Principal Network Engineer (Only Locals GC or USC on W2 required)

Role

Principal Network Engineer — Location: Fairfield, CA (Hybrid 3-4 days onsite); Contract to Hire.

Responsibilities

• Configure, manage, and troubleshoot Cisco networking equipment (routers, switches, firewalls, wireless).
• Work with Cisco technologies such as Cisco ACI, DNA Center, SD-WAN, and intent-based networking solutions.
• Routing and switching work including BGP, OSPF, EIGRP, HSRP, QoS, STP/RSTP/MSTP; TCP/IP v4/v6, DNS, DHCP, SNMP, VLAN, VPN, MPLS.
• Configure and maintain Cisco Firepower rule sets for security management.
• Design and implement network architectures aligned with county objectives; emphasize efficiency, reliability, and security.
• Optimize network performance, minimize downtime, and ensure seamless connectivity.
• Design, implement, troubleshoot, and manage various networks, topologies, firewalls, VLANs, Cisco hardware, and security mechanisms.
• Implement and maintain robust security measures using Cisco security solutions and protocols; ensure compliance with industry standards and data integrity.
• Maintain security and accessibility of the network.
• Develop and implement incident response plans to minimize impact of network disruptions; diagnose and resolve complex network, communication, and hardware issues.
• Analyze, plan, coordinate, implement, support, and administer county-wide TCP/IP networks, LANs, WANs, wireless networks (Wi-Fi), and VPNs; understanding of the OSI model; familiarity with ITIL v3 standards, procedures, policies.

Qualifications

• Proven expertise configuring, managing, and troubleshooting Cisco networking equipment (routers, switches, firewalls, wireless).
• Advanced proficiency with Cisco ACI, DNA Center, SD-WAN, and intent-based networking.
• Strong routing experience (BGP, OSPF, EIGRP) and convergence with HSRP, QoS, STP variants; strong knowledge of TCP/IP v4/v6, DNS, DHCP, SNMP, VLAN, VPN, MPLS.
• Experience in configuring Cisco Firepower security policies.
• Experience designing and optimizing network architectures focusing on efficiency, reliability, and security.
• Knowledge of Cisco security solutions and threat protection; ability to implement robust security measures and ensure data integrity.
• Ability to develop incident response plans and effectively resolve complex issues; strong multitasking across large, enterprise networks.
• Familiarity with ITIL v3 standards, procedures, and policies.

Seniority level

• Mid-Senior level

Employment type

• Contract

Job function

• Analyst and Information Technology

Industries

• IT Services and IT Consulting