Network Engineer (Senior)

DecisionPoint | Cortek•Chicago, IL

13d•Hybrid

About The Position

DecisionPoint seeks a Senior Network Engineer to support data-center networking, software-defined networking, enterprise connectivity, infrastructure modernization, and outage restoration for the USMEPCOM ENLIST program. The role provides hands-on engineering support for Cisco Nexus and Application Centric Infrastructure environments, top-of-rack switching, and data-center connectivity. Work includes network installations, technology refreshes, maintenance, outage response, and equipment-relocation cutovers. The engineer works with network leadership, infrastructure teams, cybersecurity personnel, Government stakeholders, vendors, and the Outage Response Team to maintain secure, reliable, and resilient network services. This is a hybrid position based in N. Chicago, Illinois. After-hours availability may be required for outages, maintenance windows, installations, equipment refreshes, and relocation cutovers. By applying, candidates acknowledge and consent to having their resume included in an active competitive government contract bid.

Requirements

Active Secret clearance or higher.
Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Networking, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.
At least 8 years of relevant network engineering, network administration, data-center networking, or enterprise infrastructure experience.
Current Cisco Certified Network Professional certification.
Ability to work a hybrid schedule in N. Chicago, Illinois.

Nice To Haves

Hands-on experience supporting Cisco Nexus switches and Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure.
Experience configuring ACI tenants, VRFs, bridge domains, endpoint groups, contracts, APICs, and external network connectivity.
Experience with software-defined networking and policy-based data-center network architectures.
Experience with top-of-rack switching, vPCs, port channels, VLANs, trunks, routing, and redundant network paths.
Experience supporting data-center connectivity among compute, storage, virtualization, security, cloud, and network platforms.
Experience with network installations, equipment refreshes, migrations, maintenance, and relocation cutovers.
Experience preparing method-of-procedure documents, implementation and test plans, rollback procedures, and cutover checklists.
Experience supporting network outages, service restoration, vendor escalation, and root-cause analysis.
Experience with Cisco routing and switching technologies, including EIGRP, OSPF, BGP, VLAN routing, and QoS.
Experience supporting WAN, LAN, SD-WAN, circuits, firewalls, VPNs, wireless infrastructure, load balancers, and cloud connectivity.
Experience with network-monitoring, configuration-management, performance-management, and observability platforms.
Experience applying DISA STIGs and supporting DoD RMF, ATO, IAVA, CND Directive, and POA&M requirements.
Experience producing network diagrams, rack layouts, as-built documentation, equipment inventories, and configuration records.
Familiarity with structured cabling, patch panels, fiber connectivity, inside-plant infrastructure, and network-drop planning.
Additional certifications such as CCNP Data Center, CCNP Enterprise, CCNP Security, CCIE, CompTIA Security+, or equivalent credentials.
ITIL Foundation or higher certification.
Experience working in a federal or Department of Defense network environment.
Strong troubleshooting, analytical, documentation, change-management, and stakeholder-coordination skills.
Ability to support after-hours outages, maintenance windows, installations, equipment refreshes, and relocation cutovers when required.

Responsibilities

Engineer, configure, maintain, and troubleshoot Cisco Nexus data-center switching environments and Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure fabrics.
Configure and support APICs, tenants, VRFs, bridge domains, endpoint groups, contracts, and external connectivity.
Support software-defined networking and install, configure, maintain, refresh, and troubleshoot top-of-rack switches, data-center switches, network appliances, and related connectivity.
Support physical and logical connectivity among servers, storage, virtualization environments, appliances, cloud services, and enterprise networks.
Configure and troubleshoot VLANs, trunks, port channels, vPCs, routing, access controls, and redundant network paths.
Support network architecture planning, integration, implementation, testing, and performance analysis.
Gather and document technical requirements for data-center connectivity, installations, refreshes, and relocations.
Develop implementation procedures, migration and cutover plans, validation steps, rollback procedures, and outage contingencies.
Execute approved installations, technology refreshes, configuration changes, equipment replacements, and relocation cutovers at USMEPCOM and MEPS locations.
Coordinate pre-cutover preparation, equipment staging, configuration validation, connectivity testing, implementation, and post-cutover verification.
Support physical relocation of network equipment and supplies; coordinate with cabling personnel on rack layouts, patching, fiber, copper cabling, network drops, and interconnections.
Support site surveys and maintain network diagrams, rack layouts, as-built documentation, and equipment inventories.
Test devices and configurations before production installation and apply approved firmware, operating-system, vendor, security, and configuration updates.
Configure network devices according to applicable security requirements and DISA STIGs.
Monitor network availability, performance, utilization, capacity, faults, interfaces, and data-center connectivity.
Diagnose and resolve Layer 2, Layer 3, fabric, switching, routing, latency, packet-loss, and connectivity issues.
Troubleshoot WAN, LAN, circuit, SD-WAN, firewall, VPN, wireless, and cloud connectivity when they affect data-center services or remote locations.
Participate in Outage Response Team activities and provide diagnosis, corrective actions, workarounds, restoration support, and root-cause-analysis input.
Coordinate troubleshooting and escalation with Cisco, DISA, telecommunications providers, vendors, cloud providers, and other external support organizations.
Follow approved incident, change, configuration, release, and service-transition processes.
Maintain configurations, implementation and change records, test results, troubleshooting procedures, and technical knowledge articles.
Identify recurring problems, capacity constraints, points of failure, and modernization opportunities; recommend corrective actions.
Provide technical guidance to network administrators, support specialists, and infrastructure personnel.