Network Engineer

JOB SUMMARY

The Network Engineer provides engineering and support services to LEARN (Lonestar Education and

Research Network) members with a focus on the successful operation and function of an enterprise

infrastructure providing high-speed Wide Area Network (WAN) connectivity and an ISP

environment consisting of optical transport, network routers, switches, and firewalls.

The Network Engineer operates within an IT service management environment and is accountable

for timely incident resolution, participation in formal change management processes, and the

creation and maintenance of accurate technical documentation throughout the engineering and

project lifecycle.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Design and implement advanced configuration of network routers, switches, and firewalls, as well as

network management tools and related systems.

• Provide enhanced operational support for production network services, including incident triage,

troubleshooting, service restoration, and formal incident closure.

• Track and monitor incident and service request resolution timelines to ensure adherence to defined

service level expectations and operational priorities.

• Identify recurring operational issues, service risks, and process gaps, and contribute recommendations for

improving service reliability and response effectiveness.

• Troubleshoot physical and optical network issues, including fiber paths, transponders, multiplexers,

amplifiers and DWDM line and client optics.

• Resolve incidents in accordance with established incident management processes and defined service

level expectations. Participates in incident reviews and post-incident analysis.

• Proactively monitor alarms, alerts, and notifications related to the operational health and status of the

enterprise, to maintain reliability and ensure availability of network resources.

• Prepare, submit, and maintain change requests for production-impacting work and execute approved

changes during maintenance windows.

• Communicate effectively with LEARN members to clarify requirements, provide technical updates, and

deliver timely, accurate information.

• Develop, maintain, and continuously improve technical documentation, including standards, standard

operating procedures (SOPs), Method of Procedures (MOPs), network designs, diagrams, and system

records.

OTHER DUTIES

• Operates with a high degree of ownership, accountability, and process discipline in a collaborative

engineering environment.

• Work closely with project management office, engineering peers, staff, vendors, and partners across

K–12, higher education, and research networks.

• Frequent interaction with network, fiber, and service providers; other regional and national networks;

content & cloud/application & infrastructure providers.

• This position requires regular field work and participation in operational responsibilities, including

scheduled on-call support.

This job description is not designated to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities,

duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and

activities may change at any time with or without notice.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor's degree 3 years' experience or 7 years of equivalent combination of education and

experience

• Network Engineering certifications are preferred.

• Proven working experience with network routers and switches is required, (Juniper and Nokia experience

is preferred).

• Proven work experience with advanced service provider and WAN router configurations utilizing logical

systems, BGP in a multi-homed environment, IPv4, IPv6, ISIS, OSPF, MPLS, LACP, LDP, L2 and L3 VPN,

VPLS, EVPN, QoS, 802.1q, 802.1p and IP Multicasting technologies.

• A working knowledge of networking protocols, with a thorough understanding of TCP/IP, IPv4/v6 address

management, and DNS.

• Experience with next-generation firewalls and security devices is strongly preferred.

• Experience with network management and monitoring systems (ex: perfSONAR, NetBox, LibreNMS,

RANCID, etc.) and diagnostic tools commonly used within the service provider networks.

• Experience performing work in an enterprise data center environment, with carrier-grade Point-of-

Presences (POPs) experience highly preferred.

• Familiarity with Linux or BSD system administration skills. Familiarity with fiber optic wiring, transceiver

troubleshooting, and operating network test and diagnostics equipment.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES

• Demonstrated understanding of IT service management practices, including incident, change, and

knowledge management.

• Demonstrated team building abilities.

• Demonstrated record of taking initiative to solve technical and logistical issues.

• Proven oral and written communication skills including the use of collaboration tools.

• Strong organizational skills with attention to detail in change records, incident documentation, and

technical artifacts.

• Ability to produce clear, structured technical documentation suitable for peer review and operational use.

• Strong familiarity with Windows, Mac, Linux or BSD operating system and office productivity suite skills.

• Familiarity with co-location and Internet Exchange point practices and policies.

• Knowledge of fiber optic technologies and Layer1 protocols & technologies.

• Consistently willing to admit when wrong or make a mistake. Does not get defensive when others hold

accountable.

• Proactively asks for feedback from others, evaluates the feedback, and is willing to make changes based

on the feedback. When appropriate or requested, respectfully, professionally, and proactively give

feedback to others.

• Knows when to be flexible and when to be firm with the ability to pivot if necessary. Coach others that

may struggle with adaptability.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS & WORK ENVIRONMENT

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee

to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be

made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Position Location: Strong preference is for this position to be based in the Dallas Metro area and operate

from a home office in a virtual office environment. Work outside of an established schedule and working

hours, including weekends and holidays, may be required.

• Travel Requirements: Frequent travel (up to 50%) is expected for this role. Travel includes visiting existing

and future member venues and LEARN sites throughout Texas as well as Regional & National meetings

and conferences in North America. Some overnight travel (up to 25%) is expected.

• Position requires reliable transportation, valid driver’s license, and ability to travel by car or air.

• On-call availability for resolving network emergencies, both during regular and off-hours.

• Emergency on-call availability 24x7x365.

• This role requires prolonged sitting and working on a computer in a home office setting.

• Regularly required to stand, walk, sit, use hands; and reach with hands and arms.

• Dexterity of hands and fingers to operate a computer keyboard, mouse, power tools, and to handle other

computer components.

• Lifting and transporting moderately heavy objects, such as network switches, servers, computers, and

peripherals

• Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral

vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

To apply for this job, please submit a cover letter, resume, and application (found on our website: tx-learn.net) in PDF format to jobs@tx-learn.net with “Network Engineer” as the subject line.