Network Architect

Acestack; Saint Paul (MN); On-site; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Acestack is seeking a Network Architect to design, implement, and optimize secure, scalable enterprise networks in Saint Paul, MN. The role focuses on routing/switching, cloud networking, security, and automation for high availability across data centers and WAN/LAN environments.

The ideal candidate has 14+ years in network engineering/architecture, hands-on Cisco expertise, cloud experience in AWS/Azure, and strong leadership to guide modernization efforts and collaboration with

Qualifications

• 14+ years of experience in network engineering/architecture.
• Strong knowledge of Cisco networking, routing, and switching.
• Expertise in BGP, OSPF, EIGRP, TCP/IP, VLANs, VPNs, DNS, DHCP, and SD-WAN.
• Experience with Cisco Nexus, Catalyst, ASA/Firepower, or equivalent networking technologies.
• Strong knowledge of network security, firewalls, IDS/IPS, ACLs, NAT, and Zero Trust.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop scalable, secure, and highly available enterprise network architectures.
• Lead network infrastructure modernization, migration, and optimization initiatives.
• Design and implement routing, switching, WAN, LAN, VPN, and data center solutions.
• Develop network security architecture and ensure compliance with enterprise security standards.
• Evaluate new networking technologies and provide recommendations to technical leadership.
• Troubleshoot complex network performance, connectivity, and availability issues.
• Collaborate with cloud, security, infrastructure, application, and DevOps teams.
• Develop network standards, architecture diagrams, design documents, and implementation plans.
• Support cloud and hybrid network integration across AWS/Azure environments.
• Implement network automation and infrastructure-as-code where applicable.
• Perform capacity planning, performance tuning, and network lifecycle management.
• Provide technical leadership and guidance to network engineers and infrastructure teams.

Skills

Cisco networking

Network architecture

Cloud networking

Network security

Network automation

Tools

Cisco Nexus

ASA/Firepower

F5

Terraform

Ansible

Job description

Job Title: Network Architect

Location: St Paul, MN

Full Time

Job Description

We are seeking an experienced Network Architect to design, implement, and optimize secure, scalable, and highly available enterprise network infrastructure. The ideal candidate will have strong expertise in network architecture, routing and switching, cloud networking, network security, and enterprise infrastructure.

Must-Have Technical/Functional Skills

• 14+ years of experience in network engineering/architecture.
• Strong knowledge of Cisco networking, routing, and switching.
• Expertise in BGP, OSPF, EIGRP, TCP/IP, VLANs, VPNs, DNS, DHCP, and SD-WAN.
• Experience with Cisco Nexus, Catalyst, ASA/Firepower, or equivalent networking technologies.
• Strong knowledge of network security, firewalls, IDS/IPS, ACLs, NAT, and Zero Trust.
• Experience designing LAN/WAN, data center, and enterprise network architectures.
• Cloud networking experience with AWS and/or Azure.
• Knowledge of load balancers, proxies, network monitoring, and performance optimization.
• Experience with network automation using Python, Ansible, or similar tools.
• Strong understanding of high availability, disaster recovery, redundancy, and capacity planning.
• Experience with network architecture documentation, diagrams, standards, and technical specifications.

Roles & Responsibilities

• Design and develop scalable, secure, and highly available enterprise network architectures.
• Lead network infrastructure modernization, migration, and optimization initiatives.
• Design and implement routing, switching, WAN, LAN, VPN, and data center solutions.
• Develop network security architecture and ensure compliance with enterprise security standards.
• Evaluate new networking technologies and provide recommendations to technical leadership.
• Troubleshoot complex network performance, connectivity, and availability issues.
• Collaborate with cloud, security, infrastructure, application, and DevOps teams.
• Develop network standards, architecture diagrams, design documents, and implementation plans.
• Support cloud and hybrid network integration across AWS/Azure environments.
• Implement network automation and infrastructure-as-code where applicable.
• Perform capacity planning, performance tuning, and network lifecycle management.
• Provide technical leadership and guidance to network engineers and infrastructure teams.

Preferred Skills

• Cisco CCNP/CCIE or equivalent certification.
• Experience with Cisco ACI, SD-WAN, SDN, or SASE.
• Knowledge of AWS VPC, Transit Gateway, Direct Connect and/or Azure VNet, ExpressRoute.
• Experience with F5, Palo Alto, Fortinet, or similar security/load-balancing technologies.
• Familiarity with Terraform, Ansible, Python, and network automation.
• Experience working in large enterprise or regulated environments.