Network Patching SME

Cognizant; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Cognizant in Canada seeks a Network Patch Tower Lead (Onshore) to serve as the primary interface to client NetOps during Canada hours. You will own IOS/IOS-XE/NX-OS firmware patching and security upgrades across a 147,000+ device estate, including Cisco core routers, campus and data center switches, Juniper, and F5 devices.

Hybrid onshore role with weekend change windows; English is mandatory. Compensation ranges from $60,000–$85,000 CAD annually, with Cognizant ensuring compliant, sponsor-free

Qualifications

• CCNP Enterprise or CCNP Data Centre is mandatory.
• ITIL 4 Foundation certification is required or preferred.
• Experience patching large estates with Cisco, Juniper, and F5 devices.
• Strong knowledge of change management and CMDB processes.
• Experience with network automation and SRE practices.

Responsibilities

• Plan and execute firmware upgrades for Cisco IOS/IOS-XE/NX-OS and patches for Cisco, Juniper, and F5 devices.
• Design patching sequences with redundancy and failover testing.
• Coordinate maintenance windows and ensure alignment with golden-config standards.
• Back up configurations, perform staged upgrades (core → distribution → access), validate failover.
• Maintain EOS tracking, update CMDB, and track vulnerabilities.
• Produce and present KPIs for governance reviews.
• Escalate issues to L2/L3 NetEng and vendors as needed.

Skills

Network Platforms

Protocols

Patching Tools

Automation

ITSM & Vuln

Education

CCNP Enterprise or CCNP Data Centre

ITIL 4 Foundation

CCIE Enterprise or CCIE Data Centre

Juniper JNCIP/JNCIA-Junos

F5 Certified Administrator (F5-CA 201)

Cisco DevNet Associate (network automation)

Tools

Cisco DNA Center

Cisco Prime

TFTP

SCP image transfer

Kron EEM scheduler

Ansible network modules

Netmiko

Napalm

RESTCONF

Job description

ROLE SUMMARY

The Network Patching Tower Lead (Onshore) is the primary network interface to client NetOps/L2/L3 during Canada hours. This role owns IOS/IOS-XE/NX-OS firmware patching and security upgrades across a 147,000+ device estate — spanning Cisco core routers, campus and data center switches, Juniper devices, and F5 load balancers. Zero-tolerance for unplanned outages during change windows drives the need for expert-level Cisco expertise and deep understanding of network redundancy patterns.

ROLE IN THE OPERATING MODEL

• Tower/pod lead and SME for Network patching — primary network interface to client NetOps/L2/L3 during Canada hours and weekend windows
• Coordinates change windows with the NOC and client NetOps; owns Network tower compliance reporting
• Operates as network execution layer under client direction; network architecture/design changes remain client L2/L3 owned
• Directs offshore network SMEs during onshore hours; manages escalation within agreed SLTs

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Plan and execute IOS/IOS-XE/NX-OS firmware upgrades and security patches for Cisco, plus Juniper Junos and F5 TMOS devices
• Design patching sequences leveraging redundancy — HSRP VRRP failovers, VSS StackWise rolling upgrades, NSF SSO capabilities
• Take pre-change configuration backups (TFTP SCP), perform staged upgrades (core → distribution → access), and validate redundancy/failover post-change
• Coordinate maintenance windows with the NOC and client NetOps; align to golden-config standards
• Maintain device EOL EOS tracking and compliance posture; update CMDB and asset records
• Perform RCA for failed upgrades; execute rollback; elevate to L2/L3 NetEng and vendor (via client) as needed
• Track Cisco PSIRT security advisories and Field Notices; prioritize CVE-driven firmware upgrades within wave cycles
• Own Network tower compliance reporting; present KPIs to the Patch Service Lead for governance reviews

TECHNICAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE SCOPE

• Execute IOS/IOS-XE/NX-OS firmware upgrades and Cisco security patches; Juniper Junos and F5 TMOS upgrades
• Design redundancy-aware patching sequences — HSRP VRRP failover, VSS StackWise rolling, NSF SSO validation
• Take config backups (TFTP SCP); perform staged upgrades (core → distribution → access)
• Validate redundancy, routing protocol convergence, and spanning tree stability post-change
• Maintain EOL EOS tracking; update CMDB device firmware levels; close vulnerability tickets
• Author RFC CAB documentation; schedule maintenance windows with NOC and NetOps
• Track Cisco PSIRT and Field Notices; plan CVE-driven upgrade waves

SKILLS, TOOLS & COMPETENCIES

Primary Skills

• Network Platforms Cisco IOS/IOS-XE Cisco NX-OS (Nexus) Cisco ASA/FTD Juniper Junos F5 TMOS
• Protocols BGP OSPF EIGRP STP RSTP MSTP HSRP VRRP VSS StackWise MPLS VPN
• Patching Tools Cisco DNA Center Cisco Prime TFTP SCP image transfer Kron EEM scheduler Ansible network modules
• Automation Ansible ios_command nxos_command Python Netmiko Napalm NETCONF RESTCONF RANCID Oxidized
• ITSM & Vuln ServiceNow Change CMDB BMC Network Discovery Tenable Qualys RFC CAB KEDB

Secondary Skills

• Firewall and load-balancer patching — Cisco ASA FTD upgrade F5 TMOS upgrade procedures
• SD-WAN awareness and Cisco DevNet automation
• Splunk Dynatrace for network event correlation

CERTIFICATIONS

Mandatory

• CCNP Enterprise or CCNP Data Centre (mandatory)
• ITIL 4 Foundation

Preferred (one or more)

• CCIE Enterprise or CCIE Data Centre — strong plus
• Juniper JNCIP JNCIA-Junos
• F5 Certified Administrator (F5-CA 201) for load-balancer estate
• Cisco DevNet Associate (network automation) — advantageous

NICE TO HAVE

• Experience patching large Cisco estates (50,000+ devices)
• Cisco DNA Centre and SD-Access operational familiarity
• Firewall policy-aware patching — ASA FTD upgrade experience with rule-set validation

WORK MODEL & COMMITMENT

• Hours Canada business hours + weekend change window coverage
• Shift Model Hybrid onshore; scheduled network maintenance windows
• On-Call Yes — emergency network firmware events and routing outage escalations
• Language English (mandatory)

Compensation

We are offering between $60,000 – $85,000.

Cognizant will only consider applicants for this position who are legally authorized to work in Canada without requiring employer sponsorship, now or at any time in the future.

Disclaimer

The salary, other compensation, and benefits information is accurate as of the date of this posting. Cognizant reserves the right to modify this information at any time, subject to applicable law.

Please note, this role is not able to offer visa transfer or sponsorship now or in the future