Network Engineer

Job Title: Network Engineer
Location: Phoenix, Az- Local
Duration: Long term
Type: Contract - W2 

A Cisco certification is required.

Responsibilities:
Administer and maintain Cisco routers, switches, and firewalls across enterprise or mission networks.
Design, configure, and support LAN/WAN infrastructure, ensuring availability and performance.
Implement and monitor network security baselines, access control lists (ACLs), and device hardening per organizational policies.
Manage and optimize routing and switching protocols (e.g., OSPF, BGP, EIGRP, STP, VLANs, QoS).
Support IPsec, and remote access solutions across secure and hybrid environments.
Collaborate with systems and cybersecurity teams to design and deploy new network capabilities and maintain compliance with RMF and DISA STIG standards.
Troubleshoot and resolve network performance, latency, or connectivity issues methodically and efficiently.
Monitor network performance using tools such as SolarWinds, Wireshark, or NetFlow and identify improvement opportunities.
Document configurations, diagrams, and operational procedures to support continuity and audits.
Participate in change control processes and maintain high standards of operational discipline and communication.
Required Education, Certifications and Security Clearance
BS degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or related field

Requirements Experience/Qualifications:
Minimum 4 years of experience in network engineering, administration, or infrastructure operations.
Hands-on experience with Cisco routers, switches, and firewalls in enterprise environments.
Strong understanding of routing and switching protocols (OSPF, BGP, EIGRP, VLANs, STP, QoS).
Experience managing network security configurations (ACLs, VPNs, firewalls, IPsec tunnels).
Proficiency with TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, NAT, and subnetting.
Ability to troubleshoot complex network issues using packet captures and monitoring tools.
Strong documentation, communication, and analytical skills.

Preferred Experience/Qualifications:
Cisco CCNA or CCNP certification.
Experience with Cisco ISE.
Familiarity with network automation or Infrastructure as Code (Ansible, Python, Terraform).
Exposure to cloud networking concepts (AWS VPC, Azure VNets, ExpressRoute, Direct Connect).
Experience with monitoring and analysis tools such as SolarWinds, Wireshark, or NetFlow.
Prior experience supporting mission, intelligence, or secure enterprise environments.
Networking Hardware
Cisco routers & switches (Catalyst, Nexus, ISR/ASR)
Cisco ASA / Firepower firewalls
Networking Protocols & Concepts
Routing protocols: BGP, OSPF, EIGRP
Static routing & policy-based routing
VLAN design & Spanning-Tree Protocol
Multicast routing configuration
TCP/IP, MPLS, DNS, DHCP, SNMP
eVPN technologies (IPSec, SSL)
WAN/LAN/MAN connectivity: MPLS, ELAN, DIA, LTE
Quality of Service (QoS)
Network segmentation & Zero Trust Network Architecture
Secure remote access solutions
Cloud Networking &Hybrid
Cloud networking concepts: VPCs, subnets, route tables, NAT gateways, cloud-native firewalls
Hybrid DR / BCP (on-prem & cloud)
Automation & Scripting
Python
Monitoring &Management Tools
SolarWinds
Network diagramming / documentation tools (Visio, draw.io, etc.)
SOPs, runbooks, and asset inventory management

Other Software / Tools
Office 365 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams)
Project management / ITSM (Jira, ServiceNow)
Workflow/process mapping & network visualization

Certifications
Cisco: CCNA
Cisco: CCNP
Cisco: CCIE