Senior Systems Engineer, Network

Overview
Edged Data Centers has an exciting opportunity for a Senior Systems Engineer, Network. We are seeking an experienced network professional with strong expertise in Cisco enterprise networking, Palo Alto firewalls, network project management, and network operations. This role is responsible for maintaining, supporting, and enhancing the company’s network infrastructure across a growing portfolio of hyperscale and enterprise data center facilities.
The ideal candidate combines deep technical expertise with strong project leadership skills and the ability to contribute to network architecture, standards development, and strategic initiatives. This position serves as a senior technical resource and escalation point for network operations while partnering closely with the Network Manager on design, implementation, compliance, and continuous improvement efforts.
The Senior Systems Engineer needs to be an agile, team-focused individual with proven professionalism who is comfortable in a rapidly changing environment. The right person is highly organized, self-motivated, capable of working independently, and possesses exceptional communication and problem-solving skills.

Key Responsibilities
Include but are not limited to:
Network Operations & Support

Administer, support, and maintain enterprise-wide network infrastructure across corporate and data center environments.
Manage and troubleshoot Cisco switches, routers, wireless infrastructure.
Implement, maintain, and optimize Palo Alto firewall policies, NAT rules, VPNs, security zones, and threat prevention services.
Serve as the primary escalation point for complex network and connectivity issues.
Monitor network performance, capacity, availability, and security using enterprise monitoring tools.
Coordinate with service providers and carriers to provision, troubleshoot, and resolve circuit and connectivity issues.
Participate in incident response, root cause analysis, and post-incident reviews for network-related events.
Participate in an on-call rotation to provide support for critical production infrastructure.

Network Architecture & Engineering

Collaborate with the Network Manager to develop and maintain network architecture standards and roadmaps.
Design and implement highly available network solutions supporting hyperscale and enterprise data center operations.
Develop standards for routing, switching, wireless networking, firewall management, VPNs, and network segmentation.
Evaluate emerging technologies and recommend enhancements to improve security, performance, reliability, and scalability.
Create and maintain network diagrams, engineering standards, device templates, and operational procedures.
Support network integration activities associated with new sites, infrastructure expansion initiatives, and portfolio growth.

Project Leadership & Coordination

Serve as technical lead for network infrastructure projects from planning through implementation.
Develop project plans, implementation schedules, testing procedures, and cutover strategies in conjunction with implementation partners.
Coordinate work among internal teams, external vendors, carriers, and managed service providers.
Track project milestones, risks, issues, and dependencies while ensuring successful delivery.
Assist in budgeting, forecasting, and procurement activities for network hardware, software, and support contracts.

Documentation & Collaboration

Maintain detailed network documentation, standards, runbooks, and recovery procedures.
Create executive-level summaries and technical recommendations for infrastructure improvements.
Mentor junior engineers and provide technical guidance to cross-functional teams.
Partner with infrastructure, cybersecurity, compliance, facilities, and operations teams on strategic initiatives.

Skills & Requirements
Education / Experience

Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related discipline.
Minimum 8–10 years of progressive network engineering experience.
Minimum 3 years leading complex infrastructure or network projects.
Must have experience working at a data center operations company.
Experience supporting geographically diverse enterprise and/or data center environments.
Strong understanding of high-availability network design and operational best practices.
Architectural mindset with experience developing complete multi-disciplinary solutions (Networking, Security, Systems, Infrastructure)
Automation Experience a Plus: experience driving a disciplined and consistent environment through automation tools.
Certifications a Plus: PCNSE, PCNSA , CCNP (Enterprise, Service Provider, Data Center, Security)

Specific Skills / Abilities

Proven experience working with third-party vendors, carriers, and managed service providers.
Ability to design, review, and improve network and firewall architectures.
Strong troubleshooting and problem-solving skills across complex IT environments.
Ability to work independently and manage multiple priorities in a contract role.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to collaborate across technical and non-technical teams.
Self-starter with initiative and accountability for delivering results.
Excellent communication and customer service skills, with a strong focus on resolving user issues efficiently.
Ability to travel up 25%-50% to data center locations and adapt to a dynamic work environment.
Positive attitude with a proactive approach to addressing challenges.