Sr Network Engineering Manager (Hybrid - Seattle, WA)

Nordstrom•Seattle, WA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Nordstrom is seeking an Engineering Manager to lead Network Engineering within Network and Infrastructure Operations (NIO). The role owns the network connecting more than 400 stores, fulfillment centers, and distribution centers, including the Versa SD-WAN fabric, connectivity to AWS, Azure, GCP, and OCI, and Juniper wired and Mist wireless networks. The manager is accountable for uptime, resilience, security, and the team operating these environments. This is a hands-on leadership position guiding the shift from manually managed network devices to Git-based changes, automated pipelines, AI-assisted documentation and alert analysis, and work tracking in GitHub. The manager will coach engineers through this transition and work closely with Network Security, CIS, Edge, Store Technology, Fulfillment Operations, Cloud Architecture, and other infrastructure partners. The role requires a background building and operating large enterprise and cloud networks, as well as communicating technical issues in terms relevant to both engineers and executives. The manager leads day-to-day delivery and team development, reviews network designs and automation, oversees network health and incident response, participates in production change approvals, and maintains the team’s backlog and roadmap. The role also guides responsible use of AI, ensuring engineers review and own changes and that records are retained for audit.

Requirements

At least 10 years of hands-on network engineering across on-premises enterprise infrastructure and cloud networking (AWS, Azure, or GCP) before moving into management.
At least 3 years leading people or a technical team.
Hands-on experience deploying or operating SD-WAN; Versa Networks or a comparable platform is specified.
Understanding of cloud networking across AWS, Azure, GCP, and/or OCI, including Cloud WAN, Transit Gateway, Direct Connect, VNet peering, and hybrid connectivity.
Experience with enterprise wired and wireless networking, such as Juniper EX/QFX switching, Mist AI wireless, or comparable campus and branch platforms.
Hands-on experience with data center fabrics, including VXLAN/EVPN design, BGP, and multi-tenant overlays.
Deep knowledge of routing protocols such as BGP and OSPF, WAN technologies, QoS, and network segmentation for multi-site enterprises.
Experience leading incident response, root cause analysis, and problem management in complex distributed networks.
Hands-on experience with network automation and infrastructure-as-code using Ansible, Terraform, Python, or similar, plus GitOps and CI/CD for network configuration.
Experience moving a team from manual network changes to automated, peer-reviewed changes.
Practical experience using AI in engineering or operations work, such as documentation, incident analysis, or code generation, and judgment about when its output needs checking.
Experience managing team work through GitHub Issues and Projects, Jira, or a similar system, with clear priorities and a visible roadmap.
Working knowledge of observability tools such as New Relic, Datadog, or Splunk.
Experience building and developing engineering teams, with focus on career growth and technical craft.
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Network Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
Ability to explain network issues in terms of business impact to engineers and executives.
Experience managing vendors for network hardware, software licensing, and managed services.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with AI-driven network assurance such as Juniper Marvis.
Hands-on experience with Versa VOS, SD-WAN policy orchestration, and zero-touch provisioning for large branch deployments.
Experience designing or operating AWS Cloud WAN with global segments, core network policies, and multi-region connectivity.
Familiarity with Juniper Mist AI, including Mist WAN Assurance, Marvis, and AI-driven wireless operations.
Experience building or operating AI agents or LLM-based tools for network or infrastructure operations, including runbook-driven workflows with a human making the final decision.
Experience with workflow and automation platforms such as Temporal or StackStorm, especially automation that collects network state, tracks changes in Git, and triggers controlled actions.
Experience integrating version control, MOP documentation, and ITSM tools such as ServiceNow into a change management workflow.
Experience with VXLAN/EVPN in multi-vendor or Juniper QFX data center fabrics, including underlay and overlay design and BUM traffic handling.
Knowledge of retail or fulfillment environments and the network needs of high-transaction, always-on stores and distribution centers.
Experience with segmentation, micro-segmentation, ZTNA, and integration with cloud security services.
Experience with load testing, capacity planning, and performance benchmarking for WAN and data center networks.
Familiarity with PCI-DSS and SOC2 as they apply to retail network segmentation and data protection.
Industry certifications such as CCNP/CCIE, Juniper JNCIP/JNCIE, AWS Advanced Networking Specialty, or equivalent.
Experience in Agile/Scrum environments, including sprint planning, backlog management, and team-level OKRs.
A track record of network modernization or automation that reduced operational toil, improved reliability, or lowered cost.

Responsibilities

Run stand-ups and sprint planning, maintain progress in GitHub Issues and Projects, and prioritize work across SD-WAN, cloud, wired and wireless networking, and data center fabrics.
Review designs for network work, including SD-WAN policy changes, AWS Cloud WAN updates, Juniper campus and wireless deployments, and VXLAN fabric expansions.
Collaborate with Store Technology, Fulfillment Operations, and Cloud teams on network designs suited to stores, warehouses, and offices.
Monitor network health across Versa, Juniper, and data center fabrics, and lead responses to service degradation.
Hold one-on-ones with engineers, coach career development and technical problem-solving, and help engineers develop skills in code, pull requests, and automation.
Work with Cloud Architecture, Security, and Infrastructure on roadmaps for SD-WAN expansion, cloud connectivity, and wireless modernization.
Participate in the Change Advisory Board and approve production changes.
Analyze performance and cost data to tune routing, bandwidth, and cloud egress spending while maintaining SLAs.
Review automation work and infrastructure-as-code repositories, ensuring changes receive peer review and testing and have rollback plans.
Keep backlogs, roadmaps, and larger initiatives current in GitHub and Jira.
Set standards for responsible AI use, requiring engineers to own changes, review AI output before acting on it, and retain audit records.
Lead post-incident reviews and use findings to improve runbooks, alert tuning, and automation.
Lead and develop a strong engineering team with an emphasis on career growth and technical craft.
Manage vendors for network hardware, software licensing, and managed services.