Network Administrator

Our client is seeking an experienced Network & WAN Administrator to manage, optimize, and support multi-site telecommunications infrastructure across regional facilities. This position blends wide-area network engineering, software-defined network management, secure access control, and cloud-driven networking with hands-on field operations—such as equipment deployment, hardware diagnostics, emergency technical dispatches, and infrastructure mapping.

The ideal candidate functions independently on routine systems administration while collaborating with principal network engineers on high-level architecture initiatives. Line management reports to the IT Infrastructure Manager, with direct day-to-day functional instruction coming from Senior Network Engineers.

This person will work onsite 4 days per week in Richmond, VA

Core Technology Architecture

• Routing & Switching: Cisco IOS, NX-OS

• SD-WAN Architecture: Cisco SD-WAN (vManage, vSmart, vEdge)

• Cloud & Edge Platforms: Meraki, Cisco Secure Firewall (ASA/FTD)

• Identity & Access Security: Cisco ISE, Duo Multi-Factor Authentication, Cloudflare Zero Trust (ZTNA/SWG)

• Observability & Analytics: ThousandEyes, SolarWinds, PRTG, Splunk

• Core Services Integration: Microsoft Active Directory, PKI, GPO, ADFS

Key Accountabilities

1. Wide-Area Network & Infrastructure Management

• Deploy, tune, and sustain branch and data center networking gear across core and remote installations.

• Manage Layer 2/3 network mechanisms, including VLAN tagging, trunking protocols, Spanning Tree, Link Aggregation (EtherChannel), Quality of Service (QoS), and routing protocols (OSPF, BGP, EIGRP).

• Provision and maintain software-defined WAN setups, overseeing feature templates, routing policies, appliance onboarding, firmware upgrades, and high-availability operational pairs.

2. Edge Defense, Zero Trust & Access Control

• Administer Network Access Control (NAC) via Cisco ISE, handling 802.1X integration, device profiling, and guest access policies.

• Oversee secure gateway and identity controls utilizing Duo MFA alongside Cloudflare Zero Trust services.

• Maintain border firewalls (ASA/FTD), managing access policy rulesets, NAT translation, IPsec VPN tunnels, and structured deployment revisions.

3. Network Visibility, Analytics & Telemetry

• Monitor infrastructure health and service paths using telemetry tools (ThousandEyes, SolarWinds, PRTG, Splunk) to identify performance bottlenecks and produce root-cause analyses (RCA).

• Establish operational baselines, adjust alert conditions, and maintain persistent system observability.

4. Security Maintenance & Risk Mitigation

• Coordinate with security operations to execute vulnerability evaluations (Tenable, Qualys) and trace resolution progress.

• Remediate discovered system flaws upon release of vendor patches or security team notifications.

• Archive remediation evidence, prepare risk waiver documentation, and log change-control tickets for security maintenance.

5. Field Deployments, On-Site Support & Hardware Operations

• Dispatch to distributed government and judicial sites to perform emergency service recovery, circuit testing, demarc turn-ups, and hardware installations (switches, firewalls, routers, access points).

• Coordinate directly with local telecom carriers and hardware vendors during on-site maintenance.

• Execute physical rack-and-stack tasks, structured cabling, labeling, and environmental checks within secure telecommunications closets and data center facilities.

6. Asset Tracking, Systems Documentation & Governance

• Maintain up-to-date asset registers, tracking hardware locations, serial identifiers, license allocations, and hardware end-of-life cycles.

• Author and update topology maps, technical runbooks, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and configuration archives.

• Author formal change management requests, specifying maintenance windows, rollback strategies, and off-peak execution plans.

• Maintain complete logs for tickets, outage incidents, and system modifications.

7. Cross-Functional Engineering Support

• Partner with cloud engineers, cybersecurity specialists, and systems personnel (AD, PKI, Certificate Services) to execute integrated infrastructure initiatives.

• Support identity, Group Policy, and certificate management tasks where they interface with network infrastructure.

Working Environment & Requirements

• Travel Requirements: Regular regional travel to remote sites for hands-on maintenance, ISP cutovers, equipment staging, and emergency outage restoration.

• Physical & Environmental: Working inside secure telecommunications rooms, wiring closets, and controlled access areas. Involves lifting, racking equipment, running cables, and conducting physical physical surveys.

• On-Call Schedule: Participation in a scheduled rotational on-call system to handle emergency disruptions and execute planned off-hours system updates.

• Security Vetting: Candidates must successfully satisfy all background checks, security clearances, and access requirements mandatory for secure public facilities.

Candidate Profile & Qualifications

Mandatory Qualifications

• Experience: Approximately 5 years of hands-on experience managing complex multi-site WAN/LAN environments.

• Cisco Mastery: Proven background working with Cisco switching/routing platforms (IOS & NX-OS).

• Protocol Proficiency: Solid working knowledge of fundamental Layer 2 and Layer 3 networking standards (VLANs, STP, QoS, OSPF, BGP, EIGRP).

• SD-WAN & Cloud Management: Practical operational experience with Cisco SD-WAN components and cloud-managed systems (e.g., Cisco Meraki).

• Security & Monitoring Tooling: Direct experience with NAC/MFA technologies (Cisco ISE, Duo, Cloudflare Zero Trust) and network telemetry software (ThousandEyes, SolarWinds/PRTG, Splunk).

• Automation: Proficiency writing basic operational scripts using Python, PowerShell, or Bash.

• Certifications: Active Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification.

• Mobility & Logistics: Willingness and capability to travel regionally across Virginia and participate in an after-hours on-call rotation.

Preferred / Advantageous Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Cybersecurity, or a related technical discipline.

• Advanced Expertise: Deep hands-on experience with advanced SD-WAN policy creation, Cisco ISE rule construction, full-stack Meraki deployments, and Splunk analytical querying.

• Data Center Architecture: Working knowledge of modern data center fabrics, such as Cisco ACI or VXLAN configurations.

• Infrastructure Management: Experience utilizing Cisco Intersight for platform management.

• Framework Alignment: Understanding of Zero Trust Network Architecture principles and government cybersecurity alignment (e.g., NIST NICE framework standards like Work Role 441).

• Advanced Certifications: Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) achieved or actively in progress.