Network Engineer I

Network Engineer IPopulus is an amazing company where our employees stay because they love their teams and the growth opportunities. Additionally, we offer a competitive 401K match, a generous paid time off package, and Health Benefits.Our mission is to provide a broad range of quality financial products and services delivered with best-in-class customer service. We work and lead with integrity, and we celebrate employees who exemplify our values. Come join our team!The Network Engineer I is responsible for the day-to-day maintenance, administration, and management of ACE networks. This position is responsible for activities such as performing upgrades, installations and troubleshooting, development, and documentation of system standards, recommendation, and scheduling of repairs for networks, and keeping the network secure from a variety of threats.Major ResponsibilitiesSupport and follow guidance from the Network Manager and Lead Engineer in managing and administrating the company's LAN/WAN environment, including moves, adds, and changes.Assist in maintaining local access switches and patch panel wiring, with the ability to troubleshoot physical network connectivity issues.Configure, support, and troubleshoot FortiGate firewalls, F5 Big-IP load balancers, Cisco IOS and NX-OS switches, FortiNAC, while ensuring all changes are communicated in compliance with change control policies.Assist in creating design and configurations for LAN/WAN networks.Develop and maintain documentation of processes, network configurations, and systems, including details on locations and configurations for all assigned projects and assets.Inform IS Operations and Networking Team of planned and unplanned system outages in a manner consistent with established communication, escalation and change control policies.Provide professional support to customers and employees via email, telephone, and face-to-face interaction.Collaborate with vendors and carriers to troubleshoot and implement solutions for production related, while improving standard operating procedures.Operate and configure network monitoring and configuration management software to detect anomalies, perform fault detection, analyze performance metrics, and generate reports to meet service level requirements.Participate in 24/7 on-call rotation, including being available after hours and on weekends to assist with issues.Complete administrative duties as assigned (e.g. ticket updates, status reporting, labor reporting, corporate training).Escalate to the manager if deadlines are at risk or if a project/task will not be completed as planned.Key CompetenciesTechnicalCommunication ProficiencyOrganizedFocusedDetail OrientedInteractionsDirect Reports NoneOther Internal/External Interactions All EmployeesCustomersVendorsPhysical DemandsThe physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the major responsibilities.While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, stand or walk; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; stoop or bend; and talk or hear. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 lbs. Must have appropriate vision to see up close, and at a distance with ability to adjust vision and focus.Position Type/Expected Hours of WorkThis is a full-time position, days and hours of work are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CT. This position might require after hours and weekend work.Work EnvironmentThe work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The noise level in some work environments can be moderate.DisclaimerThe above information on this description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted, as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, qualifications required of employees assigned to this job.EEO StatementPopulus Financial Group is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local fair employment practices laws. In compliance with applicable law, Populus Financial Group does not discriminate against any applicant or employee on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender (including gender nonconformity and status as a transgender or transsexual individual), national origin or ancestry, ethnicity, age, physical or mental disability, citizenship, past, current, or prospective service in the uniformed services, genetic information, pregnancy status, or any other protected classification. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including, but not limited to, hiring, training, promotions, discipline, compensation, benefits, and termination of employment.QualificationsEducationPreferredAssociate Degree or better.ExperienceRequiredExperience with ticketing and monitoring tools required.2 years: 2+ years data network (LAN/WAN/WLAN) administration experience in a Cisco environment implementing, monitoring, and maintaining interconnected networks required. Experience with troubleshooting LAN/WAN/VPN connectivity. Proficient with Microsoft Visio to diagram network configurations. Ability to proactively monitor network environment and respond to emails during and after normal business hours, including weekends and holidays required. Take proactive ownership of networking related incidents and projects with minimal directions. Stays current on technology through collaboration with team members, reading, and other forms of self-improvement/learning methods.PreferredNetwork + and/or CCNA certification preferred. Experience with FortiClient, FortiAuthenticator and FortiEMS preferred. Experience with FortiGate Firewalls and F5 Big-IP preferred. Familiarity with Meraki Firewalls preferred.Equal Opportunity Employer This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.