Senior Network Engineer Consultant

IWU is seeking a Senior Network Engineer Consultant (Independent Contractor ‑ 1099 / Contract-to-Hire) for a large-scale technology reorganization project.

ABOUT THE ROLE:

• IWU is standing up a dual-site, active/active, and on-premises data center footprint to support enterprise re-platforming and an AI-first technology stack. The network fabric is the connective tissue for everything we run – campus and colocation connectivity, leaf/spine data center switching, inter-site links, GPU/RoCE traffic, and the security perimeter that protects it all. We are seeking a Network Engineer – a principal-level individual contributor – with deep Cisco routing/switching and Palo Alto Networks firewall expertise to design, build, and operate that fabric.
• This is not a cloud-network role . IWU runs production network infrastructure we own and operate in commercial colocation and across our campus estate. You will own complex network designs, implement them in production, mentor engineers through your work, and keep the network observable, secure, and available on an enterprise scale.
• You will be a hands-on principal : you will translate industry network standards into deployed configurations, partner with infrastructure, security, AI, telecom, and application teams, and hold the bar for design quality, operational discipline, and incident response.

Network Architecture and Design

• Contribute to the enterprise network reference architecture – campus, WAN/SD-WAN, data center leaf/spine, inter-site active/active connectivity, and out-of-band management – aligned to dual-site colocation standards.
• Design Cisco-centric L2/L3 fabrics – Nexus data center switching, Catalyst campus switching, ASR/ISR routing, EVPN/VXLAN or traditional multi-tier designs, BGP route reflectors, and redundant default-gateway strategies.
• Design inter-site and carrier connectivity – BGP with ISPs and colocation cross-connects, path selection, bandwidth capacity planning, and latency budgets for synchronous replication and AI workloads.
• Document approved design patterns , IP addressing plans, and naming standards for the network team and adjacent engineering groups.

Palo Alto Security Platform

• Architect and operate Palo Alto Networks next-generation firewalls for data center, campus, and inter-site security zones.
• Build and maintain security policy – application-based rules, zone segmentation, NAT, SSL/TLS decryption where approved, threat prevention, URL filtering, and WildFire integration.
• Implement zero-trust network access patterns in partnership with Identity and Security – user-ID, device-ID, GlobalProtect remote access, and integration with Entra ID / Active Directory.
• Lead firewall change management – rule lifecycle, recertification, hit-count review, and audit-ready documentation.

Data Center and High-Performance Networking

• Operate leaf/spine data center fabrics supporting bare-metal, VMware, Kubernetes, and GPU/accelerator clusters – including RoCE or high-speed Ethernet designs for AI training and inference traffic where standards require.
• Configure network services – DHCP/DNS integration, NTP, SNMP/streaming telemetry, NetFlow/IPFIX, and automation hooks for monitoring platforms.
• Partner with the Enterprise AI Architect and infrastructure teams on network requirements for AI platform nodes – bandwidth, lossless Ethernet where needed, ECN/PFC tuning, and traffic isolation.

Operations, Automation, and Resilience

• Implement high availability and DR for network services – redundant supervisors, MLAG/vPC, HSRP/VRRP, graceful restart, BFD, and tested failover runbooks across dual sites.
• Automate network operations where practical – Python, Ansible, Terraform, Cisco NSO, or Palo Alto API/XML/REST – for config generation, compliance checks, and repeatable deployments.
• Maintain lifecycle management – IOS/XE/NX-OS and PAN-OS patching cadence, hardware refresh, end-of-life planning, and sparing strategy.

Governance and Collaboration

• Partner with Information Security on segmentation, DDoS mitigation, and compliance controls – FERPA, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, and SOC 2 evidence as applicable.
• Support ITIL-aligned change , incident, and problem management – clear CAB submissions, rollback plans, and configuration backups before every production change.
• Mentor network engineers through design reviews, pairing on complex changes, and written standards – you raise the bar by how you work, not by people-management scope.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR:

