Principal Infrastructure Engineer

Job Description Cetera Financial Group is seeking a highly skilled and experienced Principal Network Engineer to serve as the senior technical authority for enterprise network architecture, cloud networking, security, and network operations. This role is responsible for designing, implementing, and supporting highly available, secure, scalable, and resilient network solutions across on-premises, data center, branch office, and multi-cloud environments. Serve as an expert-level subject matter expert for routing, switching, wireless, network security and IP communications across traditional office, data center, AWS and Azure environments. Design, implement and support WAN and LAN environments consisting of SD-WAN, MPLS, Internet, IPSEC VPN and hybrid cloud connectivity, with accountability for 24/7 network availability. Architect, configure and troubleshoot Cisco Catalyst and Nexus switching, Cisco routing, Meraki MX firewalls, MR wireless access points and MS switches. Design, implement and support Palo Alto Networks next-generation firewalls, GlobalProtect, security policies, NAT, VPN, intrusion prevention and threat-protection capabilities. Design and support AWS networking services, including VPCs, subnets, route tables, security groups, Transit Gateway, Direct Connect, VPN, ALB/ELB and related services. Design and support Azure networking services, including Virtual Networks, Network Security Groups, Azure Firewall, Virtual WAN, ExpressRoute, VPN Gateway and load-balancing services. Lead complex troubleshooting, incident response, root-cause analysis and problem management through final resolution. Develop network architecture standards, engineering patterns, operating procedures, lifecycle plans and infrastructure requirements in partnership with the Director and Sr. Manager Network Engineering & Operations. Review and implement network changes in accordance with change-management and security processes. Drive automation of network provisioning, configuration validation, compliance reporting and operational tasks through APIs, Infrastructure as Code and orchestration tools. Research and implement best-of-breed networking, observability, anomaly-detection, AIOps and proactive-monitoring capabilities. Analyze performance, capacity and availability trends and recommend improvements that increase resiliency, scalability and operational efficiency. Partner with Cybersecurity to implement network segmentation, Zero Trust, secure access and effective firewall, IDS/IPS and related controls. Provide technical leadership, mentoring and knowledge transfer to network engineers and support teams without requiring direct supervisory authority. Lead technical workstreams for network modernization, office integrations, cloud migrations, hardware refreshes and other enterprise infrastructure initiatives. Collaborate with onshore and offshore teams, vendors and stakeholders across multiple U.S. time zones. Create and maintain architecture diagrams, configurations, standards, runbooks, support documentation and implementation plans. Participate in vendor evaluations, proofs of concept and technical recommendations for network products and services. Ability to work after hours, nights and weekends and provide emergency response support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year when required. Perform all other responsibilities and duties deemed necessary. AI Networking Agents: Design and build AI-enabled networking agents that assist with network monitoring, configuration analysis, troubleshooting, incident triage and operational documentation. Develop agent workflows that securely collect and correlate telemetry from Cisco, Meraki, Palo Alto, AWS and Azure networking platforms. Integrate AI networking agents with approved monitoring, IT service management, collaboration and automation platforms to accelerate detection, analysis and response. Establish human-in-the-loop controls, validation steps, access boundaries, auditability and rollback procedures for AI-generated recommendations and automated actions. Create and maintain trusted knowledge sources, prompts, runbooks and test scenarios to improve agent accuracy, consistency and usefulness. Evaluate agent performance, false positives, operational risk and measurable outcomes, and continuously refine solutions based on engineering feedback. Partner with Cybersecurity, Cloud Engineering, Architecture and Operations teams to ensure AI networking agents comply with enterprise security, data governance and change-management requirements. Mentor network engineers on responsible use, development and operational support of AI agents and agentic automation. What you need to have (Basic Qualifications- minimum 5 quantitative needs): 10+ years of progressive network engineering or administration experience in large enterprise environments. 5+ years of advanced hands-on experience with Cisco, Meraki, Palo Alto, AWS and Azure networking technologies. Bachelor's degree in engineering, computer science, MIS or a related field, or equivalent technical training and experience. Cisco CCNP certification or equivalent expert-level routing and switching experience. Demonstrated experience designing and supporting highly available hybrid and multi-cloud network architectures. Expert knowledge of TCP/IP, BGP, OSPF, EIGRP, VLANs, STP, HSRP, VRF, DNS, DHCP, NAT, wireless and VPN technologies. Hands-on experience configuring and troubleshooting Palo Alto next-generation firewalls and GlobalProtect. Hands-on experience with Cisco Catalyst, Cisco Nexus and Cisco Meraki platforms. Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills with the ability to make sound decisions during critical incidents. Experience leading complex infrastructure projects and coordinating implementation across technical teams. Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to influence technical and business stakeholders. Experience mentoring engineers, developing standards and providing expert-level technical guidance. TECHNOLOGY: AWS, Azure, SD-WAN, MPLS, IP Networking, VoIP, TCP/IP, BGP, OSPF, EIGRP, VPN, WiFi, WLAN, TACACS, IPS, IDS, DNS, DHCP, Cisco ISE, Palo Alto, GlobalProtect, Cisco Catalyst 9500/9300/8500, Cisco Nexus 9K/7K/5K, Meraki MX/MR/MS, GRE/IPSEC VPN, Zscaler, AWS Transit Gateway, Direct Connect, Azure Virtual WAN, ExpressRoute, Terraform, Ansible, Python, APIs and AIOps. Really catch our eye with (Preferred Qualifications- subjective): Cisco CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure certification. Palo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Engineer certification. AWS Certified Advanced Networking - Specialty or AWS Solutions Architect - Professional certification. Microsoft Certified: Azure Network Engineer Associate certification. Experience supporting financial services, regulated or highly controlled enterprise environments. Experience with network automation, Infrastructure as Code, SASE and Zero Trust architectures. Demonstrates ownership and approaches work with a solutions-oriented, end-to-end mindset. Focused on execution, delivery, accountability and commitment to dates. About Us About Us What we give you in return: Not many teams can say that they support people's dreams coming to life. We happen to do that every day. And as important as we know your career is, we recognize that there's a whole lot more to life. To ensure that our employees can make the most of their time outside of working hours, we offer a competitive salary and for full-time roles, a benefits package including: Inclusive health, dental, vision, and life insurance plans built to support diverse lifestyles, offer preventative care, and protect against hardship. Easy access to mental health benefits to meet our team members and their families where they are. 20+ days of paid time off (PTO), paid holidays, and 2 paid wellness days to give our employees the time they need to stay close with their loved ones, recharge, and give back to their communities. 401(k) savings plan with a generous company contribution (up to 5%), and access to a financial professional to offer our employees the opportunity to plan-ahead for a strong financial future well beyond their working years. Paid parental leave to support all team members with birth, adoption, and fostering. Health Savings and Flexible Spending Account options to help you save money on healthcare, daycare, commuting, and more. Employee Assistance Program (EAP), LifeLock, Pet Insurance and more. Paid caregiver leave to provide time away from work when caring for an ill or recovering family member. Additional benefits such as an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), identity theft protection (LifeLock), pet insurance, and other voluntary benefits to provide extra peace of mind About Cetera Cetera Financial Group® (Cetera) is a leading network of independent retail broker-dealers and registered investment advisers empowering the delivery of objective financial advice to individuals, families, and company retirement plans across the country through trusted financial advisors and financial institutions. Cetera is one of the largest independent financial advisor networks in the nation and a leading provider of retail services to the investment programs of banks and credit unions. Advisor support resources offered through Cetera include award-winning wealth management and advisory platforms, comprehensive broker-dealer and registered investment adviser services, practice management support, and innovative technology. Cetera Financial Group (Cetera) is a network of independent retail firms, including those that are members of FINRA/SIPC: Cetera Advisors LLC; Cetera Wealth Services, LLC (formerly known as Cetera Advisor Networks); Cetera Investment Services LLC (marketed as Cetera Financial Institutions or Cetera Investors); and Cetera Financial Specialists LLC. Entities registered as investment advisers with the Securities and Exchange Commission include Cetera Investment Management LLC and Cetera Investment Advisers LLC. Cetera's principal office is located at 655 W. Broadway, 11th Floor, San Diego, CA 92101. Avantax Planning Partners, Inc. is an SEC registered investment adviser within the Aretec Group, Inc. (dba Cetera Holdings, an affiliate of Cetera). All the referenced entities are under common ownership. Cetera Financial Group is committed to providing an equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees. For us, this is the only acceptable way to do business. Accordingly, all employment decisions at Cetera Financial Group, including those relating to hiring, promotion, transfers, benefits, compensation, and placement, will be made without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, citizenship, age, physical and/or mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy, genetic characteristics, religion, religious dress and/or grooming, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, U.S. military status, political affiliation, or any other class protected by state and/or federal law. Agencies please note : this recruitment assignment is being managed directly by Cetera's Talent Acquisition team. We will reach out to our preferred agency partners in the rare instance we require additional talent options. Your respect for this process is appreciated. Please review our Workforce Privacy Policy for further details on what information we collect and the purposes for collection. Cetera Financial Group