Lead, Network Engineer - AI

Become a part of our caring community The Lead, Network Engineer designs, analyzes, plans and modifies network components supporting customer communication implementation activities. The Lead, Network Engineer works on problems of diverse scope and complexity ranging from moderate to substantial. The Lead Network Engineer will be the technical SME for our enterprise WAN, remote LAN/WLAN, and data center SDWAN network services. This role is responsible for engineering, implementing, and operating a multi-vendor SD-WAN environment, scalable campus/branch switching and wireless, and resilient remote branch solutions. You will serve as the escalation point for complex routing, overlay, and authentication issues, including RADIUS/TACACS+. Additionally, you will provide technical leadership to a team of network engineers and work closely with the Lead Network Architect and Principal Network Architect through structured technical solution peer reviews. Responsibilities Engineering & Design Lead the end-to-end design of multi-vendor SD-WAN solutions (Cisco SD-WAN/Viptela, Meraki, Fortinet, Aruba, Palo Alto, etc.) across global branch and remote office locations. Design and maintain secure and scalable data center solutions to terminate SD-WAN overlays, VPNs, and remote-site connectivity. Develop robust WAN, campus, and data center routing designs using BGP and OSPF, including route redistribution, policy-based routing, and traffic engineering. Design resilient, standardized remote LAN solutions (access/distribution) including VLANs, spanning-tree strategy, link aggregation, and QoS. Build and test enterprise wireless solutions for remote and campus locations, including SSID design, authentication/authorization policies, RF design standards, and guest access. Own the design and lifecycle of RADIUS and TACACS+ solutions for network device access control, 802.1X, and Wi‑Fi authentication, including high availability and redundancy. Collaborate with the Lead Network Architect and Principal Network Architect to ensure solution designs align with enterprise architecture principles, target-state roadmaps, and security standards. Implementation & Operations Lead the deployment and configuration of SD-WAN overlays, routing policies, segmentation, and security policies across multiple platforms. Oversee implementation of switching, routing, and wireless solutions for new sites, data center expansions, and network refresh projects. Serve as the highest-level escalation point for complex incidents involving SD-WAN overlays, routing instability, LAN/WLAN issues, and AAA (RADIUS/TACACS+) failures. Define and maintain network configuration standards, templates, and golden configurations for SD-WAN, LAN, WLAN, and routing. Collaborate closely with security, platform, and applications teams to ensure network designs meet security, performance, and availability requirements. Governance, Peer Review & Documentation Participate in structured technical solution peer reviews with the Lead Network Architect and Principal Network Architect, presenting low-level designs (LLDs), implementation approaches, and migration plans for feedback and approval. Review and provide feedback on designs produced by other engineers to ensure consistency with standard guidelines and operational best practices. Develop and maintain detailed network diagrams, design documents, and runbooks for SD-WAN, LAN/WLAN, data center, and AAA infrastructure. Contribute to or lead network automation efforts (e.g., Ansible, Python, APIs) to streamline configuration, compliance checks, and deployments across SD-WAN and LAN. Define monitoring and observability standards (NetFlow/sFlow, SNMP, syslog, telemetry) for all network domains; work with NOC/operations on alerting and dashboards. Assist in capacity planning, performance analysis, and continual service improvement for WAN, LAN/WLAN, and data center connectivity. Leadership & Collaboration Provide technical leadership and mentorship to network engineers and operations staff; review designs and changes for quality and consistency. Work in close partnership with the Lead Network Architect and Principal Network Architect to translate high-level architecture into implementable, supportable solutions. Participate in and sometimes lead cross-functional solution reviews and present to the change advisory board (CAB). Engage with vendors and service providers for solution evaluation, design improvements, and problem escalation. Contribute to network strategy and roadmap planning, identifying opportunities for modernization, consolidation, and cost optimization. Ability to translate business requirements into scalable, supportable network designs. Strong documentation, communication, and presentation skills; comfortable discussing designs with both technical and non-technical stakeholders. Leadership mindset with the ability to guide, mentor, and influence other engineers. High degree of ownership, initiative, and accountability in a fast-moving environment. A minimum standard speed for optimal performance of 25x10 (25mpbs download x 10mpbs upload) is required. Satellite and Wireless Internet service is NOT allowed for this role. A dedicated space lacking ongoing interruptions to protect member PHI / HIPAA information. Use your skills to make an impact Required Qualifications Bachelor's degree in computer science, Information Technology, Engineering, or equivalent experience. Ability to pass a background investigation to obtain an ADP II Security Clearance. 