Network Deployment Technician

Socket.dev; North Charleston (SC); On-site; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) with company match

Medical coverage

Dental coverage

Vision coverage

Tuition assistance

Paid parental leave

PTO and holidays

Internal training and certifications

Job summary

Core4ce is seeking a Network Deployment Technician to support staging, deployment, configuration, and sustainment of a global enterprise network and security infrastructure. You will work across Cisco/Ruckus devices, PAN-OS firewalls, SD-WAN edge appliances, and on-prem virtualization, with travel to remote sites for turnkey implementations.

The role requires hands-on installation, testing, and coordination of cutovers, with a focus on security baselines and rapid incident resolution.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of hands-on enterprise network deployment or field engineering.
• Experience supporting large-scale network rollouts and hardware cutovers.
• Active DoD Secret clearance or verifiable eligibility to obtain one; DoD 8570 baseline certification within 60 days of hire.

Responsibilities

• Lead remote and on-site turn-ups, hardware refreshes, and site decommissioning.
• Configure and test switching, routing, and SD-WAN across multiple fabrics.
• Deploy and configure Palo Alto Networks firewalls and ensure DoD security baselines.
• Manage edge virtualization and VM/VNF provisioning at remote sites.
• Coordinate cutovers, draft as-built diagrams, and maintain site reports.

Skills

Field deployment

Network troubleshooting

Security compliance

Travel readiness

Education

DoD 8570 Baseline Certification (IAT Level II)

Tools

VMware ESXi

Hyper-V

KVM

PuTTY / MobaXTerm

Microsoft Visio

Wireshark

Job description

We are seeking a versatile and hands-on Network Deployment Technician to support the staging, deployment, configuration, and sustainment of a large-scale, global enterprise converged network and security infrastructure. This role bridges physical deployment logistics, enterprise multi-vendor routing/switching (Cisco, Ruckus), next-generation firewalls (Palo Alto), modern SD-WAN edge implementations, and on-premises hypervisor / virtualization platforms.

The ideal candidate thrives in a high-tempo operational environment, traveling to remote customer locations and operational sites to execute turnkeys, upgrades, hardware cutovers, and rapid incident resolution.

Responsibilities:

Site Deployment, Turn-up & Field Operations

• Travel to remote sites (~50%-75%) to lead and execute physical and logical network turn-ups, hardware refreshes, and site decommissioning.
• Coordinate all pre-trip deployment logistics: stage and burn-in hardware, fabricate and label copper/fiber cabling, pack transport trunks, and arrange travel itineraries and site access.
• Perform physical rack-and-stack installations, cable management, power distribution (UPS/PDU), and clean, dress, and test single-mode and multimode fiber optic runs.

Network Routing, Switching & SD-WAN Configuration

• Configure, test, and troubleshoot enterprise switching and routing platforms, including Cisco Catalyst/Nexus and Ruckus ICX switches (FastIron).
• Implement and validate SD-WAN (Software-Defined Wide Area Network) edge appliances, optimizing traffic steering and failover across multiple transport circuits (Broadband, MPLS, LTE/5G, and Satellite/Microwave).
• Configure VLANs, trunking (802.1Q), spanning-tree protocols (RSTP/MSTP), link aggregation (LACP), and dynamic routing protocols (OSPF, BGP).

Network Security & Firewall Engineering

• Deploy and configure enterprise next-generation firewalls, with a primary focus on Palo Alto Networks (PAN-OS].
• Maintain compliance with DoD STIGs (Security Technical Implementation Guides) and organizational security baseline configurations.

Edge Virtualization & Hypervisor Operations

• Deploy and support edge server hardware hosting hypervisors (e.g., VMware ESXi, Microsoft Hyper-V, or KVM).
• Configure hypervisor virtual networking components, including virtual switches (vSwitches), port groups, VLAN tagging, and physical NIC bonding/redundancy.
• Deploy, spin up, snapshot, and monitor virtual machines (VMs) and Virtual Network Functions (VNFs) utilized for local site operations, services, and management nodes.

Project Coordination, Cutover Management & Documentation

• Survey remote facility infrastructure and draft as-built and proposed site architecture diagrams in Microsoft Visio.
• Coordinate and lead pre-installation conference calls with local site points of contact (POCs), project managers, and cyber security teams.
• Schedule authorized service interruptions (maintenance windows/outages) to perform cutovers with minimal mission disruption.
• Author and update Site specific reports, cutover checklists, and site survey templates to enforce standardization across deployment teams.
• Provide tiered escalation support during post-cutover stabilization, troubleshooting issues from physical cabling faults to hardware system failures.

