Senior IT Network Engineer

Job Title: Senior IT Network Engineer

Location: Remote (Must be within driving distance of Springfield, IL)
Onsite Requirement: 2–3 days per month
Duration: 6-Month Contract (High likelihood of multiple extensions)
Employment Type: C2C / 1099 / W

Position Overview

We are seeking a highly experienced Senior IT Network Engineer to support and enhance a large, enterprise-scale network infrastructure. This role is part of a well-established technical team responsible for ongoing network operations, infrastructure upgrades, and expansion initiatives.

This is a long-term consulting opportunity starting with an initial six-month contract. All current team members in similar roles have received extensions, with many continuing for 12 months or longer.

Although the role is primarily remote, candidates must be within driving distance of Springfield, IL to support occasional on-site work (approximately 2–3 days per month).

Key Responsibilities

• Support, monitor, and maintain a large, complex enterprise network across multiple locations

• Participate in network upgrades, expansions, and infrastructure improvement initiatives

• Troubleshoot and resolve complex Layer 2 and Layer 3 network issues

• Configure, deploy, and maintain network hardware, firewalls, and security appliances

• Assist with network design, architecture decisions, and technical planning

• Ensure compliance with network security, performance, and reliability best practices

• Work closely with internal engineers, operations teams, and stakeholders

• Provide clear documentation, diagrams, and knowledge transfer

• Participate in scheduled on-site activities for maintenance, upgrades, or issue resolution

Required Technical Skills

Candidates must have strong hands-on experience in the following areas:

Network Security & Firewalls

• Palo Alto Networks

  • Firewall configuration and management

  • Security policy implementation and troubleshooting

• Fortinet

  • FortiGate firewall administration

  • VPN setup and security feature configuration

Routing & Switching

• Cisco Routing and Switching

  • Enterprise-level routing and switching environments

  • VLANs, routing protocols, and network segmentation

  • Hardware deployment, configuration, and troubleshooting

Preferred Qualifications

• Senior-level experience supporting enterprise or large-scale network environments

• Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills across networking and security platforms

• Experience working in collaborative, team-based engineering environments

• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision

• Strong communication and documentation skills

• Prior experience in contract or consulting roles is a plus