Senior Network Engineer

Virginia's Community College System; Richmond (VA); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Telework eligible

Job summary

Virginia’s Community College System seeks a Senior Network Engineer to manage the VCCS enterprise network, data center switching, WAN routing, and firewall services across 23 college campuses and satellite locations. The role emphasizes reliability and 24x7 service readiness, with remote after-hours work common.

Hybrid work is supported; travel to locations in Virginia will be required as needed, and collaboration with System Office teams is routine.

Qualifications

• Outstanding communication, both oral and written.
• Experience with enterprise networking across multiple campuses.
• Ability to plan, implement, and maintain network infrastructure.

Responsibilities

• Oversee VCCS enterprise network infrastructure, data center switching, WAN routing, and firewall services.
• Perform remote after-hours and weekend maintenance to minimize service interruptions.
• Work with 23 college campuses and system offices in a hybrid schedule.
• Attend required meetings in person or remotely as dictated by circumstances.

Skills

Cisco Routers

BGP and OSPF routing protocols

QOS

PRTG

Routing and Switching

VLANs

TCP/IP IPv4/IPv6

Firewalls Palo Alto Cisco ASA Panorama

Aruba ClearPass RADIUS TACACS

Education

CCNA

CCNP

Tools

BlueCat DNS and DHCP

Wireshark

Junos / Juniper

Palo Alto GlobalProtect VPN

Job description

Working Title Senior Network Engineer
Role Title Info Technology Specialist III
Role Code 39113-SW
FLSA Exempt
Pay Band 06
Position Number 26100101
Agency VCCS-System Office Division System Office (Div)
Work Location Chesterfield - 041
Hiring Range $100,000 - $125,000 annual
Emergency/Essential Personnel Yes
EEO Category 2-Professionals
Full Time or Part Time Full Time
Does this position have telework options? -Telework options are subject to change based on business needs- Yes
Does this position have a bilingual or multilingual skill requirement or preference? No
Work Schedule 40 hours per week and as needed. This position routinely completes remote after-hours and weekend maintenance on the network infrastructure to minimize service interruptions during normal business hours.

KSA's/Required Qualifications

• Outstanding oral/written communication.

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 24×7 service required by the VCCS.

Special Assignments

• May be required to perform other duties as assigned.
• May be required to assist the agency or state government generally in the event of an emergency declaration by the Governor.

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

• Operation of a State Vehicle Yes
• Supervises Employees No
• Required Travel

Travel 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.

Additional Information

This position is a state classified position. All classified employees new to the Commonwealth of Virginia will serve a 12-month probationary period. The VCCS offers competitive compensation along with excellent benefits and opportunity for career development.

Background Check Statement Disclaimer

The selected candidate’s offer is contingent upon the successful completion of a criminal background investigation, which may include: fingerprint checks, local agency checks, employment verification, verification of education, credit checks (relevant to employment). Additionally, selected candidates may be required to complete the Commonwealth’s Statement of Economic Interest. For more information, please follow this link: http://ethics.dls.virginia.gov/

EEO Statement

The Virginia Community College System (VCCS) provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, political affiliation, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or other non‑merit factors.

ADA Statement

The Virginia Community College System (VCCS) is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and complies with the Americans with Disabilities Acts (ADA and ADAAA), to provide, reasonable accommodation to applicants in need of access to the application, interviewing, and selection processes when requested.

E-Verify Statement

VCCS uses E-Verify to check employee eligibility to work in the United States. You will be required to complete an I-9 form and provide documentation of your identity for employment purposes.