Manager, Networking - Core Networking

Forward Air Corp.; Coppell (TX); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive base pay

Health insurance

401(k) match

Paid time off

Equity incentives

Job summary

Forward Air Corp. seeks a Manager, Networking - Core Networking to lead the design, implementation, and ongoing evolution of the company’s enterprise and global network infrastructure.

You will provide people leadership and deep technical expertise across data center, LAN/WAN, cloud networking, security, and communications networking environments. You will partner with Infrastructure, Systems, Telecommunications, Cybersecurity, Support, and business stakeholders to ensure secure, resilient, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in IT/CS/Engineering.
• Industry certs such as CCNP/CCIE or Palo Alto/AWS/Azure preferred.
• 7+ years in progressive enterprise networking with leadership experience.
• Strong WAN/LAN, MPLS, internet, cloud networking, and security design knowledge.

Responsibilities

• Lead Core Networking team and provide technical direction.
• Develop and execute global network strategy across data centers and branches.
• Design, implement, and support enterprise networking technologies globally.
• Maintain standards, policies, and roadmaps aligned with business goals.
• Ensure security, resilience, and high availability with proactive monitoring.

Skills

Network leadership

TCP/IP routing

BGP/OSPF/EIGRP

Data center networking

VXLAN/EVPN

Cloud networking

Security networking

Cisco/Arista

VPN technologies

Load balancing

Education

Bachelor's degree in IT/CS/Engineering

Tools

Cisco IOS

Meraki

VeloCloud

Arista EOS

Job description

• Locations 3200 OLYMPUS BOULEVARD, Dallas, TX, 75019, US
• Job Category Corporate: Leadership
• Job Category Information Technology
• Job Function Infrastructure

Job Description

The Manager, Networking - Core Networking is responsible for leading the design, implementation, operation, and continuous evolution of the company's enterprise and global network infrastructure. They provide people leadership and advanced technical expertise across data center , LAN/WAN, internet, cloud, wireless, security, and communications networking environments. They partner closely with Infrastructure, Systems, Telecommunications, Cybersecurity, Support, and business stakeholders to ensure secure, resilient, and scalable network services that support organizational objectives. This position drives network strategy, architecture, standards, modernization initiatives, and technology roadmaps while ensuring operational excellence and service reliability.

Responsibilities

Lead, mentor, develop, and provide technical direction to the Core Networking team.

Develop and execute the organization's global network strategy, including LAN, WAN, wireless, internet, MPLS, cloud networking, VoIP, and security services.

Design, implement, administer, and support enterprise networking technologies across global data center and branch environments.

Develop and maintain network standards, policies, architecture frameworks, and technology roadmaps aligned with business objectives.

Ensure network environments remain secure, resilient, scalable, and highly available through proactive monitoring, maintenance, and capacity planning.

Design and implement network expansion, modernization, and infrastructure improvement initiatives to support organizational growth.

Lead troubleshooting and resolution of complex network incidents involving routing, switching, firewalls, load balancing, DNS, VPN connectivity, and related infrastructure services.

Serve as the senior escalation point and incident owner for critical networking and infrastructure issues through resolution, root cause analysis, and continuous improvement efforts.

Partner with Systems, Telecommunications, Cybersecurity, Facilities Networking, Support teams, and third-party providers to deliver strategic infrastructure initiatives and operational excellence.

Evaluate, recommend, and oversee implementation of emerging networking technologies, solutions, hardware, and software platforms.

Manage vendor relationships, contract negotiations, service agreements, and technology partner performance.

Maintain accurate technical documentation, architectural diagrams, operational procedures, and configuration standards.

Identify opportunities to improve efficiency through automation, DevOps practices, and infrastructure-as-code methodologies.

Lead infrastructure health assessments and provide recommendations that improve reliability, performance, scalability, and security.

All other duties as assigned to meet evolving business needs.

Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree in Information Technology , Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field; equivalent combination of education and relevant experience may be considered.

