Senior Network Engineer

East Central Energy•Braham, MN

9d•Hybrid

About The Position

East Central Energy (ECE) is seeking a Senior Network Engineer to manage and support the daily operation of ECE Fiber’s broadband network. This role involves working with industry-leading technologies like Juniper, Ciena, and Calix platforms to configure, deploy, monitor, troubleshoot, and test equipment, ensuring the network remains reliable, resilient, and ready to serve members. The Senior Network Engineer will partner with various departments, field employees, and vendors to improve network performance, support member satisfaction, and contribute to the growth of ECE Fiber. The position offers a values-driven culture, competitive pay, outstanding benefits, and a focus on community. The day-to-day responsibilities include maintaining critical network infrastructure, provisioning circuits, monitoring and troubleshooting network performance, evaluating bandwidth needs, testing new technologies, creating documentation, and collaborating with teams. The role also requires serving as a technical resource and participating in an after-hours on-call rotation.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science and at least four years of industry experience in a service provider or similar environment and at least five years of WAN/LAN administration and maintenance experience, or a combination of education and experience that provides equivalent knowledge.
Experience working with firewalls, routers, switches, and wireless access points.
Experience with routing protocols, including BGP and IS-IS.
Experience with Juniper MX, SRX, and EX platforms.
Knowledge of XGS-PON, Ethernet, OLTs, subscriber access networks, and fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) technologies.
Ability to create and maintain network documentation, diagrams, and technical knowledge resources.
Strong communication, problem-solving, and organizational skills.
Ability to prioritize multiple responsibilities and work effectively both independently and as part of a team.
Ability to participate in an after-hours on-call rotation.

Nice To Haves

Experience in an Internet Service Provider (ISP) or similar network environment.
Industry certifications such as JNCIP-SP, JNCI-SEC, MCP, Navigator, SMx, for CMS.
Junos certifications are highly preferred.
Experience with advanced networking technologies, including MPLS, EVPN, Segment Routing, QoS, VoIP, multicast, and high-availability architectures.
Experience with optical networking technologies and Ciena transport networks.
Familiarity with GPON, XGS-PON, and managing optical budgets.
Strong Linux skills and experience with scripting languages such as Python, Shell, YAML, or Perl.

Responsibilities

Manage critical network infrastructure by configuring, installing, and supporting routers, transport equipment, servers, and network devices, including Juniper, Ciena, and Calix platforms.
Support fiber network operations by provisioning circuits, maintaining transport and access network equipment, and ensuring systems at headends, huts, and OLT cabinets perform as expected.
Monitor and troubleshoot network performance by identifying issues, isolating problems, and resolving hardware, software, and connectivity concerns before they impact members.
Help drive network growth and reliability by evaluating bandwidth needs, recommending improvements, and supporting projects that strengthen network resiliency and performance.
Test and validate new technologies by researching solutions, conducting proof-of-concept testing, and using lab environments to ensure equipment and designs meet operational expectations.
Create clear documentation and procedures that support consistent operations, efficient troubleshooting, and knowledge sharing across teams.
Collaborate with engineering, operations, field employees, vendors, and other departments to support maintenance activities, upgrades, outages, and strategic initiatives.
Serve as a technical resource and trusted problem solver by providing guidance on network-related issues and participating in an after-hours on-call rotation.