Job Title: Cisco ISE Lead / Senior Network Engineer (NAC)
Location: Santa Clara, CA
Job Type: Contract (Long Term)
Work Model: Onsite – 5 days/week
Experience: 8+ years
Job Overview
We are seeking an experienced Senior Network Engineer to join our Infrastructure and Network Operations team in Santa Clara, CA. The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE), Network Access Control (NAC), enterprise wireless networking, and advanced routing and switching technologies. This role leads network design, implementation, security, and support across large-scale enterprise environments while driving modernization and automation initiatives.
Key Responsibilities
- Design, deploy, and maintain Cisco ISE solutions for AAA (authentication, authorization, accounting)
- Implement NAC policies including 802.1X, MAB, posture assessment, profiling, and guest access
- Integrate Cisco ISE with Active Directory, PKI, MDM, and SIEM platforms
- Troubleshoot complex authentication and authorization issues across wired and wireless networks
- Design and optimize enterprise wireless networks using Cisco Catalyst and Wireless LAN Controllers
- Configure WPA2/WPA3, RF optimization, roaming, QoS, and high-density wireless deployments
- Design and support enterprise LAN/WAN infrastructure including Layer 2/3 technologies
- Participate in incident response and root cause analysis for critical network outages
- Evaluate emerging networking and security technologies and recommend improvements
Required Skills
- Cisco ISE (5+ years hands-on)
- Network Access Control (NAC), 802.1X, MAB, RADIUS, TACACS+, AAA
- Cisco Catalyst switching and routing platforms
- Enterprise wireless technologies (WPA2/WPA3, RF optimization, QoS)
- Routing protocols: OSPF, BGP, EIGRP, Multicast
- Layer 2 technologies: VLANs, STP/RSTP/MST, EtherChannel, HSRP/VRRP
- DHCP, DNS, TCP/IP
- Active Directory and certificate services integration
Preferred Skills
- Cisco certifications: CCNP Enterprise, CCNP Security, or CCIE
- Cisco DNA Center and Software Defined Access (SDA)
- Network automation: Python, Ansible, REST APIs, Terraform
- Cloud networking: Azure, AWS, or Google Cloud
- Zero Trust and modern security architecture knowledge
- Network monitoring and analytics tools
Location & Work Model
Fully onsite in Santa Clara, CA — 5 days per week. Onsite interview is mandatory.
Engagement Details
Long-term contract engagement. Candidates must be available to interview and work onsite in Santa Clara, CA.