Director, Network and Voice Engineering

Wayne State University is searching for an experienced Director, Network and Voice Engineering at its Detroit campus location.

Wayne State is a premier, public, urban research university located in the heart of Detroit, Michigan where students from all backgrounds are offered a rich, high-quality education. Our deep-rooted commitment to excellence, collaboration, integrity, diversity and inclusion creates exceptional educational opportunities which prepare students for success in a global society.

Essential functions (job duties):

Job Purpose 

The Director of Network Engineering provides strategic leadership, technical direction, and operational oversight for Wayne State University’s enterprise network infrastructure. This role manages all aspects of plant infrastructure, wired and wireless networks, access control systems, video surveillance, core network services, voice technologies, and both border and data center firewall services. The Director ensures the reliability, security, scalability, and performance of the university’s network environment while supporting academic, research, administrative, and public safety needs across campus. The Director leads a multidisciplinary engineering team, collaborates with campus partners, and drives modernization initiatives that align with institutional priorities and digital transformation goals. This position reports to the Senior Director, Infrastructure & Operations.

Essential Functions
(Essential functions are the primary duties/major job responsibilities that an employee must be able to perform, with or without reasonable accommodation. The essential functions are listed in order of importance.)

Strategic Leadership & Planning: ­Develop and execute long‑term strategies for campus network infrastructure, including wired, wireless, voice, firewall, access control, and video surveillance systems. ­Lead modernization initiatives such as network switch refresh cycles, core network upgrades, wireless augmentation, firewall lifecycle management, and voice migration to Microsoft Teams. ­Establish technology roadmaps that support institutional growth, research demands, and emerging digital needs. ­Ensure alignment with university governance, security standards, and operational excellence frameworks.

Network and Voice Infrastructure Management: Oversee the design, implementation, and lifecycle management of all network systems, including: Plant infrastructure (fiber, copper, pathways, outside plant), Wired network (edge switching, distribution, routing), Wireless network (campus Wi Fi, density planning, performance optimization), Core network services (routing, switching, firewalls, load balancing, DNS/DHCP/IPAM), Voice services (Teams Voice, VoIP, legacy migrations, call routing), Access control systems (card access, door controllers, integrations), Video surveillance systems (IP cameras, storage, monitoring platforms), Firewall services (border firewalls, data center firewalls, segmentation, policy management, threat mitigation)

Operational Oversight: Ensure high availability, reliability, and performance of all network and firewall services through proactive monitoring, capacity planning, and incident response. Develop and enforce standards, documentation, and best practices for network and security architecture. Oversee vendor relationships, contracts, RFP processes, and procurement for network, firewall, and physical security technologies. Manage budgets, forecasting, and resource allocation for network engineering initiatives.

Team Leadership & Development: Lead, mentor, and develop a team of network engineers, firewall/security engineers, technicians, and specialists across multiple technology domains. Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement. ­Promote cross training, professional development, and knowledge sharing to strengthen team capability and resilience.

Campus Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement: ­Serve as a primary liaison to Facilities Planning & Management, Public Safety, construction teams, academic units, and administrative divisions. ­Provide technical guidance during construction and renovation projects to ensure IT infrastructure is integrated early and implemented to university standards. Communicate project timelines, impacts, and service changes to stakeholders with clarity and transparency.

Security, Compliance & Risk Management: Partner with Information Security to ensure network and firewall systems meet security, compliance, and risk‑management requirements. ­Implement controls, monitoring, and remediation strategies to protect university assets and data. Support business continuity and disaster recovery planning for network and voice services.

Perform other related duties as assigned.

Unique duties:

Qualifications:

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education: Bachelor's degree
-Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university in Information Technology, Computer Engineering, or related field.
-Master’s degree in a related field preferred.
-Professional certifications (e.g., CCNP/CCIE, CWNP, Aruba, Juniper, PMP) preferred

Experience: Expert (established subject matter expert, 7 years experience)
-Minimum of 7 years of progressively responsible experience in network engineering, infrastructure management, or related domains.
-Minimum of 3 years of leadership or management experience overseeing technical teams.
-Experience in higher education or large-scale campus environments preferred.
-Familiarity with construction processes, building codes, and low voltage infrastructure standards preferred.
-Expertise in enterprise networking technologies (routing, switching, wireless, firewalls, load balancing).
-Experience with voice systems (VoIP, SIP, Teams Voice) and physical security systems (access control, video surveillance).
-Strong understanding of data center networking, virtualization, and cloud integrated architectures.
-Demonstrated ability to lead complex, multiyear infrastructure projects.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES
-Strategic and analytical thinking
-Strong communication and stakeholder engagement
-Leadership and team development
-Project and vendor management
-Problem solving and decision making
-Commitment to service excellence and continuous improvement

WORKING CONDITIONS
-Normal office environment.

Preferred qualifications:

School/College/Division:

Generic Division

Primary department:

H2565

Employment type:

• Regular Employee
• Job type: Full Time
• Job category: Staff/Administrative

Funding/salary information:

• Compensation type: Annual Salary
• Hourly rate:
• Salary minimum:
• Salary hire maximum:

Working conditions:

Job openings:

• Number of openings: 1
• Reposted position: No
• Reposted reason: None (New Requisition)
• Prior posting/requisition number:

Background check requirements:

University policy requires certain persons who are offered employment to undergo a background check, including a criminal history check, before starting work. If you are offered employment, the university will inform you if a background check is required.