Principal Solutions Architect - Networking

SHI International Corp. • Somerset, NJ

2d • $180,000 - $220,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Principal Solutions Architect – Networking designs, implements, and operates enterprise network solutions with a primary focus on Cisco and Meraki wired and wireless technologies. This role is responsible for maintaining the reliability and performance of campus and branch connectivity, partnering with security and infrastructure teams to integrate identity and access controls (e.g., Cisco ISE), and driving continuous improvement through standardization, documentation, and automation. This position also leads incident triage and resolution, executes change activities using established change-management practices (e.g., ServiceNow), mentors junior engineers, and contributes to technical direction and roadmap planning. This is a hybrid position requiring regular onsite presence in Somerset, NJ or Austin, TX, based on business needs. The Principal Solutions Architect – Networking plays a critical role in designing, operating, and optimizing enterprise network environments.

Requirements

• Ability to simplify and effectively communicate complex problems to stakeholders across various functions and levels.
• Expertise in leveraging cloud-based platforms and services to build, deploy, and manage applications and data on the internet
• Experience in managing and maintaining computer systems and networks to ensure optimal performance and security.
• Familiarity with tools such as Puppet, KernelCare, Tenable, and/or Tanium for automating and managing cloud environments.
• Understanding of directory services such as Active Directory and LDAP for efficient user and resource management.
• Ability to implement and manage DevOps practices, including continuous integration, continuous delivery, infrastructure as code, and monitoring to enhance the collaboration between development and operations teams
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• Minimum of 5+ years of hands-on experience supporting and engineering enterprise networks.
• Demonstrated experience designing, implementing, and operating Cisco and/or Meraki wired and wireless environments.
• Experience with Cisco ISE design and policy administration in an enterprise environment.
• Experience performing wireless surveys and using RF and spectrum analysis tools.
• Experience with network automation, configuration management, or infrastructure-related tooling.
• Strong understanding of core networking concepts, including Layer 2/3 networking, routing, switching, and high availability.

Nice To Haves

• Preferred Cisco certifications such as CCNA, CCNP, and/or Meraki CMNA.

Responsibilities

• Design, configure, and operate Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers (e.g., Catalyst 9800 series) and Meraki wireless networks.
• Plan and optimize RF design, including channel and power settings, roaming, and capacity, and validate changes using surveys and spectrum analysis.
• Implement and maintain SSIDs, guest access, network segmentation, and wireless security standards aligned with corporate policies.
• Troubleshoot complex wireless issues across controller, access point, client, and authentication layers; lead root-cause analysis and remediation.
• Integrate wireless access with Cisco ISE (802.1X, MAB, posture/policy) to enforce identity-based access controls.
• Monitor wireless health and user experience; define and improve alerts, KPIs, and operational runbooks.
• Design, implement, and maintain enterprise LAN/WAN infrastructure, including campus and branch connectivity.
• Configure, optimize, and troubleshoot routing and switching technologies (e.g., VLANs, STP, HSRP/VRRP, OSPF, BGP; EIGRP where applicable).
• Operate Cisco switching and routing platforms (e.g., Catalyst, Nexus) and associated services (DHCP relay, DNS dependencies, NTP, QoS).
• Engineer resiliency and high availability through redundant paths, fast convergence, and failover testing; document design decisions.
• Monitor and analyze network performance using telemetry and network-management tools (e.g., SNMP, NetFlow) and drive improvements.
• Plan and execute upgrades, expansions, and lifecycle refreshes in partnership with site IT, security, and application stakeholders.
• Lead incident triage, escalation, and resolution for network-related events; perform root-cause analysis and implement preventive actions.
• Maintain operational excellence, including monitoring and alert tuning, capacity tracking, asset and configuration accuracy, and routine health checks.
• Execute changes through established change-management processes (e.g., ServiceNow), including risk assessments, implementation planning, and backout procedures.
• Create and maintain network documentation, including standards, diagrams, and runbooks, while promoting standardization across environments.
• Automate repeatable tasks and reporting using scripts and APIs to reduce manual effort and improve reliability.
• Partner with service desk teams and junior engineers to enhance troubleshooting workflows and knowledge documentation.

Benefits

• medical
• vision
• dental
• 401K
• flexible spending

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal
• Education Level: Associate degree