Network Engineer II

Thorlabs; Newton (NJ); On-site; USD 96,000 - 116,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) plan

Tuition reimbursement

Generous PTO

Job summary

Thorlabs, located in Newton, NJ, seeks a Network Engineer II to design, install, administer, and troubleshoot enterprise networks across WAN/LAN, hybrid cloud, and telecoms. The role includes mentoring teammates, maintaining documentation, and ensuring secure, stable infrastructure.

Candidates should have 6+ years of IT experience, with Cisco/Arista switches, ISE, and firewalls. CCNA/CCNP/CCIE are strong pluses; AS/BA degree preferred or equivalent experience.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 6 years of enterprise IT experience.
• Experience with Cisco and Arista switches, ISE, firewalls.
• Networking design, deployment, and lifecycle maintenance.

Responsibilities

• Design, install, administer, and troubleshoot network systems across WAN/LAN and hybrid cloud.
• Mentor other network engineers and support staff.
• Audit and maintain firewall/router/switch configurations and network security.

Skills

Communication skills

Project prioritization

Willingness to travel

Mentoring others

Documentation

Education

AS/BA degree preferred or experience equivalent

Certifications (CCNA, CCNP, CCIE)

Tools

Cisco switches

Arista switches

ISE

Firewalls

Scripting

Job description

At Thorlabs, we design and manufacture components, instruments, and systems that transform the world by identifying, enabling, and accelerating key photonics (i.e., light-based) technologies. Backed by a dedicated workforce of more than 3,000 employees worldwide, Thorlabscontributes to cutting-edge research and real-world innovation.

Whether you're early in your career or bringing years of experience, you'll find opportunities to grow, take ownership, and make meaningful contributions from day one. We know every employee brings unique talents and perspectives that fuel our success, and we seek driven individuals who are excited to make an impact in a fun, fast-moving culture.

The Network Engineer II is responsible for designing, installing, administering, and troubleshooting network systems and equipment throughout the enterprise. This is inclusive of network WAN/LAN, hybrid cloud services, telecoms, IoT, and workplace (pc, video, audio) devices. This role will assume one or many of the roles detailed below, and mentor support to the rest of the team to support customers and end-users. Although the location of the position is in Newton, NJ, from time to time it may be required to undertake duties at other Thorlabs locations.

General Duties:

• Coordinate and schedule resources supporting our goals and projects and communicate with all internal Business leaders and vendors.
• Stay current with the applicable product lines and available technologies, test proof of concept technologies, and make recommendations that will benefit our organization.
• Maintain documentation standards as required.
• Cross-train and mentor other Network Engineers on the knowledge of these systems.
• Enforce all network and security best practices and policies.
• Maintain consistent builds and standards.
• Maintain a robust, stable, and secure data and system environment.
• Cost-effective planning and tracking of all expenses related to running applicable areas.
• Adhering to Company policies, procedures, and directives regarding standards of workplace behavior in completing job duties and assignments.
• Routine Patch/change management of core systems and devices.
• Support customer requests as required.
• Provide end-user training as required.

Network Administration

• Network project planning, designing, deployment, and lifecycle maintenance.
• Proficient with Layer 2/3 configurations, and advanced complex changes with vendor support.
• VOIP project planning, design, deployment, and lifecycle maintenance.
• Audit all firewalls/routers/switches routinely and maintain consistent secure and reliable configurations.
• Maintain and monitor the effective and efficient use of WAN/LAN resources by systems and end-users.
• Management and design of all Microsoft networking services (DHCP, DNS, DFS, etc.)
• Experience with scripting to support system automation and management.
• Routinely test failover network scenarios (VPN backup, Wireless backup, etc.)

Requirements

Experience:

• Minimum of 6 years of related experience in an enterprise IT environment.
• Experience with Cisco and Arista Switches, ISE, Firewalls.
• Experience with diagnosing hardware, security, compliance, and application issues.
• Experience with ITIL Foundations v4 a plus.

Education:

• AS Degree, BA/BS preferred or experience equivalent - Computer Science, or related field.
• Certifications a plus+: CCNA, CCNP, CCIE, Arista ACE, NSE 4, Azure, AWS, ITIL, PMP/Prince2/Agile, Scrum.

Specialized Knowledge and Skills:

• Excellent written, communication, technical documentation skills.
• Ability to prioritize multiple projects and tasks; act independently. Willing to support/work off-hours and weekends and travel internationally.
• Willingness and ability to take initiative and the desire to continually take on additional responsibilities.

The estimated pay range for this role is $96,000 - $ 116,000 annually

Thorlabs values its diverse environment and is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified individuals will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identify or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age or veteran status. Job descriptions are not intended as and do not create employment contracts. The organization maintains its status as an at-will employer. Employees can be terminated for any reason not prohibited by law.

Benefits

• Thorlabs offers a complete benefits package that includes medical, dental and vision insurance, company paid life insurance, a generous PTO package, a 401(k) plan, and tuition reimbursement just to name a few.