Network Engineer

Make a difference at one of Florida’s premier institutions for education in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Florida Polytechnic University, ranked the No. 1 public college in the region by U.S. News and World Report, offers a unique working environment that encourages faculty and staff to be part of a culture that prizes collaboration, innovation, and the willingness to go above and beyond to ensure our students and University succeed. Florida Poly offers a small campus academic environment where students form connections with their faculty and peers as they pursue high-value degrees in engineering and applied sciences. The University is equipped with cutting-edge facilities and equipment and two award-winning, architecturally distinct academic buildings. Its evolving curriculum, designed to meet the needs of industry and provide a life-long educational foundation for students, has helped the institution grow in prominence since its opening in 2014. Florida Poly’s deliberately small classes, affordability, and outstanding graduate outcomes have helped it earn recognitions such as being named a top value school, in the top 25 nationally for affordability, and in the top five best universities in the South for tech students. Accredited by ABET and SACSCOC, Florida Poly is educating some of the brightest minds in Florida and attracting standout talent from across the nation.

JOB TITLE

Network Engineer

JOB DESCRIPTION SUMMARY

The Network Engineer serves as a core member of the IT Infrastructure team, reporting to the Director of IT Infrastructure Services and working closely with the Lead Network Engineer. This role is responsible for the day-to-day engineering, administration, and continuous improvement of the University's wired, wireless, and wide area network infrastructure. Responsibilities include configuring and maintaining switching, routing, wireless, and firewall environments; monitoring performance and resolving complex network issues; delivering network projects from planning through deployment; and maintaining accurate documentation and standards. The Network Engineer participates in an on-call rotation, plans and performs after-hours maintenance to minimize impact to users, and provides technical guidance to Technicians and student workers. The Network Engineer also supports ITS auxiliary services, such as residence halls, dining, and external partnerships. This role is ideal for a highly technical, self-motivated, and hard-working individual with a strong passion for networking and a drive to build infrastructure that is stable, secure, and well documented. A positive attitude, a commitment to seeing tasks through to completion, and taking pride in the quality of your work are essential. If you thrive in a dynamic, fast-paced environment with a diverse portfolio of projects, enjoy deep technical collaboration with a close-knit infrastructure team, and are eager to continuously expand your skills in enterprise networking, security, and automation, this position offers significant opportunity to make a tangible impact across the University.

JOB DESCRIPTION RESPONSIBILITIES:

Administer, configure, and maintain the University's LAN, WLAN, and WAN infrastructure, including switches, routers, wireless, firewalls, and VPN. Plan, test, and implement changes and upgrades, scheduling user-impacting work after hours. Monitor network performance; respond to alerts, service requests, and escalated incidents; and perform root cause analysis to resolve complex issues. Participate in a rotating on-call schedule to respond to after-hours incidents and outages. Participate in the planning, design, and implementation of network projects, including new construction and renovations. Develop and recommend standards, roadmaps, and capacity plans to support current and future needs. Maintain and improve network security, including segmentation, 802.1X/NAC, firewall policy, and vulnerability remediation, in partnership with IT Security and in alignment with frameworks such as CIS, NIST, and PCI. Create and maintain accurate network documentation, including diagrams, configurations, IP address management, and procedures. Automate routine tasks using scripting, AI, and network automation tools where feasible. Provide technical guidance to Network Technicians and student workers. Collaborate with systems, security, and application teams, vendors, and contractors; evaluate vendor products and services and recommend improvements. Support network services delivered through ITS auxiliary operations, such as residence halls, dining, and external partnerships. Proactively pursue opportunities to learn new systems and technologies, share knowledge, and partner with team members to continually enhance departmental expertise and effectiveness. Perform all other duties assigned to support department and University objectives.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Associate’s degree in computer science, Information Technology, or a related field. One (1) or more years of experience as a network engineer, network administrator, or similar role. Equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field. Three (3) or more years supporting enterprise or campus networks, preferably in higher education. Experience with Palo Alto Networks or Fortinet firewalls, Cisco Catalyst switching, and enterprise wireless. Experience with network automation (e.g., Python, Ansible) and documentation platforms such as NetBox. Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) or Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) or equivalent vendor certification.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

Strong understanding of enterprise and campus network design, including LAN/WAN, VLANs, Spanning Tree, wireless (802.11), and routing protocols such as OSPF and BGP. General awareness of EVPN, VXLAN, and Clos (spine-leaf) fabric architectures; hands-on proficiency is not required. Hands-on experience configuring and troubleshooting enterprise switching, routing, and wireless platforms (e.g., Cisco, Arista) using the command line interface (CLI). Experience administering next-generation firewalls (e.g., Palo Alto Networks and Fortinet), VPN, and 802.1X/network access control solutions. Working knowledge of core network services (DNS, DHCP, NTP, RADIUS/TACACS+, QoS) and cloud networking in Microsoft Azure and/or AWS. Experience with network monitoring, management, and documentation tools (e.g., Zabbix, SNMP, syslog, and NetBox). Understanding of scripting and automation (e.g., Python, Ansible, or PowerShell) to automate repetitive tasks. Ability to effectively utilize artificial intelligence (AI). Ability to take ownership of issues, perform root cause analysis, and drive problems to resolution. Strong communication skills with the ability to explain technical issues clearly to both team members and non-technical users. Ability to work outside normal business hours to implement changes and solutions to limit impact/exposure to users.

PHYSICAL DEMAND AND WORKING CONDITIONS:

Physical requirements include occasional lifting and carrying of 5 to 70 pounds and occasional use of ladders and lifts. This role requires sitting, standing, reaching, walking, twisting, and kneeling, as well as the visual.