Senior Network Engineer

📍 Location: Rialto, CA (Onsite as needed; occasional travel to nearby sites)

⏳ Contract Length: 6-Month Contract to Hire

🏢 Industry: Public Safety Communications / 911 Dispatch

🕒 Schedule: Full-time | On-call rotation required

We are unable to work with C2C vendors or independent contractors. Candidates must be eligible to work as W2 employees.

About the Role:

Softworld, a Kelly Company, is supporting a leading public safety communications organization in hiring a Senior Network Engineer. This engineer will be responsible for designing, implementing, and supporting enterprise-level LAN/WAN infrastructure that powers 24/7/365 operations—including systems critical to 911 dispatch, fire/EMS, and emergency response.

This position requires deep expertise in enterprise networking, cybersecurity, high-availability environments, and secure data transport. The ideal candidate is a strong technical leader with experience supporting mission-critical systems.

Key Responsibilities:

• Engineer, implement, and support enterprise WAN/LAN infrastructure across multiple sites.

• Lead and coordinate complex network technology projects.

• Architect scalable, secure network solutions to support dispatch systems and public safety operations.

• Work closely with cross-functional teams, technical SMEs, and external partners to gather requirements and support system interoperability.

• Support cloud and data center connectivity using industry-standard encryption and security frameworks.

• Administer and maintain firewalls, routing, switching, and endpoint security solutions.

• Participate in the change management process to ensure secure and coordinated infrastructure updates.

• Respond to after-hours outages or mission-critical issues as part of an on-call rotation.

• Contribute to documentation, operational planning, and continuous improvement initiatives.

Minimum Qualifications:

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field (or equivalent experience).

• Preferred certifications: CCNA, CCNP, ITIL, CompTIA, etc.

Experience:

• 5 years of progressive experience in network administration, engineering, and security.

• Experience supporting high-availability, enterprise-scale environments.

• Expertise across LAN/WAN, voice, video, and data communications.

Technical Skills:

• Strong knowledge of TCP/IP, VPN, DNS, DHCP, IPsec, OSPF, BGP, EIGRP, MPLS, SD-WAN.

• Hands-on experience with Cisco, Meraki, and Sophos hardware and firewalls.

• Experience with monitoring tools such as SolarWinds and NinjaOne.

• Familiarity with backup solutions like Cohesity and Veeam.

• Understanding of IT governance, cybersecurity standards, and network security.

• Scripting/automation (Python, PowerShell) is a plus.

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience with Nutanix, Windows Server, or SQL Server.

• Excellent communication, documentation, and stakeholder engagement skills.

• Ability to manage multiple projects in a fast-paced environment.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving mindset.

• Willingness to cross-train and support rapidly evolving business needs.