Senior Network QA Engineer

Senior Network QA EngineerLocation: Edwardsville, IL (onsite 5 days per week)12 monthsPosition Overview:We are seeking a Senior Network QA Engineer with deep expertise in enterprise network security and a proven track record in quality assurance to join our team in a critical QA and configuration review capacity. This role is ideal for a seasoned network professional who has engineered and deployed complex Fortinet, Juniper wireless access point, and Cradlepoint environments and is ready to apply that knowledge as the final quality gate before devices reach the customer site.Unlike a traditional configuration role, this position focuses on oversight, review, and quality assurance to ensure that device configurations meet documented standards, runbooks, and customer requirements prior to deployment. The successful candidate will be a trusted technical authority who elevates quality, consistency, and customer confidence across the staging lifecycle.Responsibilities:Configuration Quality Assurance• Perform thorough quality assurance reviews of Fortinet, Juniper wireless access point, and Cradlepoint device configurations prior to shipment to customer sites.• Serve as the secondary verification checkpoint to confirm devices comply with the established 35 step configuration and staging process.• Identify configuration gaps, misconfigurations, and deviations from documented standards, then partner with engineers to resolve issues before devices leave the facility.• Provide real time shoulder surfing support to engineers during configuration and staging activities, reinforcing adherence to correct procedures without taking over device configuration tasks.Runbook and Process Review• Review, audit, and provide expert input on playbooks and runbooks covering device configuration processes, quality assurance tasks, and operational procedures.• Identify gaps and improvement opportunities in existing runbooks and recommend updates aligned to best practices and customer requirements.• Collaborate with senior engineers and the broader network integration team to validate and refine process documentation as environments evolve.• Ensure documentation is clear, accurate, and actionable for consistent execution across the team.Customer Facing Engagement• Act as a customer facing technical representative, communicating quality assurance findings, process status, and recommendations clearly and professionally.• Participate in technical discussions with customers and stakeholders regarding device readiness and pre deployment quality standards.• Provide verbal and written updates to internal and customer teams on quality assurance outcomes, exceptions, and resolutions.Cross Functional Collaboration• Work closely with senior engineering resources and the network integration team throughout the device configuration and shipping lifecycle.• Coordinate with project management and logistics teams to ensure devices are reviewed and cleared on schedule.• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to less experienced team members on quality assurance standards and network configuration best practices.Qualifications:Required Qualifications• Deep hands on expertise with Fortinet security platforms, including FortiGate firewalls, FortiManager, FortiAnalyzer, and related technologies.• Strong working knowledge of Juniper wireless access point platforms and configuration standards.• Experience with Cradlepoint networking solutions, including configuration review and validation.• Demonstrated ability to read, interpret, and validate complex network device configurations across multiple vendor platforms.• Knowledge of enterprise network architecture concepts including segmentation, routing protocols, virtual private network design, software defined wide area networking, and security policy management.• Proven experience performing technical quality assurance in a network engineering or deployment context, including multi step validation processes.• Strong attention to detail with the ability to identify subtle configuration issues that could impact performance, security, or compliance.• Experience reviewing and contributing to technical runbooks, standard operating procedures, and configuration playbooks.• Ability to provide constructive, clear feedback to engineering teams in a collaborative manner.• 8 or more years of progressive network engineering experience, including at least 3 years at a senior engineer or architect level.• Experience in a systems integrator, managed services, or large enterprise deployment environment.• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Network Engineering, or related field, or equivalent professional experience.Preferred Qualifications• Fortinet NSE 7 or NSE 8 certification, or equivalent advanced Fortinet expertise.• Additional certifications such as NSE 4 through NSE 8, Juniper JNCIS or JNCIP, Cisco Certified Network Professional, Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert, or equivalent.• Experience supporting large scale, multi site network deployments with rigorous staging and quality assurance requirements.• Experience in regulated industry environments where strong quality assurance processes are standard, including financial services or healthcare.• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to produce clear status reports and quality assurance summaries.• Experience working with geographically distributed teams and supporting remote or onsite deployment activities across multiple locations.Tools and Technologies:• Fortinet FortiGate, FortiManager, FortiAnalyzer• Juniper wireless access points• Cradlepoint networking solutions• Routing, segmentation, security policy, virtual private network, software defined wide area networking