Sr Principal-Engineering

Kinetic is a premier internet solutions provider on a mission to deliver ultra-fast, reliable internet to consumers and small businesses across the U.S., helping them Internet better™.

• As part of the Kinetic family, you’ll have the opportunity to work with cutting-edge technology, including premium broadband, security solutions, voice, and digital TV services, all delivered through our enhanced fiber network.
• Join us in revolutionizing how people connect and communicate. Your work will directly contribute to making Kinetic the most helpful internet service provider, ensuring our customers Internet better™ every day.

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About the Role:
As a Senior Principal Engineer in Security and SD-WAN Engineering, you will serve as a leading technical authority and strategic leader, driving the evolution, implementation, and optimization of critical network solutions that underpin Windstream's product offerings. You will leverage your extensive expertise to ensure the optimal performance, reliability, and security of our Security, SD-WAN, and associated network systems. This senior-level role demands a proactive approach to architecting robust configurations, leading comprehensive testing initiatives, and overseeing the seamless deployment of complex network components, equipment, and software. You will act as the ultimate escalation point for the most challenging technical issues, providing unparalleled support to operational teams and driving continuous enhancement of our systems while maintaining the highest standards of reliability within your specialized domain. This position requires exceptional leadership, fostering collaborative relationships across internal teams, establishing rigorous documentation standards, and actively mentoring and teaching junior engineers to cultivate their technical proficiency in advanced networking technologies. On-call duties will be a fundamental responsibility of this role.
What You'll Do:
• Lead the resolution of highly complex and escalated technical issues related to Security, SD-WAN, and their supporting components, serving as a subject matter expert and collaborating directly with architecture and product teams.
• Architect, implement, and oversee upgrades and maintenance strategies within Security and SD-WAN environments, establishing and enforcing defined procedures and standards.
• Drive the implementation and configuration of advanced customer solutions based on established Windstream standards and architectural guidelines, providing expert design validation and strategic input to senior architects.
• Establish and enforce rigorous documentation practices for troubleshooting steps, incident resolutions, and contribute extensively to in-depth root cause analysis for critical service incidents.
• Develop and maintain comprehensive, highly detailed documentation for implemented configurations, complex network diagrams (as needed), and proactively establish and refine standard operating procedures (SOPs).
• Champion the continuous enrichment of the team's knowledge base, ensuring technical solutions and processes are meticulously documented and readily accessible to all team members.
• Lead collaborative efforts with Windstream internal teams to conduct proactive network audits and implement strategic optimizations for customer network solutions, with the ultimate goal of maximizing service uptime and reliability.
• Proactively identify and analyze trends in network performance or escalations, providing strategic insights and recommendations to senior leadership and management.
• Take ownership of critical technical tasks and provide significant contributions to project deliverables, often leading project workstreams as part of a larger team effort.
• Serve as a principal authority on security and SD-WAN product sets and associated technologies, continuously expanding and sharing advanced technical knowledge.
• Mentor, teach, and provide technical guidance to junior engineers, fostering their growth and development in network security and SD-WAN domains.
• Develop and deliver technical training sessions to internal teams on complex Security and SD-WAN concepts and solutions.
Required Qualifications:
• Demonstrated expert-level understanding and extensive practical experience with SD-WAN concepts and technologies.
• Deep understanding and hands-on experience with advanced network security principles and technologies (e.g., firewalls, VPNs, security policy).
• Extensive experience with virtualization technologies highly relevant to networking (e.g., KVM, SR-IOV, VMware).
• Proven ability to architect, troubleshoot, and resolve highly complex and ambiguous network and security issues.
• Exceptional analytical, problem-solving, and critical thinking skil