Network Engineering Manager

Overview

Hybrid
Depends on Experience
Full Time

Skills

LAN/WAN
Wi-Fi
VoIP
SD-WAN
Cloud Networking
routing
switching
firewalls
VPNs
Unified Communications
network performance monitoring
network policies
Cisco
Aruba

Job Details

Knoxville, TN | Network Engineering Manager | Full-time

The Senior Manager of Network Engineering is responsible for defining and executing the strategic direction and day-to-day operations of the company s enterprise network. This role provides leadership and oversight to the Network Manager, Network Team Lead, and Network Architect, ensuring a cohesive, scalable, and forward-looking approach to network design, performance, and security.

The ideal candidate is a strategic, execution-oriented leader with deep operational expertise in network engineering. They will drive innovation while maintaining operational excellence, ensuring that the company s network infrastructure enables the business s growth and resilience. Success in this role depends on fostering strong partnerships across Enterprise Technology Operations, Security, and other Technology teams to deliver integrated, reliable, and secure solutions.

Responsibilities:

  • Team Development: Provide mentorship and coaching to network leaders and engineers, fostering professional growth, accountability, and high performance.
  • Oversee network operations to ensure high availability, performance, and compliance with internal and regulatory standards.
  • Partner effectively with Security, Infrastructure, Cloud, and Application teams to deliver end-to-end technology solutions.
  • Working with the Portfolio team, Manage project intake, prioritization, and execution across network initiatives, including budget management, resource planning, metrics, and reporting.
  • Champion automation, standardization, and process optimization to increase network efficiency and reliability.
  • Present strategies, roadmaps, and key initiatives to executive leadership and stakeholders; build alignment across teams through clear, persuasive communication.
  • Stay informed on industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices to guide the company s network modernization and transformation roadmap.
  • Develop and execute a comprehensive enterprise network strategy aligned with the company s technology and business goals.

Qualifications:

  • Bachelor s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, a related field, or equivalent experience.
  • 10+ years of progressive experience in network engineering, including 5+ years in a leadership role within a large, complex enterprise environment.
  • Proven success leading distributed network teams across multiple domains (LAN/WAN, Wi-Fi, VoIP, SD-WAN, Cloud Networking, etc.).
  • Demonstrated ability to lead complex cross-functional initiatives without direct authority.
  • Strong organizational navigation skills; adept at influencing senior leaders and peers.
  • Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills with the ability to communicate complex technical concepts to business stakeholders.
  • Deep technical understanding of enterprise networking technologies, including routing, switching, firewalls, VPNs, unified communications, and network performance monitoring.
  • Experience developing and enforcing network policies, procedures, and standards in alignment with cybersecurity and compliance requirements.
  • High integrity, discretion, and sound judgment when handling sensitive information.
  • Comfortable operating in dynamic environments, balancing long-term strategy with immediate operational needs.

Skills & Competencies:

  • Leadership & Management
  • Proven ability to lead and develop high-performing, distributed technical teams.
  • Skilled at balancing strategic planning with tactical execution.
  • Strong mentoring and coaching mindset; invests in people growth and capability building.
  • Experienced in managing through ambiguity and influencing without direct authority.

Technical Expertise:

Advanced knowledge of enterprise networking; Core Routing & Switching (Cisco, Aruba, etc.)Wireless Infrastructure (Aruba, Meraki, or equivalent)SD-WAN / Cloud Networking (Azure/AWS integrations, Prisma SD-WAN, or equivalent)Network Security (Firewalls, VPN, NAC, segmentation, Zero Trust)Voice & Unified Communications (Cisco UC, Teams Voice, etc.)Network Monitoring & Observability (SolarWinds, Datadog, Splunk, or similar)

Understanding of automation and Infrastructure-as-Code (Python, Terraform, etc.) for network configuration and provisioning.

Working knowledge of cloud networking architecture and hybrid connectivity (ExpressRoute, Direct Connect, VPN/Transit gateways).

"Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled"

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