Network Engineer (Mid-level)

Job Title: Network Engineer
Primary Location: Evanston, IL - 2 Days Onsite/3 WFH
Position Type: 6 months W2 Contract (possibility to extend)

Overview
TalentFish is casting a line for a Network Engineer. This is a 6-month, W2 contract role based in Evanston, IL with a hybrid schedule (onsite 2 days per week). The reason this position exists is to design, implement, and support secure, highly available enterprise network infrastructure across on-premises and cloud environments, ensuring reliable connectivity, performance, and security for business-critical systems.

What You Bring to the Role (Ideal Experience)
• 3–7 years of hands-on experience in network engineering or network administration
• Demonstrated experience supporting Palo Alto Next-Generation Firewalls in production environments
• Strong experience administering Cisco Meraki switching, wireless, firewall, and SD-WAN platforms
• Practical experience with Azure networking in enterprise or hybrid-cloud environments
• Solid understanding of networking fundamentals including TCP/IP, routing, switching, VLANs, DNS, and DHCP
• Experience supporting VPN technologies (site-to-site and remote access)
• Experience working in medium-to-large enterprise network environments
• Bachelor's degree in IT, Computer Science, or related field, or equivalent professional experience
• Relevant certifications preferred (PCNSA/PCNSE, CCNA/CCNP, Azure Network Engineer Associate)

What You'll Do (Skills Used in this Position)
• Design, implement, and maintain LAN, WAN, WLAN, VPN, and cloud connectivity environments
• Deploy, configure, and support Palo Alto NGFWs including policies, NAT, VPNs, and threat prevention
• Administer and troubleshoot Cisco Meraki switches, firewalls, and wireless access points
• Design and support Azure networking services including VNets, subnets, NSGs, route tables, Azure Firewall, VPN Gateway, and ExpressRoute
• Monitor network performance, availability, and security; proactively remediate issues
• Troubleshoot complex network, firewall, and hybrid connectivity issues
• Collaborate with systems, cloud, security, and application teams to support infrastructure initiatives
• Participate in network architecture planning, upgrades, and lifecycle management
• Maintain network documentation, standards, and diagrams
• Provide operational support including incident response, change management, and on-call escalation, as required

Compensation Information
The expected salary range for this position is $45-55 per hour, depending on experience and qualifications. This role also can qualify for comprehensive benefits such as health insurance and paid time off. TalentFish is committed to pay transparency and equal opportunity. The salary range provided is in compliance with applicable state and federal regulations.

This role requires authorization to work in the U.S. without current or future visa sponsorship.

All offers are contingent upon the completion of a background check, which may include but is not limited to reference checks, education verification, employment verification, drug testing, criminal records checks, and any required certifications or compliance requirements based on the end client's background check policies and applicable laws.

TalentFish is an employee-owned company pioneering a new realm in talent acquisition. We are redefining IT staffing by evolving AI, video screening, and our unique platform. TalentFish focuses on providing the best employee, consultant, and client experience possible.
At TalentFish we are an Equal Opportunity Employer; we embrace and encourage diversity!