Principal Network Engineer

Public Media • Boston, MA

2d • Hybrid

About The Position

GBH enriches people's lives through programs and services that educate, inspire, and entertain, fostering citizenship and culture, the joy of learning, and the power of diverse perspectives. At GBH, we believe in the advantages of coming together to build community, mentor and learn from colleagues, and connect more deeply with our mission. As a result, the majority of our staff are hybrid and work both from home and onsite. Our current hybrid approach requires staff to work onsite a minimum of two days each week, every Tuesday and Wednesday, Hybrid staff are also welcome to come in additional days each week or may be asked to come in on other days by their manager. DEPARTMENT OVERVIEW Information Technology supports an inclusive community of GBH’ers working in Broadcasting, Content Creation, Education, Digital, Assistive Technologies, Local News and Administrative roles. Roughly 70 staff work in 6 teams within the Department and the team is committed to creative problem solving and respectful candor. We like to build, improve, launch, automate and repair. JOB OVERVIEW The Principal Network Engineer serves as GBH’s primary technical resource for enterprise networking strategy and operations. This role translates departmental goals into actionable network strategies, oversees highly complex projects, and provides expert guidance across teams. The Principal Network Engineer ensures the reliability, scalability, and security of GBH’s WAN, LAN, Wireless LAN, VPN, and VoIP networks in a mixed platform environment (Macintosh, Windows, Linux, Cisco IOS, Arista, Fortinet).

Requirements

• Advanced knowledge of IP addressing, VLANs, VXLAN, QoS, routing protocol redistribution, ACLs.
• Expertise in routing protocols (EIGRP, BGP, iBGP) and bridging/switching protocols (STP, PVST+).
• Strong understanding of broadcast video/audio over IP and network automation (ZTP).
• Proficiency with Arista CloudVision, FortiManager, and Cisco enterprise solutions.
• Ability to lead complex projects and influence cross-functional processes.
• Exceptional communication skills for technical and non-technical audiences.
• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred.
• Minimum 6–8 years of progressively complex network engineering experience, including enterprise multi-site environments.
• Demonstrated experience leading strategic initiatives and providing technical guidance across teams.
• Cisco CCNP or equivalent certification required; Arista or Fortinet certifications preferred.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership: Translate IT and organizational strategy into network architecture goals, standards, and processes. Lead initiatives that impact multiple systems and departments.
• Technical Expertise: Design, implement, and optimize enterprise network infrastructure (Layer 2/3) using Arista, Cisco, and Fortinet technologies. Provide advanced troubleshooting and innovative solutions for complex network challenges.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Serve as a technical advisor to IT leadership and other GBH departments. Lead projects involving broadcast audio/video over IP and cloud networking (AWS).
• Governance & Standards: Establish and enforce network security protocols, performance benchmarks, and compliance standards. Document architecture and operational procedures.
• Mentorship & Guidance: Act as a resource for network engineers and other technical staff, providing guidance and knowledge sharing. May lead vendor relationships and influence technology decisions.
• Incident Response: Oversee critical incident management and ensure rapid resolution of urgent network issues, including off-hours support when necessary.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 501-1,000 employees