Network Engineer Team Lead

Our client, the #1 sports and entertainment brand globally, has an immediate full-time opening for a Sr. Network Engineer to join their world-class team.

This position is 100% onsite and includes off-hours and event support (primarily) in Arlington and some in Frisco. You will be on-call, there is a lot of work/projects, and you will be very busy in this role. Their strong preference is a 2-3 month contract to hire, but they will consider direct hire for truly exceptional candidates.

The Senior Network Engineer is the senior technical lead for the enterprise network that supports daily business operations and live events across enterprise facilities, including a major stadium, a corporate campus, and other sites. The Senior Network Engineer designs, builds, secures, and operates the data center, campus, wireless, and wide area network; owns network access control and segmentation; and leads network projects from design through cutover. The role provides technical direction to the network team, works closely with systems, security, broadcast, and vendor partners, and supports event-day operations, including nights and weekends.

Key responsibilities

• Design, implement, and maintain the enterprise network across data center, campus, wireless, wide area, and internet edge environments at all enterprise facilities.
• Own the Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) environment, including a multi-node deployment, 802.1X and MAB policy, upgrades and patching, certificate lifecycle, and segmentation using Security Group Tags (SGTs) and TrustSec.
• Operate and extend the Cisco ACI data center fabric and Nexus platforms, and the Catalyst campus and SD-Access environment managed through Catalyst Center.
• Lead network projects such as site refreshes, segmentation, and access-control enforcement from requirements and design through implementation, overnight cutover, and handoff to operations.
• Provide network support for event days and live productions, including high-density wireless, digital signage, broadcast and AV-over-IP traffic, multicast, and IP intercom and voice systems, with availability for nights, weekends, and holidays.
• Plan and execute changes through the change advisory board (CAB) process, including documented implementation, validation, and rollback plans, with attention to event schedules.
• Lead remediation of network vulnerabilities and security advisories, maintain software currency across network platforms, and support audits and security assessments.
• Manage firewall policy and network security controls using Cisco Secure Firewall (FMC and FTD) in partnership with the Information Security team.
• Maintain network monitoring and observability, including SolarWinds, Splunk, and ThousandEyes, and define critical-interface and alerting standards.
• Serve as the technical escalation point for complex network issues and manage vendor, carrier, and Cisco TAC engagements through resolution.
• Provide technical leadership and mentoring to network engineers and technicians, review designs and work, and set network standards and reference designs.
• Maintain accurate documentation of designs, configurations, and changes, and report network status, risks, and project progress to leadership.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• A bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field is preferred, or equivalent experience.
• Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) required. Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) preferred.
• Minimum of 10 years of enterprise network design, implementation, and operations experience on Cisco platforms.
• Required technical experience: Cisco ISE with 802.1X, MAB, and SGT/TrustSec segmentation; Cisco ACI, APIC, Nexus Dashboard, Nexus, and NX-OS; Catalyst data center, campus, and edge switching on IOS-XE, including Catalyst Center and SD-Access; enterprise routing with BGP, EIGRP, and IS-IS; and Cisco Secure Firewall (FMC and FTD).
• Preferred technical experience: Cisco enterprise wireless in high-density environments (Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7); Cisco Meraki; Cisco Secure Access and Umbrella; Cisco XDR and Secure Network Analytics; SolarWinds, Splunk, and ThousandEyes; multicast and AV-over-IP networks; and network automation or scripting (for example, Python or Ansible).
• Experience supporting networks in live events, stadiums, broadcasts, or other high-availability environments preferred.
• Experience leading technical work and mentoring engineers, with or without formal people management.
• Sound judgment and an analytical approach to troubleshooting complex issues that span multiple systems.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills for working with leadership, peers, and vendors.
• Ability to work independently in a fast-paced, changing, cross-functional environment, with availability for flexible hours, including nights, weekends, holidays, and on-call coverage.
• Ability to travel between enterprise facilities as needed.
• Ability to lift up to 50 pounds with assistance.
• Ability to stand, sit, bend, and move throughout large venues for extended periods.
• Manual dexterity sufficient to work with network equipment and cabling.
• Vision, hearing, and speech sufficient to communicate clearly and work safely in event and equipment environments.