Network Staging Lab Engineer 5726

Tier4 Group; United States; Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Tier4 Group in the United States seeks a Network Staging Lab Engineer to prepare, validate, configure, and test network infrastructure before production deployment. The role emphasizes hands-on lab work, documentation, and readiness for global deployment, with a focus on accuracy and technical depth.

The position is primarily remote but requires residing in the Dallas–Fort Worth area and occasional onsite lab activities and travel (10%).

Qualifications

• 3+ years of hands‑on network engineering, network operations, deployment, or infrastructure support experience.
• Experience in data center environments and physical network infrastructure.
• Ability to independently troubleshoot network-related issues.
• Experience configuring and validating enterprise networking equipment.
• Familiar with console access and remote management tools.

Responsibilities

• Configure, validate, and test network infrastructure prior to production deployment.
• Load and verify operating systems, firmware, software releases, and configurations.
• Execute deployment readiness testing and pre-deployment validation.
• Verify routing, switching, security, and management functionality.
• Document hardware inventories, software versions, configurations, and deployment status.
• Support equipment packaging, shipment coordination, and deployment logistics.
• Remotely access and configure network devices across enterprise environments.
• Support network expansion, refresh, migration, and deployment initiatives.
• Troubleshoot hardware, software, and configuration-related issues.
• Collaborate with network engineering, operations, project management, and vendors.

Skills

TCP/IP networking

Ethernet switching

VLANs

Routing fundamentals

Network security concepts

Data center experience

L1 connectivity experience

Remote management

Education

CCNP certification or equivalent hands-on networking expertise

Tools

Cisco IOS/Networking equipment

Juniper Junos

Arista EOS

Fortinet FortiOS

Python

Ansible

Git

NetBox

Job description

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM-5:00 PM CST

Travel: Approximately 10%

About the Opportunity

Seeking a Network Staging Lab Engineer to support a large-scale global network infrastructure program for a leading enterprise organization. In this role, you will play a critical part in preparing, validating, configuring, and testing network infrastructure prior to deployment into production environments.

The ideal candidate will combine strong network engineering fundamentals with hands‑on data center experience and a disciplined approach to validation, documentation, and deployment readiness. This position supports a highly visible global initiative where accuracy, technical depth, and attention to detail are essential.

Although primarily remote, candidates must reside in the Dallas‑Fort Worth area and be available for occasional onsite lab activities and travel (10%) when required.

Key Responsibilities

Network Staging & Deployment Readiness

• Configure, validate, and test network infrastructure equipment prior to production deployment.
• Load and verify operating systems, firmware, software releases, and configuration baselines.
• Execute deployment readiness testing and pre-deployment validation procedures.
• Verify routing, switching, security, and management functionality.
• Document hardware inventories, software versions, configurations, and deployment status.
• Support equipment packaging, shipment coordination, and deployment logistics.
• Remotely access and configure network devices across enterprise environments.
• Support network expansion, refresh, migration, and infrastructure deployment initiatives.
• Perform troubleshooting and issue resolution for hardware, software, and configuration‑related problems.
• Work closely with network engineering, operations, project management, and vendor teams to resolve deployment blockers.
• Participate in technical discussions, project meetings, and engineering reviews.

Lab Operations

• Support network staging lab operations and inventory management.
• Perform rack‑and‑stack activities, hardware installation, cabling, and equipment validation as needed.
• Maintain asset tracking, inventory records, and equipment documentation.
• Ensure adherence to lab standards, cable management practices, equipment labeling, and operational procedures.
• Support RMA activities and vendor coordination for failed or defective hardware.

Automation & Process Improvement

• Assist with network automation initiatives and deployment optimization efforts.
• Support automated configuration validation, device provisioning, and deployment workflows.
• Contribute to process documentation, deployment runbooks, and standard operating procedures.
• Identify opportunities to reduce manual effort and improve deployment efficiency through automation.

Required Qualifications

• 3+ years of hands‑on network engineering, network operations, deployment, or infrastructure support experience.

Strong understanding of

• TCP/IP networking
• Ethernet switching
• VLANs
• Routing fundamentals
• Network security concepts

• Experience working in data center environments.
• Experience supporting physical network infrastructure, including Layer 1 connectivity.
• Experience configuring and validating enterprise networking equipment.
• Ability to independently troubleshoot network‑related issues.

Experience working with one or more major networking platforms such as

• Cisco
• Juniper
• Arista
• Fortinet

• Experience with console access, remote management tools, and network documentation.
• Ability to lift and install network equipment in accordance with safety guidelines.

Preferred Qualifications

• CCNP certification or equivalent hands‑on networking expertise.
• Juniper networking experience.
• Experience supporting large‑scale enterprise, cloud, or global network environments.

Experience with

• OSPF
• BGP
• IS‑IS
• Segment Routing (SR-MPLS)

• Experience with network automation and infrastructure‑as‑code concepts.

Familiarity with

• Python
• Ansible
• Git
• NetBox

• Experience developing scripts to automate network validation, configuration generation, or data collection.
• Exposure to AI-assisted operational workflows and automation technologies.

Technical Environment

• The successful candidate should be comfortable working within environments that include:
• Enterprise routing and switching platforms
• Network deployment and migration projects
• Automated provisioning and validation processes
• Global network operations and engineering teams

What We’re Looking For

This role is best suited for a network engineer who enjoys the operational side of network deployments and takes pride in getting things right before production rollout. The ideal candidate can operate independently, troubleshoot confidently, and possesses the technical depth expected of a mid‑to‑senior level network engineer.

Candidates do not necessarily need a CCNP certification, but they should be capable of performing at a CCNP level and discussing routing, switching, troubleshooting, and deployment concepts in depth during the interview process.