Network & Systems Engineer

Network & Systems Engineer Location: Sacramento, CA (Fully Onsite)
Duration: 6-Month Contract-to-Hire
Travel: Up to 20% travel to other company locations within the U.S.

Job Overview

Our client is seeking an experienced Network & Systems Engineer to join their IT team in Sacramento, CA. This role will be responsible for designing, implementing, maintaining, and securing the organization s network and infrastructure environment. The ideal candidate will have strong hands-on experience with Fortinet firewalls, Cisco networking technologies, and enterprise security tools, along with exposure to Microsoft hybrid environments (Active Directory, Azure, and Intune).

This position will serve as a key technical resource for network operations, security management, and infrastructure reliability.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage and maintain Fortinet firewalls, including firewall policy configuration, monitoring, and optimization.
• Configure and support Cisco and Cisco Meraki network infrastructure including routing, switching, and wireless networks.
• Implement and maintain network security best practices to protect systems and data.
• Configure and manage VPN, NAT, routing, and switching environments.
• Monitor network performance, troubleshoot issues, and implement performance improvements.
• Support SIEM and security tools to detect and respond to security threats.
• Manage endpoint and security tools such as SentinelOne, Microsoft Defender, Tenable, and Automox.
• Support Microsoft hybrid infrastructure, including Active Directory, Azure AD, Microsoft 365, and Intune.
• Maintain and support Windows Server environments.
• Assist with vulnerability remediation, compliance initiatives, and security audits.
• Document infrastructure, configurations, and procedures.
• Collaborate with internal teams and serve as a technical escalation point for network and security issues.

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in network and systems engineering.
• Strong hands-on experience with Fortinet firewalls.
• Experience working with Cisco networking technologies (Cisco / Cisco Meraki).
• Solid understanding of TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, LAN/WAN networking.
• Experience with VPN, NAT, routing, switching, and firewall policy management.
• Experience with network monitoring, troubleshooting, and performance optimization.
• Knowledge of security operations and vulnerability management.
• Experience supporting Windows Server environments.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with SIEM platforms and enterprise security tools.
• Experience in Microsoft cloud and hybrid environments (Azure AD, Microsoft 365, Intune).
• Exposure to backup systems, compliance, or disaster recovery environments.
• Experience working in mid-sized enterprise infrastructure environments.

Preferred Certifications (Nice to Have)

• Fortinet NSE Certification (NSE 4 or higher)
• Cisco CCNA or CCNP
• CompTIA Security+
• Microsoft Certifications (Azure Administrator, Security, or Intune)