Lead Director - Network Core Infrastructure Operations

CVS Health; California; Hybrid; USD 144,000 - 288,000; Full time

Job summary

CVS Health seeks a Lead Director - Network Core Infrastructure Operations to guide the engineers responsible for the core routing and switching environment across data centers, campuses, WAN edge, and cloud. You will balance hands-on technical leadership with strategic direction, vendor management and change control to ensure stability and security.

You will lead a Level 1–3 network team, drive automation and AI-assisted operations, and collaborate across departments to optimize availability for

Qualifications

• 10+ years of enterprise network infrastructure operations and engineering experience.
• 5+ years hands-on experience in enterprise routing and switching on Cisco platforms (Nexus, Catalyst, ISR/ASR), including BGP, OSPF or EIGRP, VLANs, spanning tree, VXLAN/EVPN, VRFs, QoS, and ACLs.
• 3+ years leading teams - equally comfortable setting direction and hands-on.
• 3+ years operating core network services - DNS, DHCP, and IPAM (Infoblox) - at enterprise scale.
• 3+ years of WAN and LAN across datacenter, campus, multi-site environments, including MPLS/SD-WAN.

Responsibilities

• Own the health, performance, and security of core routing and switching networks across datacenter, campus, WAN edge and cloud.
• Operate and safeguard DNS/DHCP/IPAM (Infoblox) for enterprise-wide reliability.
• Lead SDN/SD-WAN initiatives to enhance agility, efficiency and scalability.
• Create automated network health reporting and centralized monitoring.
• Drive change control and incident/problem management in a 24x7 ops environment.
• Mentor Level 1–3 engineers and manage staffing/shifts to sustain a stable network.

Skills

Enterprise network operations

Cisco routing & switching

Team leadership

WAN/LAN security

Automation scripting

AIOps/telemetry

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

Cisco Nexus

Cisco Catalyst

ISR/ASR

Infoblox DNS/DHCP/IPAM

Ansible

NETCONF/YANG

Terraform

Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN/ACI

DNA Center

Job description

We’re building a world of health around every individual — shaping a more connected, convenient and compassionate health experience. At CVS Health®, you’ll be surrounded by passionate colleagues who care deeply, innovate with purpose, hold ourselves accountable and prioritize safety and quality in everything we do. Join us and be part of something bigger – helping to simplify health care one person, one family and one community at a time.

Position Summary

CVS Health is seeking a highly motivated and experienced network leader to join our Infrastructure Operations & Service Delivery organization as the Lead Director - Network Core Infrastructure Operations. You will lead the engineers who keep our core routing and switching environment running - infrastructure that spans over 10,000 applications (approximately 4,100 cloud-hosted), serves 190,000 users, encompasses 10,000+ locations, and includes multiple datacenters and multi-cloud environments. As the Lead Director – Network Core Infrastructure Operations, you will be accountable for the stability, performance, and security of the company's WAN and LAN, the core network services (DNS, DHCP, and IPAM) that everything else depends on, and the day-to-day operations of a Level 1–3 network operations team. This is a deliberately balanced leadership role: we are looking for a leader who still knows the technology deeply and can go hands-on when it matters, while coaching the team, managing vendors, setting operational strategy, and driving problem and change management.

