Lead Network Engineer

Job Title: Lead Networking / Data Center Engineer

Experience: 8 to 10+ yrs

Location: Noida/Bangalore

Send resumes to: [email protected] with below details:

Name:

Exp:

CTC:

ECTC:

Notice period:

Current location:

Job Summary: Lead Networking / Data Center Engineer with 8+ years of experience to architect and manage enterprise-grade network infrastructure and data center environments. You will serve as the technical authority for all networking and data center operations, driving design, reliability, security, and performance across on-premises and hybrid cloud footprints.

Key Responsibilities:

• Network Architecture & Design: Design and lead implementation of scalable, resilient network architectures spanning data centers, WAN, and cloud interconnects (MPLS, SD-WAN, Direct Connect / ExpressRoute).
• Data Center Operations: Oversee data center build-outs and migrations; manage physical infrastructure including structured cabling, ToR/EoR switches, power, and cooling planning.
• Routing & Switching: Configure and maintain enterprise routing protocols (BGP, OSPF, EIGRP) and advanced switching features (VPC/MLAG, STP, 802.1Q, LACP) on Cisco, Arista, or Juniper platforms.
• Security & Segmentation: Design and enforce network security policies including firewall rule management (Palo Alto, Fortinet, CheckPoint), microsegmentation, NAC, and VPN solutions.
• SDN & Automation: Lead adoption of software-defined networking (Cisco ACI, VMware NSX, or equivalent) and network automation using Ansible, Python/Netmiko, and Terraform.
• Load Balancing & Delivery: Manage application delivery infrastructure (F5 BIG-IP, Citrix ADC, HAProxy, or NGINX) for load balancing, SSL offloading, and WAF.
• Monitoring & Capacity Planning: Establish network observability using SNMP, NetFlow, sFlow, and tools like SolarWinds, PRTG, or Grafana; drive capacity planning and performance benchmarking.
• Incident Management: Lead Tier-3 network incident resolution, drive root cause analysis, and implement corrective and preventive actions to reduce MTTR.
• Compliance & Documentation: Maintain network topology diagrams, runbooks, and change records; ensure alignment with ISO 27001, SOC 2, and internal security standards.
• Team Leadership: Mentor junior and mid-level network engineers, conduct design reviews, and collaborate with cloud, security, and application teams.

Required Skills & Qualifications:

• Experience: 8+ years in enterprise networking with at least 3 years in a lead or architect role managing data center environments.
• Routing & Switching: Expert-level knowledge of BGP, OSPF, MPLS, VxLAN, and EVPN; hands-on with Cisco Nexus, Arista, or Juniper QFX/EX platforms.
• Data Center Technologies: Proficiency in spine-leaf fabric architectures, hyperconverged infrastructure (Cisco UCS, Dell VxRail), and bare-metal provisioning.
• Cloud Networking: Experience with AWS VPC, Azure vNet, or GCP VPC networking including transit gateways, VPNs, and private connectivity options.
• Network Security: Hands-on with next-gen firewalls (Palo Alto PA Series, Fortinet FortiGate), IDS/IPS, and zero-trust network access (ZTNA) frameworks.
• Automation: Proficiency in network automation using Ansible, Python (Netmiko / NAPALM), Terraform, or Nornir.
• Certifications: CCIE/CCNP (Routing & Switching or Data Center), JNCIP, or equivalent certification strongly preferred.
• Load Balancers & ADC: Experience configuring and troubleshooting F5 LTM/GTM, Citrix ADC, or equivalent application delivery controllers.
• ITIL / Change Management: Familiarity with ITIL processes; experience managing network changes in a controlled, change-board environment.
• Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills; ability to produce clear technical documentation and present architecture proposals to senior leadership.
• Nice to Have: Exposure to optical transport networks (DWDM), 400G+ spine interconnects, or experience in telco/carrier environments.