Contract Sr. Network Engineer (Contract)

The Senior Network Engineer will be part of the Enterprise Network Engineering Team. This position will provide network engineering and tier-3 support for Freddie Mac datacenters and cloud networks across multiple locations.
We are looking for a strong technical engineer that has hands on experience with the design, configuration, and deployment of routing/switching and firewall technologies, e.g. Cisco, Arista, Palo AltoOur Impact: Our team is responsible for engineering and tier3 support for Freddie Mac Networks. 

Requirements:

• Design, deploy, and maintain the data center network infrastructure, ensuring high availability and performance.
• Support Palo Alto Networks products, with a focus on Next-Generation Firewall and Panorama.
• Implement and configure routing protocols (e.g., BGP, OSPF) and switching technologies (e.g., VPN, VxLAN, Spine-Leaf topology, 802.1Q, VRF, L2) to support diverse applications and services.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to understand networking requirements and provide effective solutions.
• Learn and develop automation scripts using Ansible and/or Python to streamline network provisioning, configuration, and monitoring tasks.
• Monitor network performance, troubleshoot issues, and perform root cause analysis to resolve incidents promptly.
• Participate in capacity planning, network security and disaster recovery strategies and document relevant SOPs / Visio for network repositories.
• Stay up to date with industry trends and best practices in data center networking and automation.
• Diagnose, solve, and provide root cause analysis for network related issues and determine how to improve MTTD and MTTR.
• On-call rotation schedule but also be available to assist Network Operations during major outages.
• Coordination with Operations team for the design, build and production readiness of Network, Security and Voice infrastructure solutions supporting mission critical production environments.
• Mentor junior members in the operations team and engineering teams.
• Partner with Architecture, Information Security and Business areas various network engineering and solutions to deliver a target state architecture.
• Provide technical guidance to the project team and design and lead complete network solutions reviews.
• Engage with internal teams, project teams and business areas to discuss issues and document or explain technical solutions in a simplified meaningful way.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Information Technology, or related field (or equivalent experience)
• 5-7 years of relevant experience in IT Network Engineering, Network Security and/or Operations.
• Proven experience as a Network/Security Engineer with a focus on data center routing/switching and firewalls.
• Proficiency in configuring and troubleshooting equipment from major vendors (e.g. Arista, Cisco and Palo Alto).
• Strong understanding of routing protocols and switching protocols (BGP, VXLAN, EVPN, Spine-Leaf topology)
• Knowledge of network monitoring and management tools (e.g., SNMP, NetFlow, syslog)
• Knowledge of automation tools such as Ansible, and programming languages like Python.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and ability to work well under pressure and in a team environment.
• Effective communication skills to collaborate with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Keys to Success:

• Keys to Success in this Role:
• Solid understanding of network protocols and firewalls.
• Familiar with Cloud service and Technology infrastructure
• Proactive, self- motivated learner with strong aim to achieve personal goals.
• Work under minimum supervision.
• Strong written and verbal communication.
• Proactive in nature with customer satisfaction as primary goal.
• Innovative in providing solutions, likes to take on challenges with calculated risk.
• Quick learner of new technologies and tools.