Enterprise Network Lab Engineer

About the Role

We are looking for a hands-on Enterprise Network Lab Engineer to own and operate our client'senterprise network validation lab. This role is the bridge between network architecture and production deployment — you will take use cases from concept through rigorous lab validation and deliver complete, production-ready designs backed by test evidence.

You will work closely with network architects, vendors, and engineering teams to validate new technologies, verify platform upgrades, and stress-test configurations before they touch the production network. You are equally comfortable racking gear and writing a Python script to automate test runs.

What You Will Do

Lab Validation & Testing

• Receive network use cases from architecture, engineering, or business stakeholders and translate them into structured lab test plans covering functional, performance, resiliency, and failure-scenario testing

• Execute high-touch validation of enterprise networking technologies including switching, routing, wireless, SD-WAN, firewalling, and network automation platforms

• Deliver complete validation packages including:

• Logical and physical topology diagrams

• Device configurations (sanitized and version-controlled)

• Step-by-step test procedures and results

• Pass/fail summaries with root cause analysis for failures

• Go/No-Go recommendations with supporting evidence

• Perform rack and stack of lab equipment when required — cable management, power sequencing, console access setup, and physical layer verification

Design & Documentation

• Produce clear, detailed lab reports that can be handed directly to production engineering teams for deployment

• Maintain up-to-date physical and logical topology documentation for all active lab topologies

• Document configurations using version control (Git) so all tested configs are traceable and reusable

• Build and maintain a library of validated reference architectures and design patterns

Vendor Collaboration

• Partner with network vendors (Cisco, Arista, Juniper, Palo Alto, Aruba, etc.) to conduct joint proof-of-concept testing and feature validation

• Drive vendor-supported test engagements including bug reproduction, feature requests, and interoperability testing

• Evaluate new hardware and software releases against defined acceptance criteria before recommending adoption

• Manage loaner equipment logistics and coordinate lab access for vendor engineers

Automation & CI/CD

• Write scripts (Python, Bash, Ansible) to automate repetitive lab tasks — device provisioning, configuration push, test execution, and results collection

• Build or maintain CI/CD pipelines (Jenkins, GitLab CI, GitHub Actions) for automated configuration validation and regression testing

• Develop test automation frameworks using tools such as pyATS, Robot Framework, Batfish, or NAPALM

• Integrate lab test results into reporting dashboards or ticketing systems to provide traceability from test run to design decision

• Able to leverage AI agents / tools to automate some tasks, testing and analysis

  Required Skills

•  5+ years of handson enterprise network engineering experience

•  Deep expertise in at least two of the following domains: campus switching, data center fabric, SDWAN, wireless LAN, network security, WAN/ISP connectivity

• Strong understanding of routing protocols (BGP, OSPF, EIGRP), switching (VLAN, STP, LACP, VXLAN), and overlay technologies (EVPN, VxLAN, LISP)

• Proficienc