Certification/Licensure: Industry certifications such as CCNP, CCIE, Palo Alto, Fortinet, AWS, Azure, or other relevant networking certifications preferred.

Experience: 7+ years of progressive enterprise networking experience, including leadership or team management responsibilities.

Deep understanding of enterprise network architecture including WAN/LAN, MPLS, internet connectivity, network security, cloud networking, and resilient global network design.

Advanced expertise with routing and switching technologies, including BGP, OSPF, EIGRP, route maps, ACLs, route redistribution, traffic engineering, VLANs, STP, and PoE.

Experience designing, implementing, and supporting modern data center networking technologies, including Spine-Leaf architecture, VXLAN, and EVPN.

Experience with VPN technologies including IPsec and multi-vendor environments; experience with Cisco ISR/ASR, DMVPN, Meraki, Arista, and VeloCloud preferred.

Experience implementing and supporting enterprise firewall and network access control solutions, including Cisco Firepower, Palo Alto, Check Point, Fortinet, and Cisco ISE.

Strong knowledge of load-balancing technologies, including internal, external, and global load balancing solutions.

Demonstrated ability to lead strategic initiatives, manage competing priorities, influence stakeholders, and communicate effective with technical and executive audiences.

Working knowledge of supporting technologies including DNS, DHCP, storage networking ( FCoE , iSCSI, NVMe /TCP), disaster recovery, Active Directory, and Windows/Linux server environments preferred.

Demonstrated discretion and confidentiality in handling and protecting sensitive information.

Technical: Proficient with common office technologies, including Windows PCs, Microsoft O365 (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) and web conferencing (Teams, Zoom, Webex, etc.)

Forward Air is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

WHAT WE OFFER

• Compensation: Competitive base pay based on experience, industry/geographic benchmarks and internal equity. Some positions may be eligible for incentive pay programs and/or equity-based incentives. Pay ranges published on job boards are not provided nor verified by the Company.
• Health: Medical and Pharmacy insurance; Health Savings Account (HSA); Vision; Dental; Life and Disability; Critical Illness; Accident Indemnity; Hospital Indemnity; On-demand telehealth via Teladoc; Employee Assistance Program (counseling and financial/lifestyle coaching).
• Wealth: 401(k) retirement savings plan with employer match; Employee stock purchase program; Flexible Spending Account (FSA); Commuter Benefits; LegalEASE legal coverage.
• Time: 7 paid holidays and generous Paid Time Off (PTO) tiers ranging from 10-25 days annually.
• Culture: A collaborative, transformation-driven, solutions-first environment full of "can do" attitude and "will do" work ethic.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• Agencies: The Company does not accept unsolicited outreach from third parties. Absent an agreement signed by internal Talent Acquisition and Procurement, and a documented request from Talent Acquisition to submit candidates for a specified requisition, we will not approve payments to any third party.
• Work Authorization: Within the United States, the Company is an E-Verify employer. Unless otherwise indicated, U.S.-based workers must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. without sponsorship, including but not limited to F-1, H-1, H-2, L, J, and TN visas, etc.
• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI): The Company is proud to be an equal opportunity employer . Applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity or veteran status.
• Reasonable Accommodations: Physical/mental requirements are listed only to identify where potential accommodations may be needed, not as qualification standards. In compliance with applicable laws and regulations (including ADA, ADEA, and FMLA), accommodations may be available to qualified individuals unable to perform essential duties without them. Additional requirements may apply to meet legal, regulatory, and Company standards.
• Recruitment Fraud: We will only contact you from @forwardair.com or @omnilogistics.com emails (system messages may come from @workflow.email.us-phoenix-1.ocs.oraclecloud.com). If reached via Indeed or LinkedIn, verify recruiters by reviewing their LinkedIn profiles. We will never request sensitive personal information outside secure systems, nor ask for purchases. Report suspected scams to the Federal Trade Commission and your state Attorney General .