Sr. Network (DevOps) Engineer

Early Warning® • Chicago, IL

19h • $106,000 - $156,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

At Early Warning, we’ve powered and protected the U.S. financial system for over thirty years with cutting-edge solutions like Zelle®, Paze℠, and so much more. As a trusted name in payments, we partner with thousands of institutions to increase access to financial services and protect transactions for hundreds of millions of consumers and small businesses. Positions located in Scottsdale, San Francisco, Chicago, or New York follow a hybrid work model to allow for a more collaborative working environment. Candidates responding to this posting must independently possess the eligibility to work in the United States, for any employer, at the date of hire. This position is ineligible for employment Visa sponsorship. The Senior Network Engineer designs, builds, implements, automates, and supports complex network solutions that enable secure, scalable, and highly available enterprise systems. This role provides advanced technical expertise across LAN, WAN, data center, cloud, and security domains, and acts as a technical leader on high-impact projects. The Senior Network Engineer contributes to network strategy and architectural direction, leads complex implementations, and serves as a subject matter expert supporting cross-functional engineering and product teams.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• 5 + years of progressive experience in network engineering, including responsibility for complex enterprise environments.
• Strong expertise in LAN/WAN, routing protocols (BGP, OSPF, EIGRP), VPN, and data center networking.
• Hands-on experience with firewalls (Cisco, Palo Alto), load balancers (F5), and network switches/routers.
• Experience supporting hybrid environments (on-prem and AWS cloud).
• Solid understanding of TCP/IP, OSI model, Ethernet, and network services (DNS, DHCP, HTTP/S, SSH, SMTP).
• Experience with virtualization concepts (ESX, vSwitch/VDS).
• Practical experience with scripting or automation (Python, Bash, Ansible preferred).
• Strong troubleshooting skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to make sound technical decisions within established architectural standards.
• Must pass background and drug screening.

Nice To Haves

• Additional education and/or relevant industry experience.
• Experience designing and supporting hybrid (on-prem + AWS) network architectures.
• Strong background in infrastructure automation, CI/CD practices, and network-as-code methodologies.
• Proficiency with scripting/programming languages (Python, Bash, or similar).
• Strong understanding of IaC concepts and tooling (Terraform, AWS CloudFormation when applicable).
• Industry certifications such as CCNP, PCNSE, JNCIP, or equivalent.
• AWS Cloud certifications or hands-on cloud networking experience.
• Experience in regulated environments such as FinTech.

Responsibilities

• Designs, configures, tests, and maintains complex LAN, WAN, data center, and cloud networking solutions.
• Leads technical design and implementation for medium to large network initiatives, including upgrades, migrations, and new service deployments.
• Translates architectural standards and strategic direction into executable technical designs and operational solutions.
• Leads the diagnosis and resolution of complex and escalated network incidents across multiple platforms and technologies.
• Performs advanced troubleshooting to isolate hardware, software, firmware, application, and network-related issues.
• Conducts root cause analysis and implements corrective actions to prevent recurrence.
• Contributes to the evolution of the network platform by identifying improvement opportunities and recommending modern technologies, automation, and design patterns.
• Participates in architecture reviews and provides technical input into network standards, tooling, and operational processes.
• Implements automation and configuration management practices to improve reliability, scalability, and operational efficiency.
• Works closely with Cloud, Platform, Security, SRE, Application Engineering, and Product teams to deliver integrated infrastructure solutions.
• Serves as a trusted technical partner for engineering teams requiring network expertise.
• Participates in high-visibility, cross-functional projects from design through implementation.
• Maintains and supports enterprise LAN/WAN, firewall, load balancing, and web hosting environments.
• Participates in 24x7 on-call rotations and provides escalation support as needed.
• Creates and maintains accurate technical documentation, diagrams, and operational runbooks.
• Implements network security controls and policies in alignment with enterprise security standards.
• Participates in firewall governance processes, including rule reviews and approvals.
• Supports the company’s commitment to protecting system and data confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
• Provides technical guidance and informal mentorship to junior engineers.
• Shares best practices, troubleshooting techniques, and operational knowledge within the team.
• Maintains industry knowledge through ongoing training and professional development.

Benefits

• Healthcare Coverage – Competitive medical (PPO/HDHP), dental, and vision plans as well as company contributions to your Health Savings Account (HSA) or pre-tax savings through flexible spending accounts (FSA) for commuting, health & dependent care expenses.
• 401(k) Retirement Plan – Featuring a 100% Company Safe Harbor Match on your first 6% deferral immediately upon eligibility.
• Paid Time Off – Unlimited Time Off for Exempt (salaried) employees, as well as generous PTO for Non-Exempt (hourly) employees, plus 11 paid company holidays and a paid volunteer day.
• 12 weeks of Paid Parental Leave
• Maven Family Planning – provides support through your Parenting journey including egg freezing, fertility, adoption, surrogacy, pregnancy, postpartum, early pediatrics, and returning to work.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level