, 802.1Q trunking, and interVLAN routing while enforcing Layer 2/3 best practices.

• Firewall Administration: Maintain and optimize security policies, NAT rules, VPN tunnels, and ACLs on Cisco ASA and Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) firewalls. Configure and troubleshoot 802.1X authentication with RADIUS integration.

• SD-WAN & Management Platforms: Monitor and configure Cisco SD-WAN (Viptela/Meraki) infrastructure, assist with Cisco ISE operations and Catalyst Center/DNA Center, and support DUO MFA for secure remote access.

• Network Monitoring & Issue Resolution: Use tools like SolarWinds, PRTG, and Cisco Catalyst Center to proactively monitor network health. Serve as an escalation point for complex helpdesk issues and participate in on-call rotation for after-hours incident response.

• Network Documentation & IPAM: Uset tools like NetBox as the source of truth for network documentation, including IP address management (IPAM), device inventory, rack diagrams, and circuit tracking. Ensure records are kept accurate and up to date as the network evolves.

• Documentation & Collaboration: Maintain accurate network diagrams, IP schemas, configuration backups, SOPs, and change management records. Collaborate with internal teams, vendors, and ISPs on projects and upgrades.

Travel: Willingness to travel domestically and internationally for installations, hardware deployments, and on-site troubleshooting as needed.

On Call: Candidates will be on call a minimum of two weeks per quarter.

Candidates must have the ability to lift, carry, and maneuver equipment, which involves physically mounting routers, servers and switches into data center racks.

Minimum Qualifications

• 3+ years of professional experience in network engineering or IT infrastructure

• Demonstrated experience with Cisco IOS and NX-OS CLI

• Demonstrated experience with OSI model, TCP/IP, subnetting, DNS/DHCP, VLANs, OSPF, and BGP

• Demonstrated experience with IPAM, asset management, and network documentation tools and software.

• Demonstrated experience with network monitoring platforms (SolarWinds, PRTG) and troubleshooting tools (Wireshark, ping, traceroute)

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with firewall ACLs, NAT, VPNs, and 802.1X/RADIUS authentication

• Familiarity with Cisco ISE, Catalyst Center/DNA Center, Meraki SD-WAN, Cisco ASA/FTD, and DUO MFA

• Active CCNA or CCNP Enterprise certification (or equivalent vendor-neutral certification)

• Exposure to cloud networking environments such as AWS VPC or Azure Virtual Network, including hybrid cloud connectivity

• Familiarity with network automation and scripting tools such as Python or Ansible for routine task automation

• Experience working in regulated industries such as healthcare, finance, or government, with an emphasis on compliance and security best practices

• Experience with NetBox, including custom fields, webhooks, and API integrations for network automation workflows

• Hands-on experience with VMware virtualization platforms (vSphere, vCenter, NSX-T), including virtual networking concepts such as distributed virtual switches (DVS), port groups, and VM network connectivity

• Familiarity with enterprise storage solutions (SAN, NAS, or hyper-converged infrastructure) and their integration with network infrastructure, including protocols such as iSCSI, NFS, or Fiber Channel Cisco Confidential

• Hands-on experience with additional SD-WAN platforms or next-generation firewall technologies beyond the Cisco ecosystem

• Familiarity with DevOps or Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) practices as they relate to network provisioning and configuration management

• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills

Why Cisco?

At Cisco, we're revolutionizing how data and infrastructure connect and protect organizations in the AI era - and beyond. We've been innovating fearlessly for 40 years to create solutions that power how humans and technology work together across the physical and digital worlds. These solutions provide customers with unparalleled security, visibility, and insights across the entire digital footprint.

Fueled by the depth and breadth of our technology, we experiment and create meaningful solutions. Add to that our worldwide network of doers and experts, and you'll see that the opportunities to grow and build are limitless. We work as a team, collaborating with empathy to make really big things happen on a global scale. Because our solutions are everywhere, our impact is everywhere.

We are Cisco, and our power starts with you.

Message to applicants applying to work in the U.S. and/or Canada:

The starting salary range posted for this position is $114,700.00 to $145,500.00 and reflects the projected salary range for new hires in this position in U.S. and/or Canada locations, not including incentive compensation*, equity, or benefits.

Individual pay is determined by the candidate's hiring location, market conditions, job-related skillset, experience, qualifications, education, certifications, and/or training. The full salary range for certain locations is listed below. For locations not listed below, the recruiter can share more details about compensation for the role in your location during the hiring process.

U.S. employees are offered benefits, subject to Cisco's plan eligibility rules, which include medical, dental and vision insurance, a 401(k) plan with a Cisco matching contribution, paid parental leave, short and long-term disability coverage, and basic life insurance. Please see the Cisco careers site to discover more benefits and perks. Employees may be eligible to receive grants of Cisco restricted stock units, which vest following continued employment with Cisco for defined periods of time.

U.S. employees are eligible for paid time away as described below, subject to Cisco's policies:

• 10 paid holidays per full calendar year, plus 1 floating holiday for non-exempt employees

• 1 paid day off for employee's birthday, paid year-end holiday shutdown, and 4 paid days off for personal wellness determined by Cisco

• Non-exempt employees** receive 16 days of paid vacation time per full calendar year, accrued at rate of 4.92 hours per pay period for full-time employees

• Exempt employees participate in Cisco's flexible vacation time off program, which has no defined limit on how much vacation time eligible employees may use (subject to availability and some business limitations)

• 80 hours of sick time off provided on hire date and each January 1st thereafter, and up to 80 hours ofunused sick timecarried forwardfrom one calendar yearto the next

• Additional paid time away may be requested to deal with critical or emergency issues for family members

• Optional 10 paid days per full calendar year to volunteer

For non-sales roles, employees are also eligible to earn annual bonuses subject to Cisco's policies.

Employees on sales plans earn performance-based incentive pay on top of their base salary, which is split between quota and non-quota components, subject to the applicable Cisco plan. For quota-based incentive pay, Cisco typically pays as follows:

• .75% of incentive target for each 1% of revenue attainment up to 50% of quota;

• 1.5% of incentive target for each 1% of attainment between 50% and 75%;

• 1% of incentive target for each 1% of attainment between 75% and 100%; and

• Once performance exceeds 100% attainment, incentive rates are at or above 1% for each 1% of attainment with no cap on incentive compensation.

For non-quota-based sales performance elements such as strategic sales objectives, Cisco may pay 0% up to 125% of target. Cisco sales plans do not have a minimum threshold of performance for sales incentive compensation to be paid.

The applicable full salary ranges for this position, by specific state, are listed below:

New York City Metro Area:

$128,500.00 - $188,200.00

Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:

$114,700.00 - $169,000.00

* For quota-based sales roles on Cisco's sales plan, the ranges provided in this posting include base pay and sales target incentive compensation combined.

** Employees in Illinois, whether exempt or non-exempt, will participate in a unique time off program to meet local requirements.