Network Services Engineer

Abacus Group LLC • Chicago, IL

64d • $80 - $90 • Remote

About The Position

Network Services Engineers are primarily responsible for providing escalated support to our clients calling in with network and systems support issues, as well as addressing issues generated by our monitoring systems. Routine tasks involve leveraging network diagnostic tools and employing a mastery of networking hardware to address client requests, troubleshoot issues through to resolution, deploy approved changes to infrastructures, and maintain necessary configuration and documentation standards-ensuring networks are secure and operating at their peak 24x7x365. While Network Engineers primarily work on the "manage and maintain" aspect of client support, they also have the ability to promote infrastructure improvements and assist with client projects and assessments as needs arise. This role will report directly to our Service Delivery Manager.

Requirements

• You're a knowledge seeker. Regardless of method, you have obtained and exposed yourself to knowledge centers that have qualified you to master client-server networking and the alphabet soup of IT-DNS, WINS, DHCP, VPN. You ideally have a four-year degree in a relevant field and have earned vendor-level certifications such as Cisco CCNA | CCNP.
• You have at least 3 years of experience working as a consummate support professional (ideally with a heavy focus on network management).
• You're the grease monkey of the IT environment. You have highly developed knowledge and experience with standard employee productivity suites, mobile devices, switching, network firewalls, and wireless security technologies. You are familiar with the diagnostic tools for each, and can put those tools to good use. You are the IT version of the Tappit Brothers on NPR's Car Talk-throw any problem at them and they have the answer, or they'll find it.
• You have an understanding of concepts like trunking, multi- and single-mode fiber circuits and cross-connects, VLAN tagging, and link aggregation. Your knowledge of Active Directory and Windows/Linux is superb. You are familiar with Storage Area Networks. You're very familiar with Cisco device ecosystem and can navigate Cisco IOS with ease.
• You're on the bleeding edge of technical advancement. You've not only heard of SD-WAN--you've dived into the subject matter headfirst.
• You understand that maintenance tasks are key to smooth operations and you carry them out consistently. You have an advanced handle on hardware monitoring and consider yourself the consummate trouble-shooter.
• You have worked with and are interested in technologies such as Azure networking, Citrix NetScaler appliances, security appliances such as Palo Alto or other Deep Packet Inspection and SSL decrypt devices. You are also familiar with protocol concepts such as WAN optimization, CoS/QoS, and multicast.
• You desire to be an advanced network guru. The key to excellence-not to mention a fulfilling life-is continual learning. Entara supports and rewards professional growth.
• You're career driven and motivated to put in the time and effort to get the job done right, and you take immense pride in your personal follow-through. At the same time, you can grasp what to prioritize and how best to build in some breaks for personal wellness.
• As a Network Engineer, you will be required to take part in our on-call rotation, covering one (1) week out of every six (6) weeks. You are available for a flexing, 9-hour shift (with standard breaks) generally performed between the hours of 7am-7pm CST Monday-Friday. Current shift expectations are 8:00am - 5:00pm CT Monday-Friday.
• You are ready to be an effective remote worker and have a dedicated, private space for a home office and already have in place a reliable, private internet connection with at least 50MBPS bandwidth. Public wifi and shared common spaces do not meet these standards. Entara will supply you with the other necessary tools and hardware to complete your tasks remotely.
• You live within a commutable distance to Chicago, IL and are open and available to act as a back-fill resource for occasional onsite client visits that may be required to troubleshoot or navigate a pressing network issue.
• Per our client's requirements regarding on-site visits, employees in this position will be required to provide adequate proof of vaccination and subsequent boosters for COVID-19 by an FDA-approved vaccine prior to starting work. All medical information will be kept confidential and we do accept requests for exemption on an individualized basis.

Responsibilities

• Understand current client SLAs, parameters and delivery, keeping your eyes open for continuous delivery opportunities.
• Review & reference network topology, familiarize yourself with client specific requirements and processes - be acutely aware of the environments you manage.
• Stay abreast of changes performed by vendors and other Entara teams that may affect delivery. Work closely with these teams on remediation should issues arise.
• Follow Entara configuration standards to ensure client systems are following best practices.
• Review IT publications and online materials to remain up-to-date with current and future technologies emerging in the industry
• Perform managed services assigned tasks in relation to implementing additions and changes to client environments
• Follow established procedures to capture required information, update documentation, and monitor/manage device and/or individual user
• Create and complete approved change requests
• Create reporting and metric tracking as it relates to the network infrastructure and the services we provide
• Ensure complete up-to-date and comprehensive documentation of all networking hardware and software in client environments is available for all engineers to access
• Create Layer 1, 2, and 3 network diagrams as necessary for all client environments.
• Perform Root Cause Analysis on repetitive or major network-related issues to implement permanent resolutions
• Improve customer service, perception, and satisfaction for MS clients
• Work through a daily queue in ServiceNow that has been established through the dispatch process
• Investigate issues and perform advanced network troubleshooting
• Perform basic to intermediate systems troubleshooting
• Maintain network devices
• Manage configuration & patching
• Ensure configurations are backed up on a periodic basis
• Identify potential configuration improvement and optimization opportunities
• Leverage network monitoring and management tools to ensure network optimization and uptime
• Communicate with customers: keep them informed of Incident and Request progress, notify them of impending changes or agreed outages
• Develop process documentation for Level 1 Support to bring efficiency to Network Team operations
• Update ServiceNow time entries and work notes in real-time
• At times, participate in the proactive maintenance of networking systems
• Mentor junior-level engineers, helping them to advance their technical aptitude and application
• Lend a helping hand and assist junior engineers when needed
• Respond to escalation requests from lower-tier teams, taking ownership of assigned issues
• Understand when you need to escalate an issue to the next level
• Call attention to opportunities for improvement
• Identify and document patterns of escalation

Benefits

• Exposure to a diverse array of technologies.
• Internal opportunities for career advancement.
• Part of a team of experienced professionals that aim to deliver exceptional service
• Competitive compensation.
• Robust benefits package: medical, dental, vision, disability, life insurance, 401k, and PTO.
• Opportunities to further technical education through online courses.
• Positive, friendly, and supportive office environment.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Industry: Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
• Number of Employees: 251-500 employees