Senior Network Engineer (Infrastructure & Cloud)

Charles River Associates•Chicago, TX

6d•Hybrid

About The Position

Charles River Associates (CRA) is a global consulting firm providing economic, financial, and business management expertise to law firms, corporations, and governments. Its Information Technology team comprises 40 professionals working across global offices to maintain, develop, and secure the firm’s technology infrastructure. CRA is seeking an experienced Network Engineer for its global networking team. The role provides hands-on responsibility for planning, designing, implementing, documenting, securing, and troubleshooting enterprise networks across campus, data center, wireless, WAN, and cloud environments. It supports daily operations and maintenance, advances security initiatives, and involves collaboration with IT colleagues, business stakeholders, and vendors across the firm. The role is expected to work in the office at least three to four days per week, which may include travel to another CRA office or client meetings. Some travel to CRA offices and out-of-hours or weekend work for scheduled upgrades or unexpected outages will be required.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related discipline; a master’s degree is desirable.
4–6 years of relevant work experience, preferably in a professional services environment.
Current Cisco certification at the CCNA level, or a demonstrated track record of maintaining Cisco certifications at or above the CCNA level.
Demonstrated knowledge of secure LAN/WAN, campus, data center, wireless, and cloud networking operations.
Hands-on experience designing, implementing, and supporting networks in Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Hands-on experience with Cisco Nexus data center switching, Cisco Catalyst switching and wireless, and Cisco Firepower firewalls.
Experience with network management and automation platforms, including Cisco Nexus Dashboard, Cisco Catalyst Center, and Infoblox.
Ability to design and document logical and physical networks using Microsoft Visio, including topology, rack, connectivity, and as-built documentation.
Strong practical knowledge of Cisco enterprise networking platforms across LAN/WAN, data center, wireless, firewall, and cloud-connected environments.
Proficiency with Spanning Tree, DNS, DHCP, BGP, OSPF, HSRP, LACP, SNMP, NTP, IPsec VPN, and QoS.
Experience creating, reviewing, implementing, and troubleshooting firewall policies; Cisco Firepower is preferred.
Ability to propose and clearly communicate network topology changes that improve availability, security, performance, and operational supportability.
Familiarity with ITIL change management, implementation and rollback planning, and pre-change risk assessment.
Strong troubleshooting skills across Layers 1 through 7, including packet capture and network performance analysis.
Comfort working in customer-facing situations and collaborating effectively in cross-functional technical teams.
Self-motivated, with the ability to prioritize and execute tasks in a high-pressure environment.
Ability to travel to other offices.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related discipline.
CCNP certification.
Relevant Microsoft Azure and AWS certifications.
Professional services environment experience.
Strong knowledge of Microsoft Azure networking, including virtual networks, routing, network security controls, and hybrid connectivity.
Strong knowledge of AWS networking, including VPCs, routing, security controls, and hybrid connectivity.
Experience with Cisco Nexus data center switches and Nexus Dashboard; Cisco Catalyst switches, Catalyst wireless infrastructure, and Catalyst Center; and Cisco Firepower firewalls.
Palo Alto firewall experience.
Infoblox DNS, DHCP, and IP address management (IPAM).
Cisco ISE and 802.1X network access control.
Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN.
Kemp LoadMaster load balancers.
Cisco Umbrella.
Knowledge of PKI, certificate lifecycle management, domain registration, DNS, and 802.1X fundamentals.
Optional sample set of diagrams generated with Visio as work product.

Responsibilities

Design, install, configure, test, document, and maintain secure network infrastructure across on-premises and cloud environments.
Identify, diagnose, and resolve complex network, wireless, firewall, DNS, and connectivity issues.
Create and maintain Microsoft Visio network diagrams, implementation plans, configuration standards, and as-built documentation.
Administer and use Nexus Dashboard, Catalyst Center, Infoblox, and other management platforms for network visibility, configuration, assurance, and lifecycle activities.
Maintain accurate configuration records, inventories, circuit information, support documentation, and vendor contacts.
Plan and execute upgrades while minimizing service disruption and maintaining tested rollback procedures.
Develop, implement, and maintain policies, procedures, and training plans for network resource administration, appropriate use, and disaster recovery.
Ensure network hardware, software, firmware, and configurations are current, supportable, and secure.
Monitor and test network performance and provide performance statistics, reports, and recommendations.
Coordinate with internal teams and external vendors to deliver projects and resolve incidents.
Coordinate with other IT teams and stakeholders across the firm.
Travel to other CRA offices as needed and execute project plans with minimal oversight.
Perform scheduled upgrade and outage-response work outside regular hours, including weekends, as required.

Benefits

Comprehensive benefits package, subject to eligibility requirements.
Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
401(k) retirement plan with employer match.
Life and disability insurance.
Paid time off, including vacation, sick leave, and holidays.
Paid parental leave.
Wellness programs and employee assistance resources.
Commuter benefits.
Additional bonus incentive compensation eligibility.
Technical training, presentation skills training, internal seminars, career mentoring, and performance coaching.
Leadership and collaboration opportunities through internal firm development activities.
In-house immigration support for foreign nationals and international business travelers.