Network Engineer, Specialist

Vanguard•Wayne, PA

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior-Level NOC Engineer (Tier 3) functions as the highest technical escalation point within the global Network Operations Center. This role provides advanced troubleshooting, architecture-level insight, and deep subject matter expertise across complex, multi-vendor network infrastructures. Tier 3 support engineers lead root-cause analysis, oversee major incidents, influence network design standards, and partner with engineering teams to drive stability, scalability, and operational excellence.

Requirements

Minimum 5 years of experience in network administration, including advanced troubleshooting, network design, and implementation.
Bachelor’s degree (B.E./B.Tech in Computer Science, IT, Electronics & Communication) or MCA, or equivalent practical experience.
Extensive enterprise network operations and engineering experience, supporting large-scale, complex environments, with exposure to Tier 3 escalations and high-availability architectures.
Expertise in routing, switching, and WAN technologies, including: Advanced BGP, OSPF, and VRF design and operations MPLS fundamentals, L2/L3 architectures, and enterprise WAN solutions Load balancing and resilient network design
Strong network security expertise, including: Firewalls, VPNs, IDS/IPS
Hands-on experience with security-centric platforms and policy-driven architectures
Cloud networking experience across AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform, including hybrid connectivity and cloud-integrated network designs.
Proficiency in troubleshooting and diagnostics, including: PCAP analysis, deep packet inspection, and root-cause analysis
Advanced troubleshooting across routing, switching, security, and cloud networks
Hands-on experience with leading networking and security platforms, including: Cisco, Juniper, Brocade, Aruba, Palo Alto, and F5 ecosystems
Proficiency with network monitoring and operations tools, such as: SolarWinds, Wireshark, and enterprise Operations Monitoring platforms
Automation and scripting capabilities using Python and PowerShell to improve network efficiency, reliability, and operational scale.
ITSM and workflow tool experience, including ServiceNow and Jira, supporting incident, problem, change, and escalation management.
Strong operational leadership skills, including the ability to: Lead and coordinate major incidents under pressure Provide clear, effective communication during outages and escalations Drive resolution across cross-functional technical teams

Nice To Haves

CCNA, CCNP, or CCDP certifications preferred.

Responsibilities

Acts as the final escalation point for all high-severity incidents, providing advanced packet analysis, protocol decoding, and cross-platform correlation.
Performs deep-dive RCA, producing engineering-quality post-incident documentation and recommending long-term corrective actions.
Leads network recovery efforts during outages involving routing instability, security events, hardware failures, or cloud connectivity issues.
Expert proficiency with Cisco IOS, Nexus OS, ACI, and Juniper Junos, with the ability to interpret and troubleshoot complex multi-tier architectures.
Designs and validates routing topologies, including large-scale enterprise BGP and OSPF deployments, multi-homing, route reflectors, graceful restart, fast reroute, and policy-based routing.
Deep understanding of F5 LTM/GTM, load-balancing behaviors, DNS architectures, and SSL offloading.
Expert-level support for Cisco ASA, Palo Alto NGFW, IPSec architecture, segmentation policies, and security posture validation.
Advanced experience with AWS Direct Connect, cloud routing, hybrid architectures, and troubleshooting cloud edge connectivity.
Leads analysis of Wi-Fi performance across Aruba WLANs, RF tuning, interference mitigation, and controller-based troubleshooting.
Mastery of packet analysis tools: Solarwinds, APCON, Wireshark, netflow/sflow platforms.
Develops automation scripts for configuration validation, monitoring, and incident response workflows.
Evaluates and integrates new operational tools and observability platforms.
Partners with Network Engineering to validate new designs, perform pre-deployment testing, and influence standards.
Mentors junior and mid-level NOC engineers, providing technical coaching, lab guidance, and training material.
Engages directly with vendors for escalated TAC cases, hardware escalations, and architectural reviews.
Participation in 24x7 Tier 3 escalation rotation, including support for after-hours change execution and major network event coverage as required.
Excellent problem-solving, communication, and collaboration skills, with proven ability to manage complex network issues, escalations, and operational monitoring responsibilities.