Required

• According to Indiana Wesleyan University policy, all employees and contract-to-hire contractors must possess a strong Christian commitment and adhere to the standards outlined in the IWU Community Lifestyle Statement .
• 8+ years of progressive experience in enterprise network engineering , with 3+ years operating Cisco and Palo Alto platforms at production scale.
• Expert-level Cisco skills – routing and switching (BGP, OSPF, EVPN/VXLAN, STP/RSTP, HSRP/VRRP, QoS), Nexus and/or Catalyst platforms, and data center or campus network design.
• Expert-level Palo Alto Networks skills –firewalls, security policy design, zone architecture, VPN/GlobalProtect, and threat prevention features.
• Demonstrated experience designing and operating dual-site or multi-site network topologies – inter-site links, BGP, active/active or active/passive DR patterns, and failover testing.
• Experience with network monitoring and troubleshooting – packet capture, flow analysis, SNMP/telemetry, and systematic root-cause analysis under pressure.
• Ability to write clear network diagrams, runbooks, and design documents for technical teams, auditors, and leadership.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related technical field – or equivalent demonstrated experience .

Strongly Preferred

• Experience with high-performance AI or HPC networking – RoCE, InfiniBand-adjacent Ethernet designs, lossless fabric tuning, or 100G+ data center interconnect.
• Experience with SD-WAN connecting campus and colocation sites.
• Familiarity with network automation – Ansible, Python, Terraform, GitOps-style config management, or Cisco NSO.
• Experience load balancing in front of application and AI inference services.
• Background in a regulated or compliance-sensitive environment (education/FERPA-Title-IV, financial services/GLBA, healthcare/HIPAA, insurance, public sector).
• Familiarity with BICSI / TIA-942 data center cabling and cross-connect practices in colocation facilities.
• Relevant certifications – CCNP/CCIE Enterprise or Data Center, PCNSE, or equivalent demonstrated depth.

How You Work

• You treat the network as a platform – designs are repeatable, documented, and testable before they touch production.
• You balance security rigor with operational pragmatism – the best firewall policy is one that protects the business and can be maintained by the team.
• You debug systematically – hypotheses, evidence, fix, and a post-incident note that makes the next outage shorter.
• You mentor by example – your designs and runbooks become the standard others follow.

WHY THIS ROLE?

• Principal scope, hands-on impact – you own the hardest designs and the most critical incidents without needing a management title.
• Greenfield fabric . You are shaping the dual-site colocation network and security perimeter that will carry IWU's enterprise and AI workloads for the next decade.
• Cisco + Palo Alto depth . These are our primary platforms – you will go deep, not skim a dozen vendors.
• Real standards, real budget . Network build-out is funded and underway; you implement against a defined standards catalog, not slide-deck architecture.
• Mission and meaning . IWU is a century-old Christ-centered university serving roughly 15,000 learners. The network you build keeps the systems running that prepare them to change the world.

PROJECT REMUNERATION:

Estimated annual project remuneration is $155,000 - $175,000 for this independent contractor (1099) / Contract-to-Hire role.

Contractor Insurance/Bond Requirements

• General Liability: $1m per occurrence / $2m aggregate
• Cyber Liability: $2m per occurrence
• Workers’ Compensation / Employers’ Liability: $500,000; not applicable for approved sole operators
• Professional Liability / Errors & Omissions: $1m per occurrence / $3m aggregate

Equipment & Travel Expenses

• IWU will provide required equipment and software. Personal devices and software are generally not permitted for assigned work unless approved by IWU.
• IWU will pay for required and approved travel and other expenses.
• Specific policies, rules, and details will be included in the executed contract.

Engagement Process

1. Easy-Apply on LinkedIn
2. LinkedIn Survey
3. Phone Screen
4. Video Interviews
5. On-Site Interview/Tour
6. Contract Engagement Begins

Compliance & Disclaimers

IWU is an equal opportunity employer committed to compliance with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 or other federal, state, or local laws or executive orders except as claimed in a filed religious exemption.

Indiana Wesleyan University is managing this search directly. Third-party recruiters, staffing agencies, search firms, subcontracting firms, and candidate marketers may not submit candidates for this role unless they have a current, written agreement with IWU that specifically authorizes recruitment support for this opening.

Unsolicited candidate submissions will not create any obligation, fee, commission, placement right, or ownership claim . Any candidate submitted without prior written authorization may be contacted directly by IWU and considered without payment of any recruiting or placement fee.

Candidates must apply directly through this LinkedIn posting or the official IWU application process. This role does not authorize third-party representation, bench submissions, or agency-to-agency candidate referrals.