Key Responsibilities

• Network Infrastructure Management (Core Routing and Switching): Own the operational health, performance, and security of the core routing and switching environment across datacenter, campus, WAN edge, and cloud connectivity, built primarily on Cisco platforms (e.g., Nexus, Catalyst, ISR/ASR). Oversee the design, implementation, and maintenance of resilient WAN and LAN networks to ensure high availability, performance, and security. Manage routing and switching operations — BGP, OSPF/EIGRP, VLANs, spanning tree, VXLAN/EVPN, VRFs, QoS, and access control — including turn-ups, changes, and remediation.
• Core Network Services (DNS / DHCP / IPAM): Operate and safeguard DNS (Domain Name System), DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol), and IPAM services using Infoblox for reliable name resolution and address management across the enterprise. Maintain supporting services such as NTP and network authentication (e.g., RADIUS / 802.1X) in partnership with identity and security teams.
• SDN, SD-WAN, and Connectivity: Implement and oversee software-defined networking and SD-WAN capabilities (Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN and ACI) to enhance network agility, efficiency, and scalability. Manage connectivity to multi-cloud environments and coordinate carrier / WAN services.
• Network Monitoring: Ensure network device monitoring is captured, acknowledged, and reported, and streamline monitoring into a single-pane-of-glass view. Create automated reporting on network health, outages, and status, and maintain a defined process for keeping all network monitoring tools current and accurate.
• Network Stabilization and Problem Management: Proactively identify potential network issues and vulnerabilities, implementing solutions to prevent downtime or service disruptions. Lead problem‑solving initiatives, investigating and resolving complex, high-impact network issues promptly and efficiently, including root‑cause analysis.
• Change Control and Implementation: Develop and enforce robust change control processes to manage network configuration modifications effectively. Collaborate with cross‑functional teams to implement changes while minimizing impact on ongoing operations. Review daily network changes with the team and provide a workflow that drives a high success rate for all approved network changes.
• Team Leadership and Mentoring: Lead and develop a Level 1–3 network operations team, providing direction, guidance, mentorship, and career growth while fostering a collaborative, high‑accountability culture. Manage staffing and shift coverage to sustain a stable, flexible, and available network for all customers.
• Metrics, Capacity, and Strategic Planning: Develop and track KPIs for network performance, reliability, and efficiency, and use them to identify areas for improvement and build strategic plans. Lead capacity planning and forecast investment needs across the core routing and switching estate.
• Automation and AI-Assisted Operations: Drive practical automation of routine operational tasks — diagnostics, configuration compliance, and reporting — governed by change control, approvals, testing, and rollback. Where it adds value, adopt AI-assisted / AIOps capabilities (e.g., telemetry-based anomaly detection, alert correlation and noise reduction, assisted troubleshooting) to reduce detection and resolution times, with engineers reviewing and approving all recommendations.

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years of enterprise network infrastructure operations and engineering experience
• 5+ years of hands‑on experience in enterprise routing and switching on Cisco platforms (Nexus, Catalyst, ISR/ASR), including BGP, OSPF or EIGRP, VLANs, spanning tree, VXLAN/EVPN, VRFs, QoS, and ACLs
• 3+ years of experience leading teams - equally comfortable setting direction and going hands‑on
• 3+ years of experience operating core network services - DNS, DHCP, and IPAM (Infoblox) - at enterprise scale
• 3+ years of WAN and LAN experience across datacenter, campus, and multi-site environments, including MPLS and/or SD‑WAN

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with load balancing (F5) and working alongside security teams on firewall, proxy, and segmentation at the network edge
• Demonstrated ownership of incident, problem, and change management in a 24x7 operations environment, with a strong monitoring and observability background
• A working automation baseline — able to use scripting/automation (e.g., Python or Ansible) to automate routine tasks, configuration audits, and reporting
• Excellent leadership, communication, and mentoring skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across departments and levels of the organization
• Familiarity with AI-driven network operations (AIOps) — telemetry-based anomaly detection, event correlation and noise reduction, and AI-assisted troubleshooting
• Experience with streaming telemetry, SNMP, NetFlow/IPFIX, and syslog data pipelines at scale
• Advanced automation / infrastructure-as-code (NETCONF/YANG, Ansible, Terraform)
• Hands‑on experience with Cisco Catalyst SD‑WAN, ACI, or Catalyst Center (DNA Center)
• Multi‑cloud networking experience (AWS and/or Azure - e.g., Transit Gateway, Route 53, PrivateLink)
• Experience in a large, regulated enterprise (e.g., healthcare, HIPAA / PCI DSS) operating thousands of locations
• Industry certifications such as Cisco CCNP or CCIE (or equivalent), and ITIL

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience (HS diploma + 4 years relevant experience)

Pay Range

The typical pay range for this role is: $144,200.00 - $288,400.00 This pay range represents the base hourly rate or base annual full-time salary for all positions in the job grade within which this position falls. The actual base salary offer will depend on a variety of factors including experience, education, geography and other relevant factors. This position is eligible for a CVS Health bonus, commission or short-term incentive program in addition to the base pay range listed above. This position also includes an award target in the company’s equity award program.

Benefits

We take pride in offering a comprehensive and competitive mix of pay and benefits that reflects our commitment to our colleagues and their families. This full‑time position is eligible for a comprehensive benefits package designed to support the physical, emotional, and financial well‑being of colleagues and their families. The benefits for this position include medical, dental, and vision coverage, paid time off, retirement savings options, wellness programs, and other resources, based on eligibility. Additional details about available benefits are provided during the application process and on Benefits Moments.

We anticipate the application window for this opening will close on: 11/14/2026

Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with all federal, state and local laws.

Our Work Experience is the combination of everything that's unique about us: our culture, our core values, our company meetings, our commitment to sustainability, our recognition programs, but most importantly, it's our people. Our employees are self-disciplined, hard working, curious, trustworthy, humble, and truthful. They make choices according to what is best for the team, they live for opportunities to collaborate and make a difference, and they make us the #1 Top Workplace in the area.