About Us

Smart Data is a technology consulting and talent solutions firm that partners with organizations to solve complex business and technology challenges. For more than 20 years, we’ve supported clients through software development, technology consulting, project delivery, and highly specialized technical talent solutions.

Our teams work closely with clients and consultants to build long-term partnerships, deliver high-quality technology solutions, and connect talented professionals with meaningful opportunities. We value collaboration, technical excellence, continuous improvement, and people who are comfortable taking ownership in fast-moving environments.

Role Overview

We are seeking a Senior Network Engineer to design, implement, secure, and support enterprise network infrastructure across campus, data center, and cloud environments.

The ideal candidate brings strong hands-on network engineering experience, with expertise in routing, switching, network security, and enterprise connectivity. You should be comfortable independently troubleshooting complex technical issues, leading network infrastructure initiatives, and identifying opportunities to improve performance, reliability, and security.

Experience with Cloudflare Zero Trust, Palo Alto firewalls, and Juniper wireless technologies is highly valued. We're looking for a hands-on senior engineer who can serve as a technical subject matter expert, support critical infrastructure, and contribute to the organization's evolving Zero Trust security strategy without direct people management responsibilities.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, maintain, and optimize enterprise LAN, WAN, and cloud-connected network infrastructure
• Monitor and troubleshoot network performance, capacity, availability, and connectivity across campus, data center, and cloud environments
• Serve as the senior technical escalation point for complex network incidents, outages, and interoperability issues
• Configure, administer, and support enterprise firewalls, secure remote access solutions, and cloud-delivered network security platforms
• Support Zero Trust and identity-aware access technologies integrated with enterprise identity management and endpoint security systems
• Deploy, maintain, and troubleshoot enterprise wireless networks and associated infrastructure
• Support voice, video, and collaboration technologies, including Microsoft Teams Voice and Teams Rooms
• Lead network infrastructure projects from planning and design through implementation, testing, and operational support
• Collaborate with infrastructure, security, engineering, and business teams to align technical solutions with organizational requirements
• Coordinate with technology vendors, telecommunications carriers, and external service providers to resolve issues and support network initiatives
• Maintain accurate network diagrams, configurations, documentation, and operational runbooks
• Evaluate emerging networking and security technologies and recommend improvements to existing infrastructure
• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to junior engineers
• Participate in a scheduled on-call rotation to support critical network services

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of progressive hands-on network engineering experience within an enterprise environment
• Strong knowledge of TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, routing, switching, and enterprise network architecture
• Demonstrated experience designing, implementing, maintaining, and troubleshooting LAN and WAN infrastructure
• Hands-on experience administering network security technologies, firewalls, and secure remote access solutions
• Experience troubleshooting complex network connectivity, performance, and interoperability issues
• Understanding of network security principles, access controls, and infrastructure security best practices
• Experience supporting enterprise networking environments with high availability and operational reliability requirements
• Ability to independently manage technical priorities, troubleshoot critical issues, and contribute to infrastructure projects
• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, communication, and problem-solving skills
• Ability to communicate complex technical concepts to both technical and nontechnical stakeholders
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, a related technical field, or equivalent professional experience

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Cloudflare SASE, Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), and WARP endpoint connectivity
• Experience administering Palo Alto Networks next-generation firewalls (NGFW) and Panorama or comparable centralized management platforms
• Experience supporting Juniper wireless technologies, including Mist or controller-based wireless environments
• Advanced routing experience with OSPF and BGP
• Experience with cloud networking technologies within AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud Platform
• Experience with network monitoring and observability tools such as PRTG, Grafana, Prometheus, or Cacti
• Experience automating network administration, configuration, or troubleshooting using Python, Ansible, or PowerShell
• Experience with enterprise voice, video, and collaboration technologies, including Microsoft Teams Voice and Teams Rooms
• Familiarity with Zero Trust architecture, identity-aware network access, and modern enterprise security frameworks
• Experience leading enterprise network modernization, security enhancement, or infrastructure upgrade initiatives
• Professional certifications such as CCNP, JNCIS, JNCIP, PCNSE, or comparable networking and security certifications

EEO Statement

Smart Data is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.

Engagement Type: Full-Time, Direct-Hire / Permanent Employment

Location: Columbus, OH

Work Authorization: U.S. Citizens or Lawful Permanent Residents (Green Card holders) only. No sponsorship available.

C2C Eligibility: No – W2 direct-hire employment only.