Network Engineer - Contract - Columbia, SC

Network Engineer
Location: Columbia, SC Onsite

Interview Process: 2 rounds, virtual
Duration: 12 Months
Employment Type: Contract
Experience Required: 03+ Years

The organization is seeking a Network Engineer to support daily network engineering and infrastructure operations. The selected candidate will be responsible for maintaining and supporting enterprise wired and wireless network infrastructure, troubleshooting network and connectivity issues, performing network equipment installations and upgrades, and supporting network security technologies.

The position requires strong hands-on experience with enterprise networking technologies, including switching, routing, wireless networking, firewalls, VPNs, and network security. The candidate will work closely with network engineering, architecture, security, infrastructure teams, vendors, and stakeholders to ensure reliable and secure network services.

Key Responsibilities:

Network Operations and Infrastructure Support

• Monitor, maintain, and support enterprise wired and wireless network infrastructure.
  
• Support switching, routing, wireless networking, and connectivity services across campus environments.
  
• Configure, install, rack, stack, cable, and test network equipment.
  
• Maintain network availability, reliability, and performance.
  

Incident Response and Problem Resolution

• Diagnose, troubleshoot, and resolve network connectivity and performance issues.
  
• Perform root cause analysis using standard network troubleshooting methodologies and tools.
  
• Investigate network incidents through remote and field-based troubleshooting.
  
• Validate network equipment configurations and coordinate repairs as needed.
  
• Escalate complex technical issues and participate in on-call support activities.
  

Network Maintenance and Service Improvement

• Perform network upgrades, patching, configuration changes, and maintenance activities.
  
• Optimize network performance while minimizing service interruptions.
  
• Support network migrations and lifecycle replacement projects.
  
• Follow established operational and change-management procedures.
  

Documentation, Collaboration, and Customer Support

• Maintain accurate network documentation, diagrams, incident records, and operational runbooks.
  
• Collaborate with network engineering, architecture, security, infrastructure teams, vendors, and stakeholders.
  
• Provide technical support and communicate network-related information effectively.
  
• Assist with knowledge transfer and provide technical guidance to junior staff when required.
  

Network Security and Access Services Administration

• Support and maintain network security technologies, including firewalls and VPNs.
  
• Assist with network access controls and security-related configurations.
  
• Troubleshoot and respond to network security incidents.
  
• Follow established security policies, standards, and best practices.
  

Required Skills & Experience:

· 2+ years of experience with enterprise network technologies, including switching, routing, wireless networking, and TCP/IP protocols.

· 2+ years of experience configuring, monitoring, and troubleshooting Cisco, Juniper, Aruba, and Fortinet network devices.

· 2+ years of experience diagnosing and resolving network connectivity, performance, and security-related issues.

· 2+ years of experience with network security, including firewalls, VPNs, access controls, and security best practices.

· 2+ years of experience installing, configuring, and supporting network infrastructure equipment, including racking, stacking, cabling, and testing.

· 2+ years of experience maintaining technical documentation, network diagrams, and operational records.

· 2+ years of experience with routing protocols and technologies, including OSPF, BGP, VLANs, Spanning Tree, and high-availability architectures.

Preferred Skills:

· Experience supporting large-scale enterprise or higher-education network environments.

· Experience with wireless network administration and troubleshooting in dense-user environments.

· Experience supporting network security technologies, including firewalls, VPNs, NAC, and MFA solutions.

· Familiarity with network monitoring, logging, and performance management tools.

· Experience with network automation, scripting, or infrastructure management tools such as Python, Ansible, and APIs.

· Experience performing network upgrades, migrations, and lifecycle replacement projects.

· Experience working in ITIL-based operational environments, including incident, problem, and change management processes.

Education
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience.

PREFERRED CERTIFICATIONS:

• CCNA
  
• CCNP
  
• JNCIA
  
• JNCIS / JNCIP
  
• ACNT
  
• ACSA
  
• ACMA
  
• FCA
  
• FCP