7+ years of hands‑on experience in enterprise network engineering, with at least 3 years in a senior or lead role. Proven experience designing, deploying, and supporting more than one enterprise-scale SD-WAN platform (Cisco SD-WAN/Viptela, Meraki SD-WAN, Fortinet Secure SD-WAN, Aruba EdgeConnect, etc.). Strong expertise in dynamic routing protocols: BGP – eBGP/iBGP design, route filtering, communities, path manipulation, and troubleshooting. OSPF – multi-area design, route summarization, LSA types, and convergence tuning. Solid experience with enterprise switching: VLANs, 802.1Q trunking, STP/RSTP/MST, EtherChannel/LACP, and QoS. Experience with enterprise wireless networking: Centralized controllers or cloud-managed Wi-Fi, RF fundamentals, roaming, guest and secure SSIDs, and 802.1X-based authentication. Hands‑on experience in designing, deploying, and supporting RADIUS and TACACS+ solutions (e.g., Cisco ISE, Forescout, ClearPass, or similar) for device admin and network access control. Experience working with Infoblox (DDI) and remote site IP addressing design. Strong troubleshooting skills across SD-WAN overlay/underlay, routing, and AAA-related issues using tools such as packet captures, flow data, and detailed logs. Experience working in mission-critical, highly available network environments. Experience working with Data Center Colocation facilities and virtual network fabric provided by vendors such as Equinix and Mega-Port. 2 or more years of project leadership experience. Must be passionate about contributing to an organization focused on continuously improving consumer experiences. Preferred Qualifications Relevant certifications such as: Cisco CCNP Enterprise, CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure or equivalent level of expertise. Other vendors: NSE (Fortinet), Aruba/HP networking, or equivalent. Practical experience leveraging AI tools in a network engineering context, such as: Claude, Gemini, GitHub Copilot (or similar tools) for design assistance, documentation generation, troubleshooting guides, and code review of network automation scripts. Experience with agentic AI and automation patterns, including: Designing and working with AI agents, orchestration frameworks, or MCP-style gateways to interact with network APIs, monitoring platforms, and ticketing systems. We build or maintain Infrastructure as Code (IaC) for network configurations using tools like Terraform, Ansible, or similar ones. We integrate network automation and validation into CI/CD pipelines, such as GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, or Azure DevOps, for configuration testing, compliance checks, and staged rollouts. Familiarity with zero-trust networking concepts, segmentation, and integration with firewalls and security services (Zscaler ZIA, ZPA). Experience in hybrid cloud connectivity (AWS/Azure/GCP) and integrating SD-WAN with cloud on-ramps. Background in strict change control operations and change management processes. Additional Information Implement (perform build/deploy) – with appropriate change ticketing/coordination. Perform post implementation validation/verification and performance testing – document results and provide to Humana; Participate in On-Call rotation. Perform after-hours solutions implementation. Support other teams as needed, after-hours. Work‑At‑Home Requirements WAH requirements: Must have the ability to provide a high speed DSL or cable modem for a home office. Associates or contractors who live and work from home in the state of California will be provided payment for their internet expense. A minimum standard speed for optimal performance of 25x10 (25mpbs download x 10mpbs upload) is required. Satellite and Wireless Internet service is NOT allowed for this role. A dedicated space lacking ongoing interruptions to protect member PHI / HIPAA information. Scheduled Weekly Hours: 40 Pay Range: $117,600 - $161,700 per year. This job is eligible for a bonus incentive plan. Description of Benefits Humana, Inc. and its affiliated subsidiaries offer competitive benefits that support whole-person well-being. Benefits include medical, dental and vision, 401(k) retirement savings plan, time off, paid parental and caregiver leave, short- and long-term disability, life insurance, and more. Equal Opportunity Employer It is the policy of Humana not to discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, marital status, genetic information, disability or protected veteran status. It is also the policy of Humana to take affirmative action, in compliance with Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act and VEVRAA, to employ and to advance in employment individuals with disability or protected veteran status, and to base all employment decisions only on valid job requirements. This policy shall apply to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, upgrading, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, recall, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation and selection for training, including apprenticeship, at all levels of employment. Humana complies with all applicable federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or religion. We also provide free language interpreter services. See our #J-18808-Ljbffr Humana