Network Engineer, Operations (Network Operations Center)

About CENIC:

Join the team that connects California to the world — advancing education and research statewide by providing the world-class computing network essential for innovation, collaboration, and economic growth. Our organization operates the California Research and Education Network (CalREN), a high-capacity computer network with more than 8,000 miles of optical fiber. The network serves over 20 million users across California, including the vast majority of K-20 students, together with educators, researchers, and individuals at other vital public-serving institutions.

Bring your IT career and technical expertise to help support the California Research and Education Network (CalREN), a high-bandwidth, fiber-optic network that serves over 20 million users. CENIC is a nonprofit governed by its member K-12 schools, libraries, community colleges, universities, and other public-serving institutions. Its mission is to advance education and research by providing a world-class network essential for innovation, collaboration, and economic growth.

**We are looking for Network Engineers at various levels: mid-career > senior > technical expert > and leadership roles! Please see our career center for other positions available.**

POSITION SUMMARY:

Reporting to the Lead Network Engineer, the Network Engineer II of Operations provides operational support for CENIC's advanced services network to advance CENIC's organizational goals and objectives of a high-performance, open, and secure network.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

1. Monitor

   1. Proactively monitoring the CENIC networks to detect and resolve problems and ensure uninterrupted operations of the networks.

   2. Review turnover reports, scheduled maintenance, and the general state of the network.

   3. Participate in a daily triage schedule to investigate monitoring alarms, respond to new requests, and answer incoming calls.

2. Troubleshoot

   1. Problem troubleshooting and resolution, including interaction with carriers, vendors, and CENIC's senior-level engineering group

   2. Serve as the point of contact for major incidents involving multiple sites or backbone services and determine the best course to resolution.

   3. Take ownership of complex problems involving our member sites or backbone services.

   4. Draft clear and concise announcements for network outages.

   5. Investigate, document, and perform root cause analysis of incidents or complex problems.

   6. Compile post-mortem reports to be shared with leadership and members, identifying areas for improvement.

   7. Evaluate all risk exposures and collaborate with teammates on the best paths to resolution.

3. Customer Service

   1. Problem troubleshooting and resolution with CENIC associates.

   2. Respond to service requests via phone and ticketing system.

   3. Provide members with support aligned with CENIC's missions and values.

4. Maintenances

   1. Planning, evaluating, and executing network maintenance activities

   2. Adhere to change enablement policies and exercise sound judgment when conducting maintenance.

   3. Draft Methods of Procedures (MOPs) in accordance with standards.

   4. Assist the network administrators in coordinating the shipment of equipment to network member sites.

5. Subject Matter Expert

   1. Serve as a subject matter expert for a particular technology used on CalREN or a toolset that Operations utilizes.

   2. Stay current on emerging trends by self learning and collaborating with the engineering team.

   3. Ensure documentation is current and updated; provide training to the team when needed

6. Documentation

   1. Participation in updating and revising policies, procedures, technical reports, documentation, and internal training material

   2. Maintain accurate inventory for network equipment

7. Continuous Improvement

   1. OKR Execution: Sets, monitors, and achieves OKRs that align with organizational goals.

   2. Identifies and implements data-driven enhancements to processes, systems, and outcomes.

   3. Tracks progress, adjusts plans as needed, and ensures measurable results.

KEY SUCCESS FACTORS:

1. Think logically through issues, using best judgment and practices, including seeking guidance from the team when necessary.

2. Communicate effectively with team members through ticket entries, daily check-in calls, and

Slack channels

1. Communicate effectively via phone and email with network contacts, hardware, and telco partners.

2. Prioritize multiple demanding events along with daily tasks.

3. Exercise sound judgment when handling issues, responding to associates, and when to escalate to leadership.

4. Willingness to work any shift (including weekends & graves), as assigned, and to rotate shifts and schedules as assigned.

5. Complete Objectives Key Results (OKRs), while continuing to

6. Work independently to develop solutions adhering to policies and procedures.

7. Able to perform risk assessment and mitigation to avoid negative impacts.

8. Continuous open collaboration with teammates and other members in the organization.

9. Uphold the mission and values of Network Operations and CENIC.

10. Ability to consider, understand, and prioritize security (and privacy, where applicable) principles, practices, and procedures in all aspects of your role with CENIC.

REQUIRED EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE:

1. 2 years in a network operations environment in support of customer networks OR

2. 2 years in a technical support role interacting with contacts via phone and ticketing system AND

3. Hands-on experience with live production Cisco or Juniper network devices

4. Administer and configure Cisco and Juniper routers/switches, implement firmware changes, perform hardware maintenance, and software upgrades.

5. Experience working with layer three routing protocols

6. Troubleshoot router/network performance problems on a live production network

7. Troubleshoot circuit problems for commercially lit services and self-lit dark fiber services

8. Prepare announcements for maintenance activities or network outages

9. Understanding of network security, secure configuration of network devices, and the use of network devices to secure networks of computing systems, including configuring and maintaining ACLs, knowledge of firewalls, and intrusion detection systems.

10. Experience with installing, upgrading, and securing network equipment and services

PREFERRED EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE:

1. Cisco CCNP or JNCIA-SP certification

2. Direct experience in network configuration, management, and operations

3. Experience with optical transmission systems such as DWDM

4. Experience working and designing advanced routing protocols such as BGP.

5. Working knowledge of MPLS-SR and L2VPNs

6. Experience in a university and/or research environment

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

This position operates in a professional office environment with standard office equipment, including computers, telephones, photocopiers, and filing cabinets.

WORK HOURS:

Network Operations is a 24-hour, 7-day-per-week, 365-day-per-year operation. An employee's regular work schedule is four ten-hour days on any of the seven days in the week, based on CENIC's business needs.

WORK AUTHORIZATION:

Documented Proof of identity and legal eligibility to work in the United States.

Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time.

CENIC does not offer STEM OPT training opportunities and cannot complete Form I-983.

WHY WORK AT CENIC?

Company Culture: Small teams and a collaborative environment provide the opportunity to make a significant impact in a small organization.

Community Engagement: We work with research and education institutions in the largest state economy in the United States. Your work has meaning.

Generous Health Benefit Package: We value our employees' wellness. We offer a variety of medical, dental, and vision benefits. We have you covered with life, short-term, and long-term insurance. We also offer pet insurance at a discount.

Paid Time Off: We offer liberal vacation and sick leave, plus 15 paid holidays.

Investment in Your Future: CENIC contributes to your 403(b) even if you don't. We also offer matching contributions. Pre-tax and Roth options are also available.

Direct applicants only. No recruiters.

CENIC is an equal opportunity employer – Vets/disabled