Network Engineer - Contract - Columbia, SC

Network Engineer
Location: Blythewood,
SC

Interview Process: Two Rounds. Candidate needs to be prepared to
go onsite for one or both interviews. 
Duration: 12 Months
Employment Type: Contract
Experience Required: 12+ Years

Candidate
location: Candidates must be residents of SC, NC, or GA AND be willing to
relocate within 40 miles of Blythewood, SC prior to their start date at their
own expense.

Project Scope:

Seeking an experienced Senior Network Engineer
to support enterprise Network Operations Center (NOC) initiatives by managing,
maintaining, and optimizing a large-scale statewide network infrastructure. The
consultant will provide advanced technical leadership in network design,
implementation, troubleshooting, security, and operational support while
ensuring high availability, performance, and compliance across enterprise
network environments.

The ideal candidate will possess extensive
expertise with Cisco networking technologies, Palo Alto firewalls, enterprise
routing and switching, VPN technologies, and network security. This role
requires collaboration with cross-functional infrastructure teams,
participation in network modernization initiatives, and providing technical
guidance to peers.

Key Responsibilities:

·        Configure,
install, maintain, and upgrade enterprise networking infrastructure.

·        Administer and
support Cisco routers, switches, firewalls, VPNs, and related networking
technologies.

·        Manage and
troubleshoot Palo Alto firewall environments.

·        Monitor network
performance and proactively identify connectivity and security issues.

·        Perform advanced
network troubleshooting, root cause analysis, and issue resolution.

·        Design,
implement, and support secure enterprise network solutions.

·        Maintain network
architecture diagrams and technical documentation.

·        Support network
security initiatives and ensure compliance with cybersecurity best practices.

·        Troubleshoot
voice-integrated network infrastructure and connectivity issues.

·        Participate in
network upgrades, maintenance windows, and infrastructure modernization
projects.

·        Collaborate with
infrastructure, security, and operations teams to ensure reliable service
delivery.

·        Provide technical
guidance, knowledge transfer, and mentoring to junior team members.

·        Participate in
after-hours and weekend support activities when required.

Required Skills & Experience:

·        10+ years of
experience with Cisco Firewalls.

·        10+ years of
experience with Cisco Routers.

·        10+ years of
experience with Cisco Switches.

·        10+ years of
experience with Cisco VPN technologies.

·        10+ years of
Cisco Network Administration experience.

·        5+ years of
experience with Palo Alto Firewalls.

·        Strong experience
with enterprise network troubleshooting and performance optimization.

·        Excellent
analytical, documentation, and communication skills.

Preferred Skills:

·        10+ years of
experience with network monitoring and tracing tools.

·        10+ years of
experience designing and supporting enterprise core network architecture.

·        10+ years of
advanced routing and switching experience.

·        4+ years of
experience supporting enterprise wireless networks.

·        3+ years of
experience with hybrid cloud infrastructure.

·        Experience
working in large enterprise or government network environments.

·        Experience
working in fast-paced Network Operations Center (NOC) environments.

Education
Bachelor's Degree OR Four additional years of relevant experience in
lieu of a Bachelor's Degree.

Required Certifications:

·        CCNA

·        CCNP