Network Architect

TEKsystems•Los Angeles, CA

4d•$70 - $85•Onsite

About The Position

We are seeking a L4 Network Engineer / Architect with strong expertise in Cisco SD-WAN architecture, enterprise WAN design, MPLS routing, and fiber-based WAN/LAN integration. This role will be responsible for defining and leading the SD-WAN portion of the solution, including how Cisco SD-WAN will be designed, deployed, integrated, and supported across MPLS, Internet, broadband, LTE/5G, and other WAN transport options. The ideal candidate is a technical leader who understands how to build and operate Cisco SD-WAN environments over complex underlays, including MPLS and carrier Ethernet services. While deep MPLS knowledge is important, this role is not limited to traditional MPLS engineering. The primary need is for someone who can define how the SD-WAN overlay should operate, how it integrates with existing WAN and LAN environments, and how it supports routing, segmentation, performance, resiliency, security, and operational requirements. This person must also understand how WAN services physically enter a site, including carrier handoffs, fiber termination, optics, demarcation points, WAN edge routers, firewalls, and LAN aggregation infrastructure. The role requires hands-on technical depth, architectural judgment, troubleshooting discipline, and the ability to guide engineering teams through complex design, implementation, migration, and escalation scenarios.

Requirements

10+ years of enterprise or service provider network engineering experience, with significant hands-on responsibility for WAN, routing, and production network environments.
Strong hands-on experience designing, deploying, and troubleshooting Cisco SD-WAN solutions.
Strong understanding of Cisco SD-WAN architecture, including overlay/underlay design, vManage, vBond, vSmart, WAN edge routing, templates, policies, and centralized management.
Experience building Cisco SD-WAN solutions over MPLS, Internet, broadband, LTE/5G, and hybrid WAN transports.
Strong routing expertise with BGP, OSPF, IS-IS, EIGRP, route redistribution, route filtering, route maps, prefix lists, communities, and policy-based routing.
Working knowledge of MPLS services, including L3VPN, L2VPN, VRFs, PE/CE routing, QoS, and carrier handoff models.
Hands-on experience with Cisco WAN edge and routing platforms such as Cisco Catalyst 8000/8500, ASR, ISR, or equivalent enterprise/service provider platforms.
Strong understanding of how WAN circuits physically terminate into customer environments, including carrier handoffs, fiber, optics, routers, switches, firewalls, and LAN aggregation devices.
Ability to troubleshoot across multiple layers, including physical fiber, carrier services, routing, SD-WAN overlays, QoS, firewall integration, and application performance.
Experience leading technical cutovers, site migrations, WAN transformations, circuit turn-ups, and high-risk maintenance windows.
Ability to create clear technical documentation, diagrams, implementation plans, validation plans, and operational handoff materials.
Strong communication skills with the ability to explain Cisco SD-WAN, WAN, routing, and fiber concepts to technical teams, project teams, and client stakeholders.

Nice To Haves

Active or previous CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure, CCIE Service Provider, CCNP Enterprise
Advanced experience with Cisco SD-WAN templates, centralized policies, localized policies, segmentation, application-aware routing, and large-scale deployment models.
Experience integrating Cisco SD-WAN with firewalls, SASE platforms, cloud connectivity, data centers, remote sites, and campus LAN environments.
Experience with DWDM, dark fiber, optical transport, optical power budgeting, OTDR testing, fiber route diversity, and carrier Ethernet services.
Experience with monitoring and observability platforms such as ThousandEyes, SolarWinds, LogicMonitor, NetFlow, packet brokers, or similar tools.
Experience with automation tools such as Ansible, Python, REST APIs, Git, or infrastructure-as-code workflows.
Experience supporting mission-critical environments with strict uptime, change control, SLA, and operational readiness requirements.
Experience working directly with carriers, fiber providers, field engineers, construction teams, vendors, and client stakeholders.