This position is designed to be flexible, with responsibilities evolving to meet business needs and enable individual growth.

Requirements:

Required Clearance, Credentials & Travel Documentation

• Clearance: Active DoD Secret Security Clearance (or verifiable eligibility to obtain one prior to employment).
• Travel Documentation: Must hold an active, valid U.S. Passport (with at least 6 months validity remaining prior to expiration) and possess the ability to travel internationally and obtain foreign visas as required.
• DoD 8570 / 8140 Baseline Compliance: Must hold or obtain within 60 days of hire an IAT Level II baseline certification (e.g., CompTIA Security+ CE, SSCP, CCNA Security, or equivalent).

Education & Professional Experience

• 3+ years of hands-on experience in enterprise network administration, deployment, or field engineering (or equivalent combination of formal IT education and military/field experience).
• Proven experience supporting large-scale enterprise rollouts, data migrations, or field hardware cutovers.

Technical Proficiencies

• Firewalls & Security: Demonstrated experience with Palo Alto Networks NGFWs (PAN-OS, security profiles, NAT, IPsec) and/or Cisco security products.
• Switching & Routing: Hands-on configuration experience with Ruckus (ICX series, FastIron CLI) and Cisco (IOS/IOS-XE) platforms.
• SD-WAN & Transport: Working knowledge of SD-WAN architectures, path selection policies, and hybrid transport layers (Fiber, Twisted Pair Copper, Microwave, SATCOM).
• Hypervisors / Virtualization: Hands-on familiarity with bare-metal hypervisors (VMware vSphere/ESXi, Hyper-V), virtual switch configuration, and edge VM administration.
• Transport & Physical Layer: Practical knowledge of fiber optic installation, connector types (LC, SC), optical transceivers (SFP/SFP+/QSFP), and diagnostic test sets.
• Software Tools: Proficiency in Microsoft Visio, terminal emulators (PuTTY, MobaXTerm), Wireshark, and network monitoring tools (SNMP/Syslog).
• Networking Fundamentals: Strong working knowledge of TCP/IP, OSI model, IP addressing, subnetting, VLANs, trunking (802.1Q), and dynamic routing (OSPF, BGP).

Physical & Operational Requirements

• Ability to travel domestically and internationally 50% to 75% of the time.
• Ability to lift, transport, and rack equipment weighing up to 80 lbs.
• Flexibility to work non-standard hours, nights, and weekends during scheduled maintenance windows.

Professional Attributes

• Methodical Problem Solving: Ability to systematically isolate faults and resolve unexpected technical hurdles during high-pressure maintenance windows.
• Effective Communication: Strong verbal and written communication skills to deliver technical updates to engineering teams and articulate status clearly to non-technical site leadership.
• Autonomy & Dependability: Proven ability to manage on-site tasks independently with high attention to detail, cable management standards, and security compliance.

Preferred Qualifications:

Vendor Certifications

• Palo Alto Networks: PCCET, PCNSA, or PCNSE.
• Ruckus: Ruckus Certified Networking Associate (RCNA) or Ruckus Certified Implementer.
• Networking: Cisco CCNA / CCNP (Enterprise).
• Virtualization: VMware Certified Technical Associate (VCTA) or VCP-DCV.

Why Work for Us?

Core4ce is a team of innovators, self-starters, and critical thinkers-driven by a shared mission to strengthen national security and advance warfighting outcomes.

We offer:

• 401(k) with 100% company match on the first 6% deferred, with immediate vesting
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage-employee portion paid 100% by Core4ce
• Unlimited access to training and certifications, with no pre-set cap on eligible professional development
• Tuition assistance for job-related degrees and courses
• Paid parental leave, PTO that grows with tenure, and generous holiday schedules
• Got a big idea? At Core4ce, The Forge gives every employee the chance to propose bold innovations and help bring them to life with internal backing.

Join us to build a career that matters- supported by a company that invests in you.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, disability, veteran status, age, genetic information, or other legally protected status.

*Core4ce provides the listed pay range for this position as a general guideline only and not as a guarantee of compensation or salary. Final offers may take into account a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, job responsibilities, education, experience, knowledge, skills, abilities, internal equity, market data alignment, any applicable collective bargaining agreement, and other legal requirements.