Network Migration Architect

Gofractional; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Gofractional is seeking a Network Migration Architect to oversee overnight cutover windows, replacing legacy Cisco and Juniper hardware with current platforms. This senior role leads a remote team of 7–8 engineers and owns the end-to-end cut window from planning to handoff.

The position requires an Active CCIE or JNCIE equivalent, deep Cisco and Juniper experience, and proven ability to manage live changes on a national remote team. The shift runs 11:00 PM–8:00 AM CST with a 12-month term.

Qualifications

• Active CCIE or equivalent JNCIE certification is required.
• Architect level depth in Cisco IOS, IOS XE, Nexus and Juniper Junos.
• Experience leading a remote team of migration engineers during live change windows.
• Hands-on MOP authoring and execution.
• Ability to guide non-network onsite personnel by phone.

Responsibilities

• Lead a remote team of 7 to 8 cutover migration engineers.
• Diagnose issues during overnight cuts and decide go/rollback.
• Escalate as needed and coordinate with stakeholders.
• Direct onsite hands through miscabled optics and port issues.
• Author, review, and execute MOPs.
• Build and verify cable matrices.
• Deliver handoffs and cut status at window end.

Skills

Team leadership

MOP authoring

Cable matrix validation

Change management

Routing & switching

Troubleshooting under pressure

Job description

Network Migration Architect, Cisco and Juniper

Level: Architect

Required Certifications: Active CCIE, or equivalent Juniper expert level certification (JNCIE).

Shift: 11:00 PM to 8:00 AM CST

Term: 12 month contract

Classification: 1099 or Corp to Corp

Location: Remote work from home within the United States

Screening: Drug, Background, Employment History and References will be checked / verified

Summary

This is the senior technical seat that owns the overnight cut window. Two jobs in one role: Key 6 Administrator at the front of each cut, and Nighttime Lead for everything that follows. You lead a remote team of 7 to 8 cutover migration engineers replacing legacy Cisco and Juniper hardware with current generation platforms.

When a cut goes sideways at 3:00 AM, you are the person who diagnoses it, decides whether to press forward or roll back, and knows when to escalatE. Confidence, command of the bridge, and clean decision making under pressure matter as much as technical depth.

Key 6 Administrator

• Hold the privileged Key 6 credential and log each cut engineer into their assigned devices at the start of the window.
• Roughly a 15 minute process at the front of every cut. Mechanically simple, but it gates the entire night, so it has to be correct and on time.
• Maintain custody and confidentiality of the credential in line with client security policy.

Nighttime Lead

• Run the cut window end to end for a team of 7 to 8 remote engineers. Set the order of operations, keep the team on the clock, and hold the bridge.
• Act as the escalation point when cut engineers hit complex faults. Diagnose, direct, and resolve in real time.
• Make go / no go and rollback calls, and own them. Recognize when a problem exceeds the team on the bridge and pull in additional escalation.
• Direct onsite hands who are frequently not network engineers. Talk a technician through miscabled optics, wrong port assignments, reversed uplinks, and similar physical errors over the phone, without seeing the rack.
• Author, review, and execute MOPs. Validate that the MOP matches the target design and the actual device state before the window opens.
• Build and verify cable matrices, and catch errors in them before they become an outage.
• Deliver a clean handoff and cut status at the end of every window, including anything left open, rolled back, or requiring day shift follow up.

Required

• Active CCIE, or equivalent Juniper expert level certification (JNCIE). This is a hard requirement. No equivalents, no lapsed certifications, no in progress candidates.
• Architect level depth across Cisco IOS, IOS XE and Nexus platforms, and Juniper Junos.
• Demonstrated experience leading a team of cutover or migration engineers through live change windows. This is not a solo engineering seat.
• Hands on MOP authoring and execution.
• Cable matrix creation and validation.
• Proven ability to guide non network onsite personnel through physical remediation by phone.
• Sustained overnight shift experience. This role is 11:00 PM to 8:00 AM CST, not occasional after hours work.
• Strong routing and switching fundamentals with fast, structured troubleshooting under time pressure.
• Resides in the United States and is authorized to work in the United States.
• Able to clear a background check.

Preferred

• Service provider or carrier grade escalation background. Last level of support for complex, high risk network faults.
• Technology refresh and legacy decommissioning programs spanning many sites and repeating cut windows.
• Both Cisco and Juniper inside the same program, including cross OEM transitions in either direction.
• Depth in BGP, OSPF, MPLS, and data center fabric technologies.
• Track record authoring technical procedures, prevention plans, and assurance documentation, not just executing someone else's.
• Vendor TAC case management on live outages.
• Experience operating inside a formal change control process with defined back out criteria.
• Track record mentoring and developing engineers on a live bridge.