Network Engineer

Trillium Professional is now seeking a Network Engineer in Richmond, VA!


We are seeking to fill an open position for an experienced Network Engineer to design, implement, secure, and optimize enterprise network infrastructure supporting multiple facilities. Pay rate is $50-60/hour.


This role requires deep technical expertise in Cisco routing/switching, SD-WAN architectures, automation/API-driven operations, and modern Zero Trust frameworks. The Senior Network Engineer will serve as a technical lead, mentor junior network staff, and participate in architecture decisions that improve performance, resilience, and security across the network.


The environment includes Cisco routing/switching (IOS/NX-OS), Cisco SD-WAN (vManage/vSmart/vEdge), Meraki, Cisco Secure Firewall, Cisco ISE, Duo MFA, and Cloudflare Zero Trust. Monitoring and visibility rely on ThousandEyes, SolarWinds/PRTG, and Splunk.


Key Responsibilities:
Architecture & Engineering
• Design and implement enterprise network solutions using Cisco IOS/NX-OS, Catalyst, and Nexus platforms.
• Architect resilient WAN/LAN infrastructures, including routing (OSPF, BGP, EIGRP), segmentation, QoS, and high-availability designs.
• Lead SD-WAN architecture and operations using Cisco SD-WAN (vManage/vSmart/IOS-XE SD-WAN), including app-aware routing, centralized policies, transport redundancy, and template-driven changes.
• Engineer scalable solutions using cloud-managed Meraki platforms; build workflows leveraging Meraki Dashboard APIs for automation, provisioning, and reporting.
• Integrate enterprise network designs with Azure/AWS cloud networking (ExpressRoute/Direct Connect, transit/virtual WAN, VPN architectures).


Network Operations & Analysis
• Design and implement L2/L3, segmentation, QoS, HA, and cloud hybrid connectivity
• Lead SD?WAN architecture (app-aware routing, policies, migrations, VTI).
• Mentor junior staff and enforce best practices and documentation standards
• Monitor and support LAN/WAN infrastructure across distributed locations.
• Review logs, alerts, and performance metrics to identify issues and assist with remediation.


Secure Access & Zero Trust
• Serve as SME for Cisco ISE (802.1X, MAB, profiling, SGT/TrustSec, posture), driving NAC policy development and enforcement across wired/wireless/VPN.
• Design and manage firewall policies, NAT, IPS, segmentation, and VPN solutions using Cisco Secure Firewall and related platforms.
• Implement Zero Trust principles using Duo MFA, Cloudflare Zero Trust, identity-aware access, and secure remote connectivity.
• Maintain compliance with organizational and public-sector security frameworks (NIST CSF, SP 800-53).
Automation & APIs
• Develop automation tools using Python, PowerShell, Ansible, REST APIs (Cisco, Meraki, Cloudflare), and Git-based workflows.
• Create reusable scripts for configuration standardization, validation, compliance checking, network telemetry, and large-scale deployment.
• Build and maintain operational automations for SD-WAN device onboarding, configuration templates, and telemetry extraction.


Monitoring, Performance & Telemetry
• Use ThousandEyes, SolarWinds/PRTG, NetFlow, and Splunk to monitor performance, detect anomalies, validate enterprise SLAs, and ensure network reliability.
• Create dashboards, alerts, thresholds, and predictive performance analysis for WAN/LAN/SD-WAN environments.
• Lead root-cause analysis and write post-incident reports that drive long-term improvements.


Vulnerability Management & Governance
• Perform advanced vulnerability scanning and validation (Qualys, Tenable).
• Drive remediation workflows, document risk acceptance, and maintain security hygiene across all network assets.
• Participate in change advisory board (CAB) reviews, develop rollback plans, and ensure fully documented, compliant changes.


Field Engineering & Vendor Coordination
• Provide senior-level guidance during statewide site deployments, migrations, circuit turn-ups, and emergency repairs.
• Coordinate with carriers and vendors for provisioning, troubleshooting, and network improvements.
• Lead complex on-site installations, infrastructure upgrades, cable plant validation, and environmental assessments.
• Travel to courts throughout the state.


Cross-Team Collaboration
• Work closely with cloud engineering, cybersecurity, server/storage teams, AD/PKI administrators, and application teams.
• Provide senior-level expertise for integrations involving identity, certificate services, and application network dependencies.


Apply now!


Qualifications:
• 7+ years of progressive enterprise network engineering experience.
• Expert-level experience with Cisco routing/switching (IOS/NX-OS) and advanced network protocols (OSPF, EIGRP, BGP, MPLS, VRF, QoS).
• Hands-on leadership experience with Cisco SD-WAN architectures (vManage, vSmart, policy templates, segmentation).
• Strong experience with Meraki platforms, including operational use of Meraki APIs.
• Deep understanding of network security, NAC, and Zero Trust (Cisco ISE, Duo, Cloudflare Zero Trust).
• Proficiency with scripting/automation: Python, PowerShell, Bash, Ansible, REST APIs, Git workflows.
• Advanced experience with monitoring/telemetry platforms (SolarWinds/PRTG, ThousandEyes, Splunk).
• Strong documentation, communication, and leadership skills.
• Ability to travel throughout the state for installations, support, and projects.
• Certifications: CCNA required. (If certified provide CSCO ID). CCNP or working towards a plus.


Preferred:
• Bachelor’s degree in IT, Computer Science, Engineering, or related field.
• 10+ years of progressive enterprise network engineering experience.
• Experience designing cloud network architectures (Azure, AWS).
• Hands-on background with data center technologies (ACI, VXLAN, SDA).
• Experience working within public-sector environments or NIST-aligned frameworks.
• Experience mentoring engineers and leading multi-site infrastructure projects.
• Understanding of Zero-Trust architecture and NAC best practices.
• Valid CCNP Certification.


Trillium has been recruiting and placing professionals for over 30 years. From Fortune 100 companies to small businesses, our philosophy remains the same: to achieve excellence by providing quality employees and an uncompromising level of service. We believe in honesty, integrity, and a simple philosophy of providing value to our customers and our employees. We strive to be unsurpassed in the recruitment and placement of quality and skilled professionals. Trillium is an Equal Opportunity Employer.