Senior ISP Network Engineer

Job Summary/Overview
Senior ISP Network Engineer will design, implement, secure, monitor, automate, and optimize the organization's fiber-based Internet Service Provider (ISP) infrastructure. This position is responsible for the architecture, operation, and continuous improvement of Bridgenet's residential and commercial broadband network while ensuring exceptional reliability, scalability, security, and customer experience.
The Senior ISP Network Engineer serves as a technical leader responsible for carrier-grade routing and switching, fiber access technologies, subscriber management, network automation, incident response, proactive monitoring, and vendor collaboration. This role will play a critical part in Bridgenet's continued network expansion and next-generation broadband initiatives. This role builds upon the current focus on ISP infrastructure, routing, switching, and network reliability while expanding responsibilities to include modern carrier-grade network operations and next-generation broadband technologies.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
ISP Network Architecture & Infrastructure
• Design, implement, maintain, and optimize Bridgenet's residential and commercial broadband infrastructure.
• Engineer scalable and highly available ISP network architecture to support continued organizational growth.
• Design and support FTTH (Fiber-to-the-Home) network infrastructure.
• Configure and maintain GPON and XGS-PON fiber access networks.
• Deploy and manage Optical Line Terminals (OLTs), ONTs/ONUs, residential gateways, and customer premises equipment (CPE).
• Configure and support access, aggregation, and core switching infrastructure.
• Support DOCSIS environments where applicable.
• Plan and implement network redundancy and disaster recovery strategies.
Routing, Switching & Internet Services
• Configure, manage, and troubleshoot Cisco enterprise and ISP routing infrastructure.
• Administer BGP, OSPF, IS-IS, EIGRP, MPLS, VPN, QoS, IPv4, and IPv6 routing environments.
• Manage:
o DHCP
o IPoE
o PPPoE
o RADIUS / AAA
o CGNAT
o DNS
o IP Address Management (IPAM)
• Manage subscriber provisioning and authentication platforms.
Fiber Access & Calix Environment
• Design, implement, and support Calix access technologies and associated subscriber management platforms.
• Configure and maintain Calix OLTs and associated fiber access infrastructure.
• Support provisioning, activation, troubleshooting, and lifecycle management of fiber subscribers.
• Collaborate with vendors on software upgrades, implementation planning, troubleshooting, escalations, and product enhancements.
Network Automation & Engineering
• Develop and implement automation solutions that improve operational efficiency.
• Utilize Python, REST APIs, Ansible, and automation tools for configuration management.
• Automate:
o Network provisioning
o Configuration deployment
o Configuration backups
o Version control
o Network validation
• Maintain configuration repositories using Git.
• Identify opportunities to reduce manual administration through automation.
Monitoring, Performance & Capacity Management
Develop and maintain a proactive network monitoring strategy utilizing:
• SNMP
• Syslog
• NetFlow / sFlow
• Network telemetry
• Traffic analysis
• Capacity monitoring
• Performance monitoring
• Availability monitoring
• SLA reporting
• Automated alerting
• Analyze network trends and recommend infrastructure improvements before service degradation occurs.
Incident Management & Operational Excellence
• Participate in and lead major incident response activities.
• Lead troubleshooting during critical network outages.
• Support after-hours on-call rotation.
• Coordinate service restoration efforts with internal teams and vendors.
• Follow established escalation procedures.
• Perform root cause analysis and identify corrective actions.
• Conduct post-incident reviews and recommend preventative improvements.
• Document incidents, corrective actions, and lessons learned.
Network Security
• Configure and maintain firewall policies and network security controls.
• Support network segmentation strategies and secure routing practices.
• Administer VPN and IPsec connectivity.
• Configure and maintain BGP security including:
o RPKI
o Prefix filtering
o Route advertisement policies
• Route hijack prevention
• Collaborate with cybersecurity teams to strengthen network resilience and security.
Internet Peering & Carrier Services
• Manage relationships with transit providers.
• Support Internet Exchange Point (IXP) connectivity.
• Configure and optimize BGP peering policies.
• Manage:
o ASN assignments
o Public IP allocations
o IPv4 / IPv6 planning
o ARIN registration processes
o Route registries
• Optimize traffic engineering and redundant upstream connectivity.
Change Management
• Follow established change-management processes for network modifications, upgrades, maintenance windows, emergency changes, and production implementations.
• Prepare implementation plans, rollback procedures, risk assessments, and post-implementation documentation.
• Ensure all production changes are properly documented, reviewed, and approved.
Vendor & Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Serve as the primary technical resource when working with network vendors, carriers, and technology partners.
• Coordinate escalations with hardware, software, and service providers.
• Collaborate with Engineering, Operations, Security, Customer Support, and Project Management teams to ensure successful network deployments and ongoing operational excellence.
Emerging Technologies & Network Evolution
• Evaluate emerging broadband technologies, including multigigabit services, Wi-Fi 7, and next-generation access technologies
• Implement modern subscriber management and device-management technologies
• Leverage network telemetry, automation, and AI-assisted tools to improve network performance, reliability, and operational efficiency
• Develop technology roadmaps and migration strategies to support Bridgenet’s long-term network growth and modernization
Qualifications
Education, Qualifications & Experience
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Network Engineering, Telecommunications, or a closely related field; or an equivalent combination of relevant education, professional certifications, training, and directly related experience.
• Minimum of seven (7) years of progressive experience designing, implementing, and supporting carrier-grade ISP, fiber broadband, or telecommunications networks, including experience operating highly available production environments.
• Extensive experience supporting fiber-based ISP environments.
• Advanced Cisco routing and switching expertise.
• Strong understanding of:
o FTTH
o GPON / XGS-PON
o Subscriber provisioning
o ISP operations
o IPv4 / IPv6
o BGP
o MPLS
• Experience administering DNS, DHCP, RADIUS, AAA, CGNAT, and IPAM.
• Experience with proactive monitoring and network analytics platforms.
• Demonstrated incident management experience in a 24x7 production environment.
• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and communication skills.
Preferred Qualifications
• CCNP Service Provider, CCIE Service Provider, or equivalent.
• Experience supporting Calix broadband access platforms.
• Experience with Python, Ansible, REST APIs, Git, and network automation.
• Experience with Fortinet security solutions.
• Experience with VXLAN, EVPN, SD-WAN, and data center technologies.
• Knowledge of Internet peering, IXPs, ARIN processes, ASN management, and carrier-grade ISP operations.
• Experience with cloud networking and hybrid infrastructure.
• Experience administering Calix broadband platforms or comparable fiber access technologies.