Principal Network Engineer

NV Energy; Portland (OR); On-site; USD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

NV Energy is seeking a Principal Network Engineer in Portland, Oregon, to lead the design, standardization, implementation, and evolution of a secure enterprise network. The ideal candidate will have expertise in network automation, Cisco technologies, and cloud integration.

You will serve as a technical lead and subject matter expert, mentoring engineers and collaborating with cybersecurity and cloud teams to ensure cohesive network integration.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in information systems, computer science or related technical field or equivalent work experience.
• At least ten years of experience implementing and running large-scale enterprise IT networks.
• Expert-level knowledge in multiple areas of technology including Cisco technologies and network automation.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and execution of network transformation implementations.
• Provide technical mentorship to network engineers and cross-functional teams.
• Define and enforce network engineering standards and operational procedures.

Skills

Network automation

Scripting (Ansible, Terraform, Python)

Network engineering

Cisco technologies

Cloud integration (AWS, Azure, OCI)

Dynamic routing protocols (BGP, OSPF, EIGRP)

Communication skills

Analytical skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in information systems or related field

Tools

Cisco ACI

Palo Alto firewalls

F5 load balancers

Cloudflare

Job description

Job Overview

The Principal Network Engineer leads the design, standardization, implementation and evolution of secure enterprise network infrastructure to continuously improve efficiency and reliability of IT services across on-premise and cloud environments. This position serves as a technical lead within the organization and is a subject matter expert for the team in one or more business critical skillsets.

MidAmerican Energy Company, a Midwest utility, provides regulated electric and natural gas service to more than 1.6 million customers in Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota. The company owns and operates a portfolio of power-generating assets, approximately 61% of which is wind generation.

EEO Statement

MidAmerican Energy Company is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion or religious creed, age, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status (except as required by law), gender (including gender identity and expression), sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, genetic information, physical or mental disability, veteran or military status, familial or parental status, marital status or any other category protected by applicable local, state or U.S. federal law. Employees must be able to perform the essential functions of the position, with or without an accommodation.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in information systems, computer science or related technical field or equivalent work experience. (Typically four years of additional related, progressive work experience would be needed for candidates applying for this position who do not possess a bachelor's degree. A minimum of three years additional directly related technical experience is required.)
• Ten years of experience implementing and running large-scale enterprise IT network in network engineering.
• Proven experience with network automation and scripting such as Ansible, Terraform, Python, or purpose-built applications for same.
• Expert-level knowledge of multiple areas of technology, including Cisco technologies (ACI, SD-WAN, Nexus, Catalyst and wireless solutions), Palo Alto firewalls, F5 load balancers and Cloudflare, DNS and Domain Registration.
• Strong understanding of dynamic routing protocols (BGP, OSPF, EIGRP), firewalls, VPNs, and load balancers.
• Experience with hybrid cloud networking and integrations with AWS, Azure, OCI.
• Effective oral and written communication skills.
• Effective analytical and problem‑solving skills.
• Ability to prioritize and handle multiple tasks and projects concurrently.

Responsibilities

• Serves as enterprise-wide subject matter expert for network design, standards, and operations.
• Leads the development and execution of network transformation implementation, including data center modernization, cloud connectivity, and secure edge networking.
• Provides technical mentorship to network engineers and cross-functional teams.
• Champions network inventory management processes, automation and orchestration tools such as Ansible, Python, and other tools to reduce manual effort and improve network agility through programmatic means.
• Defines and enforces network engineering standards, best practices and operational procedures.
• Develops and maintains comprehensive well-documented detailed designs, standards, and diagrams.
• Stays current on vendor product roadmaps and maintains escalation points with key vendors to ensure a consistent focus on the technical roadmap and future technology enhancements.
• Analyzes and tests new technology trends validating the impact to cloud strategy and reduction to overall TCO.
• Performs research of new technologies and makes recommendations to organizational management on new solutions.
• Collaborates with cybersecurity, cloud, application and infrastructure teams to ensure cohesive and secure network integration.
• Acts as key liaison with vendors, partners, and service providers for technology evaluation and support.
• Presents technical strategies and project updates to executive leadership and stakeholders.
• Provides technical input to assist in development of project planning.
• Performs additional responsibilities as requested or assigned.