Network Engineer - Team Lead

Detroit International; Detroit (MI); On-site; USD 102,000 - 133,000; Full time

Job summary

Detroit Public Schools Community District is searching for a Network Engineer - Team Lead to direct enterprise network design, implementation, and operational excellence. You will mentor engineers, coordinate WAN/LAN, security controls, VPNs, and monitoring to align with cybersecurity strategy and district goals.

The role requires leadership across multi-site infrastructure, reporting to the Executive Director, Technology Infrastructure, with after-hours support and travel to district sites as

Job description

Job Description

Job Title

Position Title: Network Engineer - Team Lead

Location: 1425 E. Warren Ave., Detroit, MI 48207

Salary Range: $102,471 - $132,609

Reports to: Executive Director, Technology Infrastructure

Bargaining Unit: N/A

Benefits Eligible: Yes

Telecommuting Eligibility: Site-based. Not eligible for telecommuting.

Position Summary

The Network Engineer - Team Lead is a senior technical leadership role within the Technology Infrastructure Department responsible for leading the secure design, implementation, documentation, support, and continuous improvement of DPSCD's enterprise network environment. This position provides expert guidance across WAN, LAN, wireless, Internet, firewall, VPN, network access control, voice, video, monitoring, and related infrastructure services while mentoring network engineering staff and strengthening team execution.

The role requires a security-focused network professional who can align network operations with the District's overall cybersecurity strategy, bring cross-functional teams together around security priorities, use data and process discipline to improve reliability, and lead large-scale technical projects with clear planning, risk management, stakeholder communication, and executive-ready reporting.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, computer engineering, information technology, cybersecurity, network engineering, or a related field preferred; equivalent education, certifications, and directly applicable experience may be considered.
• CCNA or equivalent network certification required; CCNP or equivalent advanced network certification preferred.
• Security-focused certification such as Security+, Cisco Security, Fortinet, CISSP, CISM, or equivalent preferred.
• ITIL, project management, or process improvement certification preferred, or demonstrated equivalent experience developing disciplined operational practices.
• Ability to provide after-hours and on-call support as assigned, including maintenance windows, emergency response, and major incident support.
• Reliable transportation for travel to District sites and ability to lift and carry at least 25 pounds without assistance.
• Five or more years of progressive enterprise network engineering, network operations, or closely related infrastructure experience in a large, multi-site environment.
• Experience leading technical work, mentoring engineers, coordinating priorities, and developing team capability in a network or infrastructure environment.
• Significant experience applying network security and cybersecurity practices to secure design, segmentation, access control, vulnerability remediation, monitoring, logging, and incident coordination.
• Demonstrated ability to bring technical teams, cybersecurity staff, vendors, and business stakeholders together to plan and execute security strategy and risk reduction efforts.
• Advanced experience with switching, routing, VLANs, capacity planning, OSPF, EIGRP, BGP, WAN technologies, Internet connectivity, MPLS, VPLS, VPN, and SD-WAN concepts.
• Experience with enterprise firewalls, IPS/IDS, firewall rule review, secure remote access, VPN services, network policy controls, and security monitoring practices.
• Experience with wireless design, deployment, optimization, troubleshooting, secure wireless access, and high-density wireless environments.
• Experience with network access control and identity-based access technologies such as Cisco ISE, 802.1X, RADIUS, TACACS+, and related AAA practices.
• Strong understanding of TCP/IP, packet-level traffic analysis, packet capture tools, QoS, VoIP, IP telephony, video services, and advanced network troubleshooting.
• Experience with Cisco routing, switching, wireless, data center switching, Cisco ACI or similar data center networking, load balancing, VMware networking, and related enterprise platforms.
• Experience with network diagnostic, monitoring, alerting, and analysis tools such as SolarWinds, Cisco monitoring platforms, SNMP tools, packet analyzers, and performance dashboards.
• Experience developing and using metrics, service management data, incident trends, root cause analysis, monitoring data, and stakeholder feedback to drive continuous improvement.
• Experience developing detailed process, procedure, standard, policy-aligned, runbook, network diagram, knowledge article, and operational documentation.
• Experience developing network system designs, including logical and physical architecture, IP addressing, VLAN and segmentation models, firewall standards, wireless standards, and monitoring standards.
• Experience developing and managing project plans for large-scale technical projects, including scope, milestones, resources, dependencies, testing, implementation, communications, and transition to operations.
• Experience applying risk management practices, issue tracking, decision logs, change management, rollback planning, and stakeholder communication throughout technical project execution. Experience preparing clear technical recommendations, status updates, executive summaries, vendor evaluations, budget inputs, RFP support materials, and lifecycle planning recommendations.

Essential Functions

• Lead and coordinate the network team's technical work related to installation, configuration, monitoring, maintenance, troubleshooting, and improvement of enterprise network services.
• Serve as a senior technical expert for WAN, LAN, wireless, Internet, firewall, VPN, network access control, VoIP, video, monitoring, and related infrastructure services.
• Lead secure network design practices, including segmentation, firewall standards, identity-based access, VPN, logging, monitoring, configuration management, resilience, and least privilege access.
• Partner with cybersecurity leadership and staff to align network decisions with District security strategy, security policies, risk management priorities, incident response needs, and compliance expectations.
• Coordinate cross-functional security efforts, including vulnerability remediation, access reviews, audit response, firewall and network rule review, secure configuration validation, and incident lessons learned.
• Develop, maintain, and improve network documentation, including system designs, standards, diagrams, runbooks, procedures, knowledge articles, implementation plans, rollback plans, and support models.
• Use monitoring data, service tickets, performance metrics, incident trends, root cause analysis, and stakeholder feedback to identify improvement opportunities and recommend practical solutions.
• Lead continuous improvement efforts that increase reliability, reduce recurring incidents, strengthen security controls, improve documentation quality, and make network operations more predictable and scalable.
• Develop and manage detailed project plans for major network and security initiatives, including scope, milestones, task ownership, timelines, dependencies, risks, testing, communications, implementation, and operational handoff.
• Communicate project status, risks, decisions, resource needs, and escalations clearly to technical teams, school and department leaders, vendors, and executive leadership.
• Support change management, maintenance windows, implementation readiness, post-implementation review, and operational transition for network and security-related changes.
• Perform site assessments for new construction, renovations, relocations, and major upgrades to ensure network solutions are properly designed, purchased, installed, and supported.
• Coordinate secure network access and technical support for special events, temporary needs, and cross-departmental initiatives requiring network engineering assistance.
• Provide Level 3 support for complex incidents and problems, including major outage response, advanced troubleshooting, vendor escalation, documentation of findings, and Support technology planning, procurement, RFP development, vendor evaluation, budget planning, lifecycle management, and assessment of enterprise network investments.
• Mentor network engineers and other technical staff through coaching, knowledge transfer, documentation review, technical standards, peer learning, and support for career pathway development.
• Perform other related duties as assigned by the supervisor.

Security Clearance

Internal Applicants

If you are a current Detroit Public Schools Community District employee, you do not have to submit to a new security clearance, unless your new role requires a different type of criminal background check.

External Applicants

In alignment with Michigan law, if you are hired to fill a position, you will be required to submit to a Detroit Public Schools Community District criminal background check. Information regarding required background checks will be shared at point of hire.

DPSCD does not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability and/or religion. Contact the Civil Rights Coordinator for more information at [phone] or detroitk12.org/compliance.