Senior Network Engineer and Manager

JOB SUMMARY

The Connecticut Education Network (CEN), operated through the University of Connecticut’s (UConn )Information Technology Services (ITS), is seeking a highly skilled and motivated network professional to join our dynamic Network Services team. This position offers a unique opportunity to work at the forefront of networking technology, supporting a Tier 2 service-provider network that delivers critical services across Connecticut—including Dedicated Internet Access (DIA), MPLS VPNs, managed firewalls, hosted DNS, content filtering, internet exchange peering, content caching, and more. As a technical expert, you will play a vital role in bridging operational support between the engineering team and connected sites statewide. Ideal candidates are independent thinkers who thrive in both individual and team settings, exercise sound judgment, and possess the ability to understand and evaluate complex, interrelated network systems. If you're passionate about networking and eager to make a meaningful impact in Connecticut’s education, research, healthcare, governmental, and non-profit communities, we invite you to apply and become part of our innovative and collaborative environment.

CEN offers a challenging, fast-paced, and rewarding environment where incumbents will grow professionally while advancing the CEN mission, vision, values, business, and brand. The CEN office is located at 55 Farmington Ave, Hartford, CT. As a team aligned under UConn, this position offers great work/life balance and an excellent benefits package.

UConn has been named the top public university in New England for over a decade and is ranked among the top public universities in the nation. The University is also a Carnegie Foundation Research University; a prestigious honor shared by only the nation's top higher education institutions.

SALARY

· $101,343 to $131,746; final salary will be based on the successful candidate's background and experience.

BENEFITS INCLUDE

• Defined contribution with employer match or defined benefit program retirement options
• Excellent and affordable healthcare options
• 35-hour work week
• 22 paid vacation days per year, in addition to paid sick leave and 13 paid holidays
• Annual merit increase program
• Employee and dependent tuition waivers
• A highly desirable work environment and work-life balance

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

As a senior-level expert in network engineering, you will lead the design, implementation, and strategic development of the Connecticut Education Network (CEN), supporting a robust carrier grade IP/MPLS infrastructure. Your responsibilities will include:

• Build: Network Architecture & Strategy
  • Design and implement complex physical and logical network systems aligned with organizational goals.
  • Lead long-range planning for architecture, capacity, and security.
  • Provide engineering plans, detailed diagrams, implementation specifications, and materials quotes.
  • Develop network architecture to support evolving services and constituent needs.
• Run: Operations & Incident Management
  • Serve as the final internal escalation point for network incidents, outages, and service requests.
  • Lead outage resolution and post-incident reporting with detailed root cause analysis.
  • Ensure high availability and performance of services including DIA, MPLS VPNs, DNS, firewalls, and content filtering.
  • Plan and conduct software/firmware upgrades.
• Grow: Capacity planning
  • Conduct software/hardware lifecycle management.
  • Quarterly capacity planning.
  • Network failure analysis.
• Repeat & Test: Automation & Optimization
  • Develop and deploy advanced automation scripts and software to streamline operations and telemetry.
  • Perform system tuning, upgrades, and proactive optimizations to ensure efficiency and scalability.
  • Ensure config standardization and minimize drift.
  • Conduct device level testing with Ixia, identify software defects, behavior anomalies.
• Project & Business Development
  • Provide project management support for customer provisioning and network expansions.
  • Collaborate with business units and leadership to develop new services and support customer engagement.
  • Contribute to procurement processes through technical specifications and vendor coordination.
• Leadership & Mentorship
  • Supervise and mentor junior staff, fostering professional development and cross-team competency.
  • Document and disseminate best engineering practices across