Senior Network Engineer

Pepper Construction•Barrington, IL

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Pepper Construction is a national general contracting and construction management firm that primarily serves the private sector. With offices in Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Ohio, Pepper Construction provides clients the experience and resources of a national company, combined with the hands-on approach of a local company. We are seeking a skilled Sr. Network Engineer with proven experience in Cisco networking technologies and a strong background in network security. This role is responsible for the design, implementation, and maintenance of secure and efficient network infrastructure across the organization. The ideal candidate will have hands-on experience with Cisco hardware and software, and a deep understanding of security best practices. This position will be primarily onsite in our Barrington IL office with one day remote, and will require travel to Pepper offices and construction job sites in the Midwest.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in computer science, information technology, or related field (or equivalent work experience)
7+ years of experience as a Network Engineer in Cisco-based environments
Strong knowledge of Cisco technologies (routing, switching, wireless, and firewalls)
Experience with Meraki wireless required
Proficient in VPN technologies, firewall rule sets, and intrusion prevention systems (IPS)
Knowledge of network monitoring tools (e.g., SolarWinds, PRTG, Cisco DNA Center)
Experience with network security tools and concepts (e.g., ACLs, VPN, IDS/IPS, segmentation)
Familiarity with security standards and frameworks
Excellent troubleshooting and analytical skills
Cisco Certification (or in progress) CCNP required

Nice To Haves

Experience with Cisco Secure Access preferred
Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) preferred
Cisco Certified CyberOps Associate or CCNP Security a plus
Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) or CompTIA Security+ a plus

Responsibilities

Deploy, configure, and manage Cisco routers, switches, firewalls, and wireless solutions.
Manage the migration from a traditional on-premise solution to Cisco Secure Access
Implement and maintain network security protocols, including firewalls, VPNs, and access controls
Ability to lead end to end network projects and implementations
Create standard architecture, process and implementation plans for job sites, and manage job site requests
Monitor and optimize network performance, ensuring reliability and security
Identify and mitigate network vulnerabilities and threats
Collaborate with IT and security teams on infrastructure design and risk mitigation
Maintain documentation for configurations, procedures, and network diagrams
Support network-related incident response and troubleshooting
Assist in audits and compliance activities (e.g., ISO, NIST, HIPAA)
Support the entire corporate and job site network and security configurations