IT Team Lead, Networking

MSA Safety Inc.; Cranberry Township (Butler County); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

MSA Safety Inc. in Cranberry Township, PA is seeking a Network Operations Leader to guide a team of network specialists and design scalable LAN/WAN architectures.

You will implement security controls and drive reliability across our IT infrastructure, coordinating with IT Solution Operations, Platform, and Solution teams. The ideal candidate has a BS in IT/CS/Engineering, 5+ years in network operations, SDN experience, and strong communication with non-technical stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in IT, Computer Science, Engineering, or related field.
• 5+ years of experience in network administration, network operations, or related IT infrastructure roles.
• Demonstrated experience in team coordination or supervision in a network or IT operations environment.
• Hands-on expertise with LAN/WAN, Wi-Fi, firewalls, VPNs, and network monitoring tools.
• Software-defined networking experience
• Experience in collaborating with IT domains and business stakeholders.
• Strong communication skills for translating technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and mentor network specialists.
• Conduct performance reviews, set objectives, and support career development.
• Foster a collaborative, high-performing, and customer-focused team culture.
• Develop and manage network operations budgets and resource plans.
• Contribute to IT strategic planning and roadmap development within the Solutions Operations Domain.
• Lead the design and evolution of scalable, secure, and resilient network architectures.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and recommend improvements to existing infrastructure.
• Develop and maintain network standards, policies, and design principles.
• Provide hands-on support for complex network service requests and incidents.
• Implement, monitor, troubleshoot, and resolve LAN/WAN, Wi‑Fi, firewall, and VPN issues.
• Escalate issues appropriately while maintaining accountability for resolution quality.
• Implement and enforce network operations processes, standards, and best practices.
• Monitor performance metrics and identify improvement opportunities to optimize reliability and efficiency.
• Drive initiatives to enhance knowledge management, automation, infrastructure as code, and proactive monitoring.
• Conduct regular audits and vulnerability assessments of network infrastructure in coordination with Cyber Security.
• Collaborate with IT Solution Operations, Platform, and Solution teams to ensure seamless escalations.
• Communicate team performance, network trends, and improvement initiatives to IT leadership.
• Represent the Network Operations perspective in cross-domain discussions and initiatives.
• Support the development and execution of business continuity and disaster recovery strategies for all network services, ensuring alignment with organizational requirements for Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) and Recovery Point Objectives (RPO).

Skills

LAN/WAN

Wi-Fi

Firewalls

VPNs

Network monitoring

SDN

ITIL/ITSM familiarity

Cloud networking

Team leadership

Stakeholder communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in IT/CS/Engineering

Tools

Network Monitoring Tools

Automation tooling

Job description

Overview

Are you someone who is passionate, motivated, and driven to make a difference? If so, MSA Safety is the perfect fit for your career.

At MSA, SAFETY is who we are AND it is what we do. We are a purpose-driven company committed to deploying innovation and technology to deliver on our Mission to help protect people and assets all around the world. We continue to be relentless in our pursuit of solving our customers greatest problems so they can go home safe each and every day.

Are you in? Read on for more details about this particular role.

Responsibilities

Team Leadership & People Management

• Lead, coach, and mentor network specialists.
• Conduct performance reviews, set objectives, and support career development.
• Foster a collaborative, high-performing, and customer-focused team culture.
• Develop and manage network operations budgets and resource plans.
• Contribute to IT strategic planning and roadmap development within the Solutions Operations Domain.

Network Operations & Troubleshooting

• Lead the design and evolution of scalable, secure, and resilient network architectures.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and recommend improvements to existing infrastructure.
• Develop and maintain network standards, policies, and design principles.
• Provide hands-on support for complex network service requests and incidents.
• Implement, monitor, troubleshoot, and resolve LAN/WAN, Wi‑Fi, firewall, and VPN issues.
• Escalate issues appropriately while maintaining accountability for resolution quality.

Operations & Process Improvement

• Implement and enforce network operations processes, standards, and best practices.
• Monitor performance metrics and identify improvement opportunities to optimize reliability and efficiency.
• Drive initiatives to enhance knowledge management, automation, infrastructure as code, and proactive monitoring.
• Conduct regular audits and vulnerability assessments of network infrastructure in coordination with Cyber Security.

Stakeholder Engagement & Collaboration

• Collaborate with IT Solution Operations, Platform, and Solution teams to ensure seamless escalations.
• Communicate team performance, network trends, and improvement initiatives to IT leadership.
• Represent the Network Operations perspective in cross-domain discussions and initiatives.
• Support the development and execution of business continuity and disaster recovery strategies for all network services, ensuring alignment with organizational requirements for Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) and Recovery Point Objectives (RPO).

Qualifications

Education and Experience Required:

• Bachelor's degree in IT, Computer Science, Engineering, or related field
• 5+ years of experience in network administration, network operations, or related IT infrastructure roles.
• Demonstrated experience in team coordination or supervision in a network or IT operations environment.
• Hands‑on expertise with LAN/WAN, Wi‑Fi, firewalls, VPNs, and network monitoring tools.
• Software-defined networking experience
• Experience in collaborating with IT domains and business stakeholders.
• Strong communication skills for translating technical concepts to non‑technical stakeholders.

Education and Experience Preferred:

• Relevant certifications such as CCNA, CCNP or equivalent
• Prior experience leading a small team in IT network operations or infrastructure support.
• Familiarity with ITIL or ITSM practices, including incident, problem, and request management.
• Experience with hybrid and cloud networking environments.
• Exposure to automation, network monitoring dashboards, and knowledge management initiatives to improve support efficiency.

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