Network Engineer- Cisco

Senior Network Test Engineer – ConsultantLocation
New York, NY — On-site 3–4 days per week
Experience
8+ years of strong Network Engineering, Network Testing, Design, and Code/Feature Certification experience.
Role Overview
We are looking for a Senior Network Test Engineer with strong expertise in LAN/WAN, Data Center and Campus/Branch networking , combined with hands-on experience in network hardware testing, automation, and code/patch certification .
The ideal candidate should be able to independently lead complex network testing and certification activities, work with multiple vendors, troubleshoot network issues at the protocol level, and develop automation to improve testing coverage and efficiency.
Key Responsibilities

• Test and certify network hardware, software releases, patches, SMUs, and code upgrades.
• Perform functional, performance, interoperability, and reliability testing in network lab environments.
• Rapidly evaluate and certify patches/CVEs and assess associated network and business risks.
• Design and execute testing strategies for routers, switches, firewalls, and load balancers.
• Identify, troubleshoot, and document hardware, software, performance, and compatibility issues.
• Develop test automation using Python, Ansible, APIs, Infrastructure-as-Code, and Robot Framework .
• Create and maintain engineering standards, configuration templates, testing guidelines, and technical documentation.
• Work closely with network vendors and internal engineering teams on PoCs, product evaluations, certifications, and new technologies.
• Present testing results, recommendations, risks, and certification findings to technical and senior management.
• Support production teams with expert-level troubleshooting and vulnerability/bug analysis.
• Evaluate emerging networking technologies and recommend improvements to network testing and certification processes.

Must-Have Skills

• 8+ years of Network Engineering experience.
• Strong experience with LAN/WAN, Data Center, Campus/Branch and WAN/MAN networks .
• Strong knowledge of BGP, OSPF, IGMP, PIM, Layer 2 protocols, and Spanning Tree .
• Hands-on experience with Cisco Catalyst/Nexus platforms.
• Experience with Cisco IOS/XE/NX-OS code certification, bug scrubs, and feature validation.
• Experience with Arista platforms is highly preferred.
• Strong Python and Ansible skills.
• Good Linux administration and networking knowledge.
• Experience with Wireshark, tcpdump, Git/GitHub .
• Strong understanding of network hardware testing and lab certification.
• Experience with IXIA and/or Spirent .
• Strong troubleshooting and protocol-level networking knowledge.
• CCIE or strong CCNP-level expertise .
• Excellent communication, documentation, presentation, and stakeholder-management skills.

Strong Plus / Preferred Skills

• Kubernetes and cloud-native networking.
• Container Networking/CNI and kubectl .
• eBPF / Cilium experience, including observability, security policies, load balancing, and BGP integration.
• Robot Framework and Ansible integration.
• Experience with F5, A10, Fortinet, and Juniper SRX .
• NAC, MAB, 802.1X, Port Security, QoS, IPSec.
• AWS or Azure networking.
• DDoS mitigation and network security/hardening.
• Data Center networking and high-speed connectivity: 10/25/40/50/100G .
• Multi-vendor network design and certification experience.

Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate is a senior-level Network Engineer/Test Engineer who has worked in a network lab environment and has experience designing, testing, troubleshooting, and certifying network products and technologies .
They should be comfortable working independently, leading complex projects, managing multiple vendors, and communicating technical findings to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Candidate Screening Focus
Please prioritize candidates who have:

• 8+ years of strong Network Engineering experience
• Cisco + Arista experience
• Strong BGP/OSPF/IGMP/PIM knowledge
• Hands-on network hardware/code certification or lab testing
• Python + Ansible automation
• IXIA/Spirent experience
• Strong Wireshark/tcpdump troubleshooting
• Linux/networking knowledge
• Experience with network patches, CVEs, SMUs, and code validation
• Ability to work on-site in New York 3–4 days per week

Priority: Candidates with a combination of Network Engineering + Network Lab Testing/Certification + Automation should be given the highest preference.