Senior Network Engineer- IT - R-1000842

Dona Ana County; Las Cruces (NM); On-site; USD 65,000 - 107,000; Full time

Job summary

Doña Ana County is seeking a Senior Network Engineer to design, implement, and optimize the county's enterprise network infrastructure, including LAN/WAN, wireless, VPN, VOIP, and security systems. You will lead network architecture planning, oversee deployments, and ensure reliability, performance, and security of network operations.

You will collaborate with internal teams, management, and vendors to deliver projects, support long-term infrastructure strategy, and provide technical leadership

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field.
• Four (4) years of experience in enterprise IT infrastructure or network management.
• Valid driver's license and Cisco CCNA certification required; CCNP, Palo Alto PCNSE/PCNSA, Security+ or similar certifications are a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead network architecture and capacity planning for enterprise LAN/WAN, wireless, VPN, VOIP, and related systems to meet current and future County requirements.
• Participate in disaster recovery planning and testing; validate network resilience and redundancy are in place.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and recommend adoption strategies for network infrastructure solutions that align with County objectives.
• Develop, implement, and maintain policies, procedures, and training plans for network administration, appropriate use, and disaster recovery.
• Lead the design and deployment of enterprise-class network infrastructure, including advanced routing, switching, firewall, and VPN solutions.
• Coordinate with vendors, contractors, internal departments and cross-functional IT teams on infrastructure projects.
• Assist with the deployment of infrastructure security measures.
• Proactively monitor and troubleshoot network performance, capacity, and security.

Skills

Networking

LAN/WAN

Security

VoIP

Disaster recovery

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field

Tools

Cisco devices

Palo Alto

SD-WAN

VPN appliances

Job description

NOTICE TO APPLICANT

Applications must be submitted by 11:59 PM MST the day before the posted End Date.

You must ensure your application reflects the correct and current information for your work experience, hours worked per week per position, education, personal information, etc.

Only the information provided on this application is evaluated when determining compensation.

Job Description

PURPOSE SUMMARY. Design, implement, and optimize the County's enterprise network infrastructure, including LAN/WAN, wireless, VPN, VOIP, and security systems. Lead network architecture planning, oversee deployment of advanced networking technologies, and review the reliability, performance, and security of all network operations. Collaborate with internal teams, management, and vendors to deliver projects, maintain high availability, and support long-term infrastructure strategy.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES

Strategic Planning

• Lead network architecture and capacity planning for enterprise LAN/WAN, wireless, VPN, VOIP, and related systems to meet current and future County requirements.
• Participate in disaster recovery planning and testing; validate network resilience and redundancy are in place.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and recommend adoption strategies for network infrastructure solutions that align with County objectives.
• Assist in developing, implementing, and maintaining policies, procedures, and training plans for network administration, appropriate use, and disaster recovery.

Acquisition & Deployment

• Lead the design and deployment of enterprise-class network infrastructure, including advanced routing, switching, firewall, and VPN solutions, in collaboration with cross-functional IT teams.
• Lead the deployment of network hardware including SD-WAN, microwave networks, switches, routers, firewall and security appliances.
• Coordinate with vendors, contractors, internal departments and cross-functional IT teams on infrastructure projects.
• Assist with the deployment of infrastructure security measures.

Operational Management

• Proactively monitor and troubleshoot network performance, capacity, and security.
• Manage and set priorities for the maintenance and support of all network infrastructure systems, including LANs, WANs, Internet, intranet, VOIP, and wireless implementations.
• Test network performance to provide performance statistics and reports.
• Administer enterprise security solutions, including firewall, security appliance, intrusion detection/prevention, and VPN.
• Coordinate with the IT Operations team for notifications to departments and other stakeholders for maintenance and outage alerts.
• Troubleshoot issues for all network infrastructure devices and systems, analyze the problem to develop tactical and strategic solutions, and perform root cause analysis to prevent future occurrences.
• Maintain configuration documentation, network diagrams, and audit compliance records.
• Maintain the security of IT network infrastructure systems and perform security audits with coordination from management and security staff.
• Provide project leadership and management for assigned projects, including leading internal and external resources, providing cost estimates, managing schedules and providing technical leadership to ensure projects are completed successfully.

Change Management

• Coordinate planned changes for timely implementation with minimal disruption.
• Document the completion of all changes and the analysis of any failures or rollbacks.

Additional Duties

Perform 24-hour on-call. Other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

A. Education

Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field.

B. Experience

Four (4) years of experience in enterprise IT infrastructure or network management.

C. Education/Experience substitution

In accordance with County policy. No substitution for the required experience.

D. Licenses/Certifications

Valid driver's license. Must maintain a valid driver's license and an acceptable driving record in accordance with County policy. Cisco CCNA certification required. Cisco CCNP, Palo Alto PCNSA, PCNSE, CompTIA Network+, and Security+ are preferred. Any other related Cisco, CompTIA, Security, or Project Management certifications are a plus.

E. Other (e.g., post-offer medical exam, polygraph, background check, driver's license record, etc.)

Must pass NCIC background and driving record check.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES REQUIRED BY THE POSITION

Knowledge of

• Wired, wireless, and point-to-point microwave networks (LAN, WAN, WLAN, WWAN).
• Layer 2/3 protocols (EIGRP, OSPF, VLAN, 802.1x, DHCP, DNS, SIP, SCCP, SSH, Telnet, SNMP).
• IT security infrastructure (Cisco/Palo Alto firewalls, VPN, IDS/IPS, NAC such as Cisco ISE, web filtering).
• Network capacity planning, performance optimization, quality of service, and security best practices.
• Telephony/VoIP systems, including Cisco Call Manager.
• Storage networking (SAN/NAS, iSCSI, fiber channel) and virtualization in network environments.
• Network testing tools, diagnostics, and relevant data privacy/compliance requirements.

Skill in

• Designing and administering enterprise routing, switching, wireless, firewalls, and VPNs.
• Applying security methods (firewall policy design, VPN, NAC enforcement, ACLs).
• Using monitoring/analysis tools for troubleshooting, performance tuning, and root cause analysis.
• Managing time, priorities, and technical tasks with strong attention to detail.

Ability to

• Make sound decisions and logical judgments in emergency situations.
• Conduct research into issues and products as required.
• Effectively prioritize and execute tasks in a high-pressure environment.
• Be highly self-motivated while coordinating closely with leadership and team.
• Communicate complex technical concepts clearly in writing and verbally.
• Work within a team-oriented, collaborative environment.
• Interpret the applicability of local and federal laws/regulations to county operations.

Compensation Range

$65,457.60 - $106,808.00

EQUITY AND ACCOMMODATION

Doña Ana County is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. It is our policy to abide by all federal and state laws prohibiting employment discrimination on the basis of a person's race, color, religion, age, national origin, sex, disability, serious medical condition, genetic information, ancestry, spousal affiliation, gender identity, sexual orientation or any other unlawful criteria, except where a reasonable Bona Fide Occupational Qualification exists.

Doña Ana County will make reasonable accommodation(s) for the known physical or mental limitations of an applicant with a disability, upon request, unless the accommodation(s) would cause an undue hardship on the operation of the County. Please see http://www.donaanacounty.org/ada/ for our Public Notice and to get the Testing/Interview Accommodation Request Form or call 575-647-7210 for assistance.