Senior Network Engineer

Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Shield AI's technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube. Job Description This position will be based San Mateo, CA. Shield AI is seeking a highly skilled Senior Network Engineer to help advance and secure our mission-critical global infrastructure. You will design, deploy, and maintain resilient network systems that power Shield AI's enterprise and development environments-spanning data centers, on-premises sites, and public cloud networks. You'll partner with cross-functional teams to innovate, automate, and optimize network performance, availability, and security for operations supporting both classified and unclassified workloads. Limited travel to Shield AI sites may be required. What you'll do: Network Engineering

• Experience with public cloud networking in Azure and AWS, including secure connectivity models (e.g., ExpressRoute, Transit Gateway, Cloud WAN / vWAN).
• Design, architect, and implement routing, switching, WLAN, and firewall infrastructure across data centers and remote offices.
• Deploy and manage WAN and VPN connectivity, ensuring secure and reliable access for enterprise and mission environments.
• Develop and apply network automation to streamline provisioning, monitoring, and configuration management.
• Cloud, Platform, Security, and Infrastructure engineering teams to develop standardized network architectures supporting self-service platforms and engineering automation.
• Recommend and implement scalable, automated approaches to operational tasks and vulnerability remediation.
• Contribute to Agile delivery cycles and engineering principles while managing assigned network projects and deliverables.
• Conduct network capacity planning and provide recommendations for growth and optimization.

Operations and Support

• Plan and execute network and firewall changes in accordance with change-management and security governance processes.
• Continuously monitor, analyze, and improve network performance, resiliency, and security posture.
• Provide advanced troubleshooting for network-related hardware, software, and application issues.
• Configure and maintain secure connectivity services (e.g., VPN/ZTNA, SFTP).
• Create and maintain clear operational and configuration documentation; mentor operational teams on processes and procedures.
• Engage vendors and strategic partners for escalated troubleshooting, lifecycle planning, and technology evaluations.
• Participate in on-call rotation and scheduled maintenance activities.

Maintenance

• Lead or assist with network upgrades and patching within defined maintenance windows.
• Maintain network device software and license compliance.
• Ensure security vulnerabilities are identified and remediated in coordination with IT security teams.

Required Qualifications:

• 6+ years of experience supporting and administering complex network systems in production environments.
• Expertise in network routing, switching, and security architectures.
• Proficiency in at least one Network Operating System (e.g., NX-OS, JunOS, Arista EOS).
• Proficiency in at least one Network Security OS (e.g., PAN-OS, FortiOS).
• Experience with network automation and infrastructure-as-code practices (e.g., Terraform, Ansible, Python).
• Strong understanding of firewall management, segmentation, and VPN technologies.
• Excellent analytical, organizational, and troubleshooting skills.
• Effective written and verbal communication across technical and non-technical audiences.
• Proven ability to work independently and deliver in a structured, process-driven environment.
• Bachelor's degree in a technical discipline or 6+ years of relevant experience with a professional certification (e.g., CCNP, JNCIS, VCP-NV, or equivalent).
• Experience building and managing scalable hybrid infrastructure connectivity solutions linking on-premises systems with cloud networks.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Familiarity with Juniper and Palo Alto network solutions and centralized management platform (Panorama preferred).
• Familiarity with WLAN technologies and wireless authentication (e.g., 802.1x, RADIUS).
• Experience with NAC solutions and network access policy enforcement.
• Experience with ZTNA / SASE solutions (Prisma, Zscaler, or Cato)
• Working knowledge of virtualization or operating system administration (VMware, Windows, or Linux).
• Demonstrated project management and leadership skills.
• Team-oriented, collaborative mindset with the ability to coach peers and present to non-technical stakeholders.
• Solution-driven, adaptable approach in a fast-paced, change-controlled environment.

$140,000 - $211,000 a year

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#LC Full-time regular employee offer package: Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity Temporary employee offer package: Pay within range listed above + temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment) Salary compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and specific work location. All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check. Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits. Please speak to your talent acquisition representative for more information. ### Shield AI is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know. We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us. Shield AI