Responsibilities

Lead the design and definition of Cisco SD-WAN solutions for enterprise and mission-critical environments.
Develop SD-WAN architectures using MPLS, Internet, broadband, LTE/5G, private-line, and hybrid WAN transport models.
Define how Cisco SD-WAN overlays will operate across existing and future WAN underlays.
Design SD-WAN control, data, and management plane architecture using Cisco SD-WAN components such as vManage, vBond, vSmart, and Cisco WAN Edge routers.
Build and validate SD-WAN policies for application-aware routing, traffic steering, segmentation, path preference, SLA-based forwarding, failover, and resiliency.
Define transport-side and service-side VPN designs, including how WAN edge devices connect into LAN, firewall, data center, and cloud environments.
Lead SD-WAN migration planning from legacy WAN or MPLS-centric environments to modern Cisco SD-WAN architectures.
Establish SD-WAN design standards, implementation templates, validation methods, and operational handoff documentation.
Configure, deploy, troubleshoot, and support Cisco SD-WAN environments using centralized templates, policies, and device-level configurations.
Support Cisco SD-WAN edge platforms, including Cisco Catalyst 8000/8500, ISR, ASR, and other IOS-XE SD-WAN-capable platforms.
Troubleshoot SD-WAN control connections, tunnel formation, BFD behavior, policy application, routing advertisements, NAT traversal, certificate issues, and overlay reachability.
Validate application performance across multiple WAN transports using routing, SLA, QoS, and performance monitoring tools.
Support high-risk SD-WAN cutovers, site migrations, circuit transitions, and production troubleshooting events.
Partner with security, LAN, cloud, voice, application, and carrier teams to ensure SD-WAN designs meet business and technical requirements.
Design and support WAN environments that include MPLS, carrier Ethernet, Internet, broadband, private fiber, and hybrid transport models.
Understand how Cisco SD-WAN operates over MPLS underlays, including transport VPN design, routing exchange, path selection, QoS treatment, and failover behavior.
Support MPLS-related routing requirements, including L3VPN, L2VPN, VRF segmentation, PE/CE routing, route targets, route distinguishers, and carrier handoff models.
Configure and troubleshoot advanced routing using BGP, OSPF, IS-IS, EIGRP, route redistribution, route filtering, prefix lists, route maps, communities, and routing policies.
Work with carriers and service providers to validate circuit delivery, MPLS routing handoffs, CE/PE demarcation, SLA performance, and escalation of provider-side issues.
Ensure WAN routing designs support SD-WAN overlay requirements, application performance, segmentation, and resiliency objectives.
Define how WAN services terminate into customer environments, including routers, switches, firewalls, optical handoffs, and LAN aggregation points.
Validate WAN/LAN interface designs involving routed handoffs, VLAN tagging, trunking, port channels, VRFs, firewall zones, and segmentation boundaries.
Understand how fiber-based services are delivered into a site, including carrier demarcation, cross-connects, patching, optics, transceivers, and handoff types.
Work with field teams and providers to validate fiber paths, patch schedules, port assignments, light levels, media types, and physical connectivity.
Troubleshoot physical and Layer 1/Layer 2 issues involving fiber, optics, dirty connectors, incorrect transceivers, speed/duplex mismatches, VLAN tagging, port configuration, and cabling errors.
Ensure SD-WAN edge devices are properly integrated with upstream carrier services and downstream LAN, firewall, and data center infrastructure.
Design resilient SD-WAN and WAN architectures using dual circuits, diverse carriers, redundant WAN edge devices, diverse fiber paths, HA designs, and multiple transport types.
Define failover and traffic-steering behavior between MPLS, Internet, broadband, LTE/5G, and private transport options.
Implement and validate QoS strategies across SD-WAN, MPLS, and LAN/WAN handoff points.
Support voice, video, business-critical applications, operational technology, cloud services, and venue-specific traffic requirements.
Validate latency, jitter, packet loss, throughput, convergence, tunnel stability, and application performance across the WAN.
Use Cisco SD-WAN analytics, packet captures, flow data, SNMP/telemetry, ThousandEyes, router diagnostics, provider test results, and optical test data to isolate and resolve issues.