Network Infrastructure Engineer

Network Engineer

Contract Duration: 12 Months

Location: Midtown, New York, NY (Onsite 4 days/week)

Overview

Our direct client is in need of a Network Operations & Infrastructure Engineer who combines deep hands-on networking expertise with the ability to lead infrastructure modernization initiatives across a complex multi-site environment.

This individual will be responsible for maintaining, optimizing, and evolving the firm's network infrastructure while acting as a key technical resource for routing, switching, security, wireless, and data center initiatives. The ideal candidate is equally comfortable troubleshooting production issues, designing scalable network solutions, collaborating with Information Security teams, and driving infrastructure projects from planning through execution.

This is an opportunity to join a highly collaborative IT organization where you'll play a central role in shaping the future state of the network while ensuring stable day-to-day operations.

The successful candidate will likely have a blend of network operations and network engineering experience, with a background supporting enterprise or mission-critical environments. They will have led network upgrades, migrations, and infrastructure projects rather than solely performing day-to-day operational support.

We're particularly interested in candidates who have:

• Designed or migrated routing environments utilizing BGP and OSPF.
• Supported Cisco, Palo Alto, and multi-vendor network ecosystems.
• Participated in data center consolidation, network transformation, or modernization initiatives.
• Partnered closely with Information Security teams on network security architecture.
• Created standards, documentation, and operational processes that improved network stability and scalability.
• Demonstrated a strong balance of technical depth, ownership, communication, and collaboration.

What You'll Do

• Own the ongoing administration, monitoring, and optimization of the firm's network infrastructure.
• Design and implement network improvements across campus, data center, WAN, wireless, and security environments.
• Support routing and switching protocols including BGP, OSPF, EIGRP, VLANs, VXLAN, and Layer 2/Layer 3 architectures.
• Partner closely with Information Security on network segmentation, NAC, firewall policies, secure remote access, and compliance initiatives.
• Lead network refresh, migration, and modernization projects across multiple office locations.
• Troubleshoot complex network performance, application connectivity, security, and routing issues.
• Create and maintain detailed network documentation, topology diagrams, operational procedures, and standards.
• Support network monitoring and analytics platforms including SolarWinds, Wireshark, and related operational tools.
• Collaborate with Systems, Security, Service Desk, and Infrastructure teams to ensure successful delivery of technology initiatives.
• Participate in change management, incident response, and root-cause analysis activities.
• Identify opportunities to automate operational tasks and improve network efficiency.
• Serve as a technical escalation point for critical network incidents.

Required Experience

• 5+ years of experience supporting and engineering enterprise-scale network environments.
• Strong hands-on Cisco networking experience including Catalyst, Nexus, wireless, and network security technologies.
• Expertise in enterprise routing and switching protocols
• Experience supporting multi-site WAN and campus network environments.
• Strong knowledge of network security principles
• Experience with Cisco ISE, Cisco DNA Center, Meraki, Palo Alto, or similar platforms.
• Experience using network monitoring and troubleshooting tools such as SolarWinds and Wireshark.
• Familiarity with ITSM platforms including ServiceNow and Jira.
• Strong documentation and network diagramming skills.
• Excellent troubleshooting and problem-solving abilities.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with cross-functional teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting data center technologies and modern network fabrics.
• Exposure to Cisco DCNM / NDFC, ACI, EVPN, and VXLAN architectures.
• Experience working within hybrid Cisco and multi-vendor environments.
• Knowledge of SASE, SD-WAN, or cloud networking concepts.
• Experience with network automation using Python, Netmiko, APIs, or scripting frameworks.
• Understanding of infrastructure lifecycle management and ITIL practices.
• Cisco certifications (CCNA, CCNP) preferred.