Network Engineer

What does it mean to be a BrinkerHead? It means creating moments that make everyone feel special — whether you’re supporting our restaurants, celebrating wins with your team, or sparking ideas that keep Guests coming back. We play like a team, take pride in our culture, and know that life’s too short not to work happy. At Brinker’s Restaurant Support Center (RSC), every role fuels the success of our brands — Chili’s® Grill & Bar and Maggiano’s Little Italy® — and directly impacts Team Members and Guests. From bold ideas to everyday support, we help create a fun atmosphere, great food and drinks, and the kind of hospitality that keeps everyone coming back. Here, you’ll discover opportunities for career growth, belonging, wellbeing, and plenty of chances to work hard and have fun. Brinker International is an equal opportunity employer. We’re proud to provide a welcoming, respectful environment where everyone can thrive. Job Summary The Network Engineer role is responsible for supporting, maintaining, and improving network services across Brinker’s restaurants, corporate office, data centers, and cloud-connected environments. This role helps ensure stable, secure, and highly available network connectivity for restaurant operations, corporate Team Members, business applications, and critical infrastructure services. A key function of this role is working closely with Brinker’s Managed Service Provider team responsible for Level 1.5 and Level 2 tactical network administration. The Network Engineer I helps guide daily operational work, supports incident resolution, coordinates operating system and firmware updates, assists with vulnerability remediation and patching activities, and helps ensure work is completed with quality, urgency, and proper documentation. This role supports a broad network technology stack including F5 load balancers, Palo Alto firewalls, Cisco switches and wireless access points, HP/Juniper core switches, top-of-rack switches in the data centers, and IDF/MDF network infrastructure at the corporate office. The position is critical to maintaining the stability of IT Services that support restaurant operations, corporate productivity, and business continuity. What You’ll Do Support day-to-day network operations across restaurants, corporate office, data centers, and cloud-connected environments. Work closely with the MSP team responsible for Level 1.5 and Level 2 operational support and tactical administration. Coordinate and help prioritize incidents, service requests, maintenance activities, vulnerability remediation, and patching efforts performed by MSP resources. Troubleshoot and resolve escalated network incidents involving wireless, switching, routing, firewalls, load balancing, data center infrastructure, and restaurant connectivity. Assist with incident restoration, root cause investigation, corrective actions, and recurring issue management. Support operating system, firmware, and software updates across network platforms, ensuring appropriate planning, testing, implementation, and documentation. Administer and support network technologies including F5 load balancers, Palo Alto firewalls, Cisco switching and wireless platforms, HP/Juniper core switching, and top-of-rack infrastructure. Support corporate office IDF/MDF infrastructure, including network hardware lifecycle activities and physical connectivity coordination. Support data center network services, including core switching, firewall connectivity, load balancing, and related infrastructure components. Assist with network connectivity requirements for cloud-hosted services and hybrid infrastructure. Document incidents, requests, changes, and operational procedures within ServiceNow and related IT service management tools. Participate in change management activities including maintenance, upgrades, configuration changes, and production deployments. Work with cross-functional IT teams to support infrastructure, security, restaurant technology, corporate technology, and application requirements. Provide input into network standards, operational processes, support documentation, hardware lifecycle planning, and technology roadmap initiatives. Help maintain network monitoring, alerting, and operational visibility to improve service availability and incident response effectiveness. Partner with security teams to support compliance requirements, network segmentation, firewall governance, and secure network operations. Provide technical guidance to MSP resources and internal support teams to improve operational effectiveness and shift work left where appropriate. Support special projects, new restaurant openings, corporate initiatives, and infrastructure modernization efforts. Maintain accurate network documentation, diagrams, support procedures, and operational runbooks. Qualifications for Network Engineer 3+ years supporting enterprise network environments. Working knowledge of restaurant, retail, branch, corporate office, data center, and cloud-connected network architectures. 3+ years supporting Cisco switching and wireless technologies, including VLANs, trunks, port configuration, and troubleshooting. 3+ years supporting firewall platforms, preferably Palo Alto, including connectivity troubleshooting, NAT, VPN, and security policy administration. 3+ years supporting load balancing technologies, preferably F5, including virtual servers, pools, certificates, and application connectivity. 3+ years with core and data center switching platforms, preferably HP/Juniper and top-of-rack switching environments. 3+ years understanding of networking fundamentals including TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, routing, switching, wireless, VPNs, NAT, load balancing, and security concepts. 3+ years troubleshooting connectivity issues across LAN, WAN, wireless, firewall, and hybrid infrastructure environments. Exposure to cloud networking concepts and hybrid connectivity models. 3+ years working with MSPs, vendors, or third‑party support organizations. Understanding of incident, problem, change, and request management processes. Solid experience with IP telephony (VOIP) support Experience with Fortinet and cradlepoint technologies Experience supporting vulnerability remediation, network patching, firmware upgrades, and maintenance activities. Familiarity with network monitoring and observability platforms used to identify service‑impacting conditions. Solid written communication skills with the ability to create and maintain technical documentation and diagrams. Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast‑paced operational environment. Nice to have: Exposure to network scripting, automation, Python, and AI‑assisted operational practices that improve troubleshooting, documentation, configuration validation, reporting, and operational efficiency. What You Bring to the Team Foremost is understanding what great service looks like and the heart for delivering high service levels to our restaurants, corporate Team Members, and business partners. Self-starter with a commitment to continuous learning and professional development. Solid analytical thinking and problem‑solving skills. Ability to operate with a constant sense of urgency, especially when incidents impact restaurant operations, corporate productivity, or critical business services. Solid interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills. Ownership mindset with accountability for outcomes, follow‑through, and continuous improvement. Ability to collaborate effectively with cross‑functional teams, MSP partners, and external vendors. Practical understanding of how network stability directly impacts restaurant operations, Team Member experience, Guest experience, sales, and profitability. Curiosity and willingness to learn emerging technologies, security practices, automation opportunities, and cloud‑connected infrastructure. Why Brinker At Brinker, we believe life is short, so work happy! That means creating an environment where you can grow your career, feel a sense of belonging and wellbeing, and have fun along the way. Here’s how we make that real for our BrinkerHeads at the RSC: Flexibility that fits your life: Hybrid schedules with weekly flex days to work from home. Benefits that support you: Competitive package with medical, dental, and vision coverage; life insurance; paid vacation and holidays; 401(k) with company match; Employee Assistance Program with counseling, financial, legal, and life resources; and Best You EDU, offering education programs and tuition reimbursement. Enjoy our brands: Generous dining discounts at Chili’s® Grill & Bar and Maggiano’s Little Italy®. Rewards for your impact: Annual bonus eligibility for every RSC Team Member. Wellbeing at work: On‑site gym and fitness classes like yoga and boot camp. A culture worth celebrating: From company‑wide events to a casual, collaborative atmosphere, you’ll find plenty of ways to connect, work hard, and play hard. #J-18808-Ljbffr brinker