Senior Network Engineer

Commonwealth of VA Careers; Chesterfield Court House (VA); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

Commonwealth of Virginia Careers seeks a Senior Network Engineer to manage the VCCS enterprise network, data centers, and WAN routing. This role emphasizes remote maintenance and a hybrid schedule across Virginia college campuses and system offices.

The position requires Cisco expertise, firewall proficiency, and strong TCP/IP skills, with a focus on keeping 24x7 service availability and coordinating with multiple campuses.

Qualifications

• Extensive hands-on experience with Cisco routing/switching and WAN tech.
• Experience with firewall technologies including Palo Alto and Cisco ASA.
• Strong TCP/IP, IPv4/IPv6, VLANs, and subnetting fundamentals.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the VCCS enterprise network infrastructure and data center switching.
• Perform remote after-hours and weekend maintenance to minimize outages.
• Support telework-friendly hybrid schedules across 23 college campuses and data centers.
• Collaborate with campuses and Shared Services Center to ensure 24x7 service availability.

Skills

Strong communication

Detail oriented

Self-starter

Independent worker

Education

Networking / IS / CS coursework or certifications

Tools

Cisco Routers

BGP/OSPF routing

QOS

PRTG

Routing & Switching

VLANs

Subnetting

NIC-bonding

TCP/IP / IPv4 / IPv6

Brocade/Cisco switches

BlueCat DNS/DHCP

WLAN

Wireshark

Firewalls (Palo Alto, ASA, Panorama)

Aruba ClearPass RADIUS/TACACS

Palo Alto GlobalProtect VPN

Change/Incident/Request/Asset & Configuration management

NTP Services

Junos / Juniper

SD-WAN (Multi-Carrier)

Job description

Title: Senior Network Engineer

Agency: VCCS-System Office

Location: Chesterfield - 041

FLSA: Exempt

Hiring Range: $100,000 - $125,000 annual

Full Time or Part Time: Full Time

Job Description:

Virginia's community colleges have a 50-year track record of educational excellence and innovation to serve the needs of our citizens and strengthen the Commonwealth’s economy. When Virginia’s General Assembly established the Virginia Community College System in 1966, the need for a comprehensive system was well known. Over the two decades after the end of World War II, leaders in government, business, professional sectors, and academia had called for a new approach to providing educational opportunity. A key concern was Virginia's ability to develop a skilled and knowledgeable workforce to expand the state's economy. Today our community colleges give every Virginian the opportunity to gain a quality education. With 23 colleges on 40 campuses located throughout the state, Virginia's Community Colleges are committed to serving Virginia families, helping them acquire the knowledge and skills to seize the opportunities of today and tomorrow.

The Senior Network Engineer is responsible for the VCCS enterprise network infrastructure, data center switching, WAN routing, and firewall services and does not require face-to-face interaction with the public, including students. This position routinely completes remote after-hours and weekend maintenance on the network infrastructure to minimize service interruptions during normal business hours.

It is expected that the employee will be capable of working a hybrid schedule as this position is telework eligible, planning time appropriately, and going to college locations, the System Office, the Shared Services Center, VCCS data centers, and network infrastructure serving all 23 college campuses and their associated satellite locations in Virginia. The employee will attend all required meetings as necessary, either in person or from remote locations as dictated by present circumstances. The employee will be generally available during normal work hours but will be fully prepared to work as needed outside of those hours to maintain the 24x7 service required by the VCCS.

For full consideration, please apply by September 13, 2026.

Minimum Qualifications:

Comprehensive knowledge:

• Cisco Routers
• BGP and OSPF routing protocols
• QOS
• PRTG
• Routing and Switching
• VLANs
• Cabling
• Sub-netting, NIC-bonding
• TCP/IP, IPv4, IPv6
• Brocade and Cisco switches
• BlueCat DNS and DHCP
• WLAN
• Wireshark
• Firewalls, Palo Alto, Cisco ASA, Panorama
• Aruba ClearPass RADIUS and TACACS

Considerable knowledge:

• F5 BigIP LTM
• F5 BigIP ASM
• F5 BigIP iRules
• SSL Certificates

Working knowledge:

• Palo Alto Global Protect VPN
• Change Management
• Incident Management
• Request Management
• Asset and Configuration management
• NTP Services
• Muli-Carrier SD-WAN
• Junos / Juniper
• Carrier circuit
• Colo Cross-Connect handling

Considerable skill:

• IP routing using BGP and OSPF
• Layer 2 Switching
• Firewall management
• VPN
• Project Task Management

Ability:

• To learn new things and to apply them when and where appropriate.
• Outstanding oral/written communication.
• Detail-oriented.
• To work on multiple tasks simultaneously.
• To apply general work experience to a task.
• To work independently or as part of a team.
• To work in stressful situations.
• To use logic to resolve complex problems.
• To communicate and work well with everyone from the highest levels of technical management to staff level.
• To understand a technical environment and plan accordingly.
• To find creative solutions to problems.
• To analyze user needs and solve problems.
• To be a self-starter and work independently.
• Coordinate the work of a team.
• Coordinated multiple projects and priorities.
• To learn new methodologies and appropriate applications.
• To coordinate multiple projects and their related priorities.

Education, Certifications:

• Substantial knowledge of cited functions.
• Coursework completed, certifications obtained, or professional experience in the fields of Networking, Information Systems or Computer Science.

Experience:

• Previous experience as LAN Administrator.
• Progressive professional experience performing advanced systems engineering, systems programming, systems analysis, network administration, or related information technology functions.
• Project management responsibility for small to medium projects.
• Must have proven ability to define and develop solutions based on business requirements.
• Extensive experience working in Information Technology.
• Experience in higher education a plus.

Additional Considerations:

• CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate) Preferred
• CCNP (Cisco Certified Network Professional) a plus