Senior Network Engineer

About the Company

Our client is an Alaska-based fixed wireless internet service provider serving residential and business subscribers, including underserved communities. The company values customer focus, enthusiasm for technology, motivation, professionalism, and adaptability.

Position Overview

The Senior Network Engineer configures and maintains the routing and switching infrastructure of the company’s network: the core, the aggregation layer, and the edge at every site we serve. The position plans and runs maintenance windows, makes routine design decisions within established standards, and takes unfamiliar faults to root cause. It also provides technical direction to NOC technicians and to a Network Engineer I, and reports to the Chief Technology Officer.

This is the middle position of a three-level ladder, between Network Engineer I and Network Architect. The duties are the same at every level; what separates the levels is depth of expertise. At this level, routine design decisions are made without prior review, and decisions that are expensive to reverse are brought to the Chief Technology Officer with a recommendation.

Responsibilities

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Configuring, deploying, and maintaining routers and switches across the core, aggregation, and edge
• Implementing and maintaining the controls that protect the network edge and the management plane, in coordination with InfoSec, which is accountable for those controls
• Building and modifying routing and switching configurations, including interior routing and upstream policy
• Running the soak-test and release process for firmware and configuration: lab validation, limited rollout, then the network
• Planning and running the maintenance calendar, including scheduling, subscriber notification, execution, and post-change validation
• Automating validation and configuration work that should not be performed by hand
• Diagnosing unfamiliar faults to root cause and documenting the findings
• Monitoring network performance and capacity
• Maintaining network documentation, IP address management, and site records
• Tracking hardware and software lifecycle and maintaining restorable configuration backups
• Coordinating with vendors and upstream providers on circuits, equipment, and outages
• Supporting the RF Engineering team at site turn-ups and on backhaul capacity
• Providing technical direction to NOC technicians and to a Network Engineer I, including review of their changes before implementation
• Traveling to network sites across Alaska as projects and outages require
• Working with RF Engineering
• RF planning, spectrum coordination, subscriber radio and access point configuration, and microwave path design are the responsibility of the RF Engineering team. This position works closely with that team at site turn-ups, on backhaul capacity, and on faults that may originate in either layer, and is expected to understand how RF and routing and switching interact in a fixed wireless network.
• Candidates whose strengths are on the RF side, or who are interested in a different engineering position with the company, are encouraged to say so in their application.

Qualifications

Required:

• Strong hands-on experience configuring and troubleshooting routers and switches
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• Strong working knowledge of TCP/IP, IP subnetting, VLANs, trunking, spanning tree, DHCP, DNS, NAT, and VPN
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• Solid experience with OSPF and BGP, including upstream transit or peering policy
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• Experience following a documented change process, including maintenance windows, configuration backups, validation, and rollback
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• Experience with network monitoring and telemetry, including SNMP, gRPC streaming telemetry, and Prometheus-style metrics
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• Experience with configuration management
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• Comfort working at the command line and with configuration files rather than only through a graphical interface
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• Ability to review the work of a less-experienced engineer constructively
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• Effective verbal and written communication, including the ability to explain technical concepts to non-technical staff
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• Strong documentation habits
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• Ability to work independently under general supervision
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• Based in Alaska, with a valid driver's license and a clean driving record
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• Ability to work in equipment shelters and in varying Alaska weather conditions when site work is required
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• High school diploma or equivalent
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• U.S. work authorization

Preferred:

• An Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Network Engineering, or a related field
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• A routing and switching certification such as CCNA, CCNP, JNCIA, or an equivalent
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• Internet service provider or wireless carrier experience
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• Experience with VXLAN, MPLS, or VRFs
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• Experience with open-source or Linux-based routing platforms

Working Environment

The company operates a mix of commercial and open-source routing and switching platforms, configured primarily from the command line and in configuration files. Specific vendors, products, and versions are not named in this posting and are discussed in the interview. Depth in routing and switching fundamentals matters more in this position than familiarity with any particular product. Enterprise networking experience is welcome; a service-provider background is not a prerequisite.

Compensation

Salary is set on demonstrated capability rather than on years of experience or prior title, and the range is provided on the first call. A residential internet account is provided at no charge after the introductory period, where the residence is within the company’s coverage area.