IT Network Engineer

Heartland-Farms; United States; On-site; USD 85,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

401(k) retirement plan

Paid time off

Job summary

Heartland Farms is seeking an IT Network Engineer to design, secure, and maintain a distributed network spanning the HQ, farming sites, and processing facilities. The role involves diverse connectivity options including fiber, fixed wireless, cellular, and satellite, handling precision‑agriculture data and field telemetry.

You will ensure reliable, secure operations during planting/harvest, support hybrid cloud links, and work with field ops and shipping.

Qualifications

• When applying, a Bachelor's in IT/CS or equivalent hands-on experience is required.
• 3+ years in network administration/engineering with routing, switching, firewall management.
• CCNA/CCNP or similar certifications are preferred.
• Experience with rural/remote connectivity is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Design, deploy, and maintain LAN/WAN infrastructure across office, satellite, and farm sites.
• Configure routers, switches, firewalls, and wireless access points at multiple locations.
• Maintain site-to-site VPNs and secure remote access for staff and field personnel.
• Support hybrid cloud connectivity and OT/SCADA style networks for field tech.
• Coordinate with shipping to plan data networks and ensure OT traffic is isolated.

Skills

Enterprise networking

TCP/IP & VLANs

Troubleshooting

Willingness to travel

Education

Bachelor's degree in IT/CS

Industry certs (CCNA/CCNP)

Tools

SonicWall

Cisco

Ubiquiti

Meraki

Fortinet

Job description

Job Details

Job Location: Heartland Farms Headquarters - Hancock, WI 54943

Position Type: Full Time

Salary Range: $85,000.00 - $100,000.00 Salary

Job Shift: 1st Shift

Job Summary

The IT Network Engineer designs, builds, secures, and maintains the network infrastructure that connects Heartland Farms' offices, potato storage and processing facilities, equipment yards, and field operations. Farm networks differ from typical corporate IT: sites are geographically distributed and often rural, connectivity depends on a mix of fiber, fixed wireless, cellular, and satellite links, and the network increasingly carries not just business traffic but precision‑agriculture data, GPS‑guided equipment, yield and soil sensors, potato storage monitoring, drone telemetry, and irrigation controls. This role keeps that infrastructure reliable, secure, and ready to support both the business office and the field, especially during time‑critical planting and harvest windows.

Qualifications & Responsibilities

Network Infrastructure

• Design, deploy, and maintain LAN/WAN infrastructure connecting the corporate office, satellite locations, and farm sites.
• Configure and manage routers, switches, firewalls, and wireless access points across all company locations.
• Assist with configuration and troubleshoot networking of printing and scanning systems as needed.
• Evaluate and manage connectivity options for rural and remote sites, including fiber, fixed wireless, cellular failover, and satellite, for balancing cost, reliability, and bandwidth.
• Maintain site-to-site VPNs and secure remote access for staff and field personnel.
• Support hybrid cloud connectivity, including site-to-cloud links for business applications and data backup.

Precision Agriculture & Field Technology

• Support networking for connected farm equipment and precision‑ag systems, possibly including GPS guidance, yield monitors, and telemetry from tractors, combines, and sprayers as needed.
• Maintain connectivity for IoT sensors in field areas, potato storages, processing facilities, and irrigation systems.
• Coordinate with agronomy and operations staff to plan network coverage for new equipment, sensors, or field technology rollouts.
• Coordinate with shipping department to plan, develop, install and maintain shipping data and SCADA networks as needed.
• Segment operational technology (OT) traffic from business IT systems to limit risk from field devices.

Security & Compliance

• Implement and maintain firewall rules, network segmentation, and access controls to protect business systems and farm operations data.
• Monitor for network intrusions, unusual traffic, and vulnerabilities; respond to and document security incidents.
• Assist in the creation and regular updates of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
• Maintain network documentation, disaster recovery procedures, and business continuity plans for connectivity outages.
• Support compliance requirements tied to financial systems, crop insurance data, and vendor/partner data‑sharing agreements.

Operations & Support

• Monitor network performance and availability; troubleshoot outages and degraded connectivity, with priority response during planting and harvest seasons.
• Manage relationships with ISPs, telecom carriers, and network equipment vendors, as needed. Take part in contract and SLA review.
• Plan and execute network upgrades and expansions to support new sites, buildings, or acquisitions.
• Provide on‑call support as scheduled and during critical seasonal windows and escalated outages.
• Maintain accurate network documentation, diagrams, IP addressing schemes, and asset inventories.
• Support user activity and troubleshoot with other IT team members to provide the best possible user experience.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Hands‑on experience with enterprise networking platforms (e.g., Sonicwall, Cisco, Ubiquiti, Meraki, Fortinet, or similar) is required.
• Solid understanding of TCP/IP, VLANs, VPNs, DNS/DHCP, and wireless networking standards.
• Ability to travel between farm sites and facilities, including some driving in rural/field conditions; valid driver's license required.
• Strong troubleshooting skills and ability to work

Education & Experience

Required

• Heartland Farms Network Engineer is an on-site position.
• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent hands‑on experience.
• 3+ years of experience in network administration or engineering, including routing, switching, and firewall management.

Preferred

• Industry certification such as CCNA, CCNP, Network+, or Security+.
• Experience with rural or remote connectivity solutions (fixed wireless, satellite, cellular failover).
• Familiarity with precision agriculture technology, IoT devices, or operational technology (OT) / SCADA‑style networks.
• Experience supporting hybrid cloud environments (e.g., Microsoft Azure, AWS).
• Prior experience in agriculture, food production, or another geographically distributed industry.

Work Schedule

• Monday through Friday, standard business hours. Some evening and weekend hours may be required seasonally.
• Participation in on‑call rotation schedule for evening/weekends, concentrated around seasonal operations and for multi business support.

Work Environment

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is stationed in an office setting. It is not uncommon for employee support to be needed on‑site at the plant, shipping, or production facility or called to address issues when supporting equipment or sensor connectivity. The employee is occasionally exposed to wet and/or humid conditions, moving mechanical parts, and outside weather conditions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Physical Requirements

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

Requires the ability to work on‑site and in multiple locations and settings.

Requires the ability to clearly understand verbal and written communication from others in person and by telephone.

Requires the ability to interact confidently and effectively with vendors, management, and employees, individually and in groups.

Benefits

Competitive pay w/ bonuses available and an excellent benefits package: health, dental, life, disability, 401(k), and paid time off (holidays, sick days & vacation) await this highly motivated individual.

Location Details

Heartland Farms is located at 907 3rd Avenue Hancock, WI 54943 in Adams County near the border of Waushara County.

Less than 20-minutes from Bancroft, Coloma, or Plainfield.

About 30 minutes from Adams, Almond, Necedah, Nekoosa, Wautoma, Westfield, or Wild Rose.

About 35-40 minutes from Red Granite, Stevens Point, or Wisconsin Rapids.

Additional Information

With Heartland Farms, Inc., you will work as part of a high performing agricultural organization where team members collaborate to get the job done and challenge the status quo to find a better way. We highly value hard work, achievement, and reliability, and reward people accordingly.

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required for this position. Duties, activities, and responsibilities may change, or new ones may be assigned at any time with or without notice.Heartland Farms Inc. provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.