Lead Network Engineer

Job Description and Duties

Join the Covered California team!

The purpose of the Network Operations team is to continuously improve our network infrastructure that seamlessly connects people, devices, data, enabling innovation and driving digital transformation across our organization. The team provides a reliable and resilient network infrastructure that meets the needs of our customers and consumers.

At Covered California, we recognize our employees are our most valuable asset. We have a variety of career fields that help make a difference in the lives of Californians, and we’re looking for talented and enthusiastic individuals to join our team! Learn more about why you should join the .

This position is headquartered in Sacramento County at 1601 Exposition Blvd, Sacramento, CA 95815. Business travel may be required, and reimbursement considers an employee’s designated headquarters office subject to regulations and bargaining unit contract provisions. Travel expenses associated with commuting to the employee’s office headquarters location are not reimbursable, other than authorized transit subsidies.

NOTE: To be considered for this job opportunity, applicants must be reachable on an employment list, have transfer eligibility, or have reinstatement eligibility. If you are new to California State service and you do not have list eligibility, you must take the exam for this classification. To gain employment list eligibility, please to access Information Technology Specialist II exam bulletin.

Possession of minimum qualifications will be verified prior to interview and/or appointment . If it is determined that an applicant does not meet the minimum qualifications, the applicant's name may be removed from the eligibility list.

Covered California does not provide visa sponsorship and is not an E-Verify employer.

Effective July 1, 2025, in response to the budget deficit, the Department of Human Resources (CalHR) has implemented the Personal Leave Program 2025 (PLP 2025). PLP 2025 requires that each full-time employee working their assigned work schedule receive a 3 percent reduction in pay in exchange for 5 hours of PLP 2025 leave credits monthly through June 30, 2027.

You will find additional information about the job in the .

Working Conditions

This position may be eligible for telework. In accordance with Government Code section 14200, only employees who reside in California are eligible for telework. The amount of telework is at the discretion of the Department and based on Covered California’s current telework policy. While Covered California supports telework, in-person attendance may be required based on operational needs. Employees are expected to be able to report to their worksite with minimal notification if an urgent need arises, as determined by the Department.

Special Requirements

Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) Instructions: A SOQ is required to apply. The SOQ will be used as a pre-interview screening tool. Applicants who do not follow the SOQ instructions and/or do not answer the prompt as stated below may not be considered.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools can be useful in the development of written responses; however, it is important to use these tools responsibly and ethically. Where assistive tools may be used, responses within the SOQ should be your own original work. Applicants must write in their own words and avoid plagiarism. Failure to comply may be cause for disqualification.

Please write a statement of qualifications encompassing the questions below. The SOQ should be no more than two pages in length, in Arial 12-point font, and with one-inch margins. The information must be presented clearly and concisely.

1. Describe your background, experience, education, and/or training with networking technologies including but not limited to switches, routers and wireless access points.
2. Describe your background, experience, education, and/or training with network security including but not limited to network firewalls and Virtual Private Networks (VPN).
3. Describe your background, experience, education, and/or training with cloud based remote access technologies such as Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN), Firewall as a Service (FWaaS) and Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB).
4. Describe your experience leading a team and what leadership practices you have used to create opportunities for growth in others.

Desirable Qualifications

In addition to evaluating each candidate's relative ability, as demonstrated by quality and breadth of experience, the following factors will provide the basis for competitively evaluating each candidate:

• Ability to prepare, review, evaluate and edit technical and professional documents.
• Ability to communicate clearly, effectively, and professionally with diverse individuals, organizations, state agencies, local governments, contractors, customers, and colleagues.
• Experience prioritizing multiple projects, meeting deadlines, and documenting project status.
• Experience supporting diverse stakeholders in a professional or public-service environment.
• Expert-level experience with SASE, SD-WAN, enterprise networking and security products, firewall technologies, and Prisma Access VPNs.
• Extensive experience with networking and cybersecurity in distributed field, hybrid cloud, and on-premises environments, including Azure, Microsoft 365, and cloud-based remote access.
• Ability to manage vendor relationships throughout the lifecycle, including procurement, performance monitoring, risk management, issue resolution, renewals, and closeout.
• At least three years of experience with Cisco networking equipment, Palo Alto Networks firewalls, enterprise networks and data centers, firewall rules and policies, VPN configuration, firewall upgrades, IT hazard prevention, threat mitigation, and standard IT audits.
• Experience managing enterprise-level IT projects.
• PCNSE, Cisco CCNA, or higher certification preferred.

Benefits

The State of California offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes Health, Vision, Dental, Retirement, and an array of other options. For more information on the benefits offered by the State of California, please click below:

Pre-Employment Requirements

Background Check: All applicants shall be subject to a pre-employment background investigation. The investigation will consist of completion of a pre-employment questionnaire, fingerprinting, and an inquiry to the Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation to disclose criminal records.

Incompatible Activities: To maintain our integrity and focus on serving Californians, Covered California adheres to unique conflict of interest restrictions on the outside employment and activities of its board members and staff. If you’re considering a role with us, it’s important to know at the time of your start:

• You must not be employed by or otherwise affiliated with health insurance carriers, other insurers, agents, brokers, health care professionals, health facilities, or health clinics, or trade associations of any of these entities. This also means that you must not hold an active license to sell health insurance in California.
• You must not hold an active license to sell health insurance in California.
• Health care professionals are welcome to join our team, provided you do not receive payment for professional services and do not hold ownership or financial interests in a health care practice.

Please email any questions or concerns you may have prior to accepting a final offer of employment to View email address on us.fitly.work .

Required Application Package Documents

The following items are required to be submitted with your application. Applicants who do not submit the required items timely may not be considered for this job:

• Current version of the State Examination/Employment Application STD Form 678 (when not applying electronically), or the Electronic State Employment Application through your Applicant Account at All Experience and Education relating to the Minimum Qualifications listed on the Classification Specification should be included to demonstrate how you meet the Minimum Qualifications for the position.
• Resume is optional. It may be included, but is not required.
• Statement of Qualifications -

  Please attach your SOQ to your application. Applications received without a SOQ may not be considered. Resumes and cover letters will not be accepted in place of a SOQ. Please see above “Special Requirements” section for SOQ instructions.