Lead Network Engineer

College of Lake County•Grayslake, IL

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Lead Network Engineer is accountable for the strategic direction and operation of the College’s network and its components. The role requires strategic understanding of network technology and trends, the ability to implement new technologies and protocols, and responsibility for architecting, creating, maintaining, upgrading, and monitoring network systems for optimal availability and performance. The position also troubleshoots network issues at their root cause and reports to the Director, Core Systems and Infrastructure. The position administers and maintains network systems, provides support and consulting, manages network-related projects, and contributes subject-matter expertise and process improvements. The Lead Network Engineer identifies and implements technology solutions that address the College’s network needs, with attention to security, accessibility, performance, availability, disaster recovery, business continuity, manageability, and monitoring. The role supports the College’s students, faculty, and staff and may require travel between campuses and work at night or on weekends as needed.

Requirements

One of the following education and experience combinations: a master’s degree and three years of Information Technology experience, including at least three years in a role specific to this discipline; a bachelor’s degree and six years of Information Technology experience, including at least four years in a role specific to this discipline; or an associate degree and ten years of Information Technology experience, including at least six years in a role specific to this discipline.
Commitment to keeping up to date with changes in networking and technology.
Experience configuring, managing, and troubleshooting Cisco Unified Communications products in a SIP-based VoIP environment.
Experience working with Cisco TAC, the Cisco knowledge base, and Cisco toolsets.
Experience in network design.
Role-specific skills and knowledge of DNS, DHCP, TCP/IP, VLANs, BGP, OSPF/EIGRP, VPNs, SNMP, Cisco routing/switching/telephony and internetwork operating systems, Palo Alto firewalls, HP servers and desktops/laptops, Microsoft Windows server and desktop operating systems, VMware, and cloud-based hardware, operating systems, applications, and utilities.
Effective and polished verbal and written communication skills.
Ability to work effectively with a wide range of customers and focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Positive, high-energy, and professional demeanor.
Ability to work well on a team and improve team performance.
Ability to prioritize and deliver according to deadlines while handling multiple tasks; exercise judgment; handle confidential information; and work with minimal supervision.
Strong organizational abilities and attention to detail.
Ability to explain technical concepts and procedures clearly to non-technical users.
Problem-solving ability and skill in analyzing information to make informed decisions or recommendations.
Ability to apply logical thinking to a wide range of intellectual and practical problems.
Ability to travel between campuses as needed and work nights and weekends as needed.

Nice To Haves

Cisco certifications or progress toward certification.
Higher Education experience, ideally in a community college setting.
An innate focus on students and their success.
Demonstrated ability to build and maintain strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
Strong analytical skills.
Interest in continually improving existing processes and procedures.
Ability to manage projects as needed.
Bilingual English/Spanish proficiency.

Responsibilities

Administer network systems to ensure optimal design, usage, security, performance, and availability.
Maintain, upgrade, and patch network components with minimal interruption to students, faculty, and staff.
Create and maintain network documentation, including network diagrams, system configurations, processes, and procedures.
Apply best practices, processes, and techniques when administering technology solutions.
Monitor network integrity, performance, and availability.
Troubleshoot issues at their root cause and proactively identify and resolve potential issues.
Escalate issues to vendors and other College teams when appropriate.
Maintain support requests and efforts in the ticket management system; transfer, escalate, and close tickets as appropriate; update customers; and ensure customer satisfaction upon ticket closure.
Manage multiple projects and execute project plans according to schedule, including communication, risk management, training, ongoing support and maintenance, and delivery of complete, high-quality deliverables.
Manage technology solution implementations, including architecture and design, stakeholder communication, risk management, service qualities, budget, education and training, and support.
Identify, categorize, and prioritize the College’s network needs; research, assess, select, acquire, and implement suitable technology solutions.
Design, develop, configure, integrate, install, and test network systems.
Maintain and share subject-matter expertise, stay current on industry trends and emerging technologies, and recommend solutions that support student success and faculty and staff effectiveness.
Provide ideas to enhance the College’s network and assist in developing IT processes and procedures.
Work proactively with other departments to identify and implement operational improvements, particularly in processes and the use of data and information.
Perform other duties of a similar nature or level.