Principal Network Engineer

Texas Association of School Boards

• $110K — $130K *
Telecommunications & Hardware
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's in IT, Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent experience
  • JNCIP-ENT and CCNP or CCIE certifications required; Azure Network Engineer Associate preferred
  • 10+ years in enterprise networking
  • 5+ years of ownership in network architecture and design
  • Hands-on experience with Juniper EX Series and SRX, Cisco Catalyst and Nexus
  • Experience with network segmentation for compliance-sensitive environments
  • Experience with Azure hybrid networking in multi-subscription setups

Responsibilities

  • Own the evolution of the enterprise network architecture and technology roadmap
  • Lead the Cisco-to-Juniper platform migration process
  • Collaborate with the Information Security team on security policy and traffic analysis
  • Perform hands-on configuration and troubleshooting of network infrastructure
  • Architect and maintain hybrid connectivity with Microsoft Azure
  • Serve as the escalation point for complex network incidents
  • Provide mentorship and guidance to network administration staff
  • Develop and maintain network documentation and standards

Benefits

  • Enjoy competitive pay and rich benefit offerings
  • Collaborative environment impacting Texas public schoolchildren
  • Promotes healthy work-life balance and individual authenticity
  • Frequent professional development and wellness seminars
  • Transparent leadership with an open feedback approach
  • Team celebrations and fun events throughout the year
Full Job Description
Principal Network Engineer

About You

As a Principal Network Engineer, you will serve as TASB's most senior individual-contributor authority on enterprise networking, owning both the architecture and the hands-on engineering of a multi-entity, hybrid Azure/on-premises environment with compliance-sensitive segmentation requirements. You will build the multi-year network modernization roadmap and personally implement it, leading TASB's platform migration from Cisco to Juniper while keeping the existing Cisco environment fully stable throughout the transition.

A Typical Day

  • Own and evolve enterprise network architecture and the multi-year technology roadmap, including platform standards, topology design, and lifecycle planning for switching, routing, and security infrastructure
  • Lead the design, planning, and execution of the Cisco-to-Juniper platform migration, including risk assessment, cutover planning, and post-migration validation
  • Collaborate with the Information Security team on network security policy, firewall rule management, and traffic flow analysis, and mentor supporting network staff
  • If you're still reading, we'd love to meet you!


How You'll Make an Impact

  • Own and continuously evolve enterprise network architecture and the multi-year technology roadmap, including platform standards, topology design, and lifecycle planning for switching, routing, and security infrastructure
  • Lead the design, planning, and execution of network platform migrations and major technology transitions, including risk assessment, cutover planning, and post-migration validation
  • Design and implement network segmentation strategies - including trust zones, VLANs, NAC, and 802.1X to enforce security boundaries and meet entity-specific and regulatory isolation requirements
  • Perform hands-on configuration, deployment, and troubleshooting of switching, routing, and firewall infrastructure across campus, datacenter, and edge environments
  • Architect and maintain hybrid connectivity between on-premises infrastructure and Microsoft Azure, including VPN Gateway, ExpressRoute, VNets, NSGs, and multi-subscription routing
  • Serve as the escalation point for complex network incidents, performing root cause analysis and driving remediation for issues affecting production systems
  • Provide technical mentorship and day-to-day guidance to network administration staff, building team capability on current and emerging platforms
  • Develop and maintain network documentation, standards, and diagrams, ensuring architecture decisions are captured and repeatable
  • Evaluate emerging network technologies and vendor products, and recommend investments aligned to organizational strategy and budget
  • Manage network-related change control activities, including change proposals, testing, and coordination with the Change Advisory Board
  • Collaborating with the Information Security team on network security policy, firewall rule management, and traffic flow analysis
  • Present architecture strategy, project status, and technology investment recommendations to IT leadership and other non-technical stakeholders
  • Participate in an on-call rotation and provide after-hours support for critical network incidents as needed


Skills For Success

Education and Experience:

  • Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience
  • Required certifications: JNCIP-ENT (JNCIE-ENT preferred) and CCNP Enterprise or CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure; Microsoft Certified: Azure Network Engineer Associate strongly preferred; or ability to obtain required certifications within the first 12 months of employment as a condition of employment
  • 10+ years of progressive enterprise networking experience
  • 5+ years of network architecture and design ownership; not participation, but accountable decision-making
  • Hands-on experience deploying and administering Juniper EX Series switching and SRX Series security platforms, and administering Cisco Catalyst and Nexus platforms, in a production enterprise environment
  • Experience designing and implementing network segmentation, trust zones, VLANs, NAC, and 802.1X in a multi-entity or multi-tenant environment, ideally with compliance-aware requirements such as FINRA or SOC2
  • Experience with Microsoft Azure hybrid networking in multi-subscription environments, including VPN Gateway, ExpressRoute, NSGs, and hub-spoke topologies


Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

  • Demonstrated ability leading or executing a network platform migration in a production enterprise environment.
  • Ability to operate as a senior individual contributor in a lean team
  • Skilled in Juniper EX Series (access/distribution/core switching), SRX Series (stateful firewall, routing, security policy).
  • Knowledge with Network security policy design, firewall rule management, traffic flow analysis
  • Ability to present architecture and investment recommendations to non-technical leadership
  • Knowledgeable in nonprofit, public sector, or multi-affiliate organizational environments


The TASB Difference

  • Enjoy competitive pay and rich benefit offerings
  • Be part of a collaborative environment where every contribution impacts Texas public schoolchildren
  • Thrive in a culture that promotes bringing your whole self to work every day and emphasizes healthy boundaries and work-life balance
  • Learn and grow individually and together through frequent professional development, wellness seminars, and more
  • Work alongside transparent leaders with an open and consistent feedback approach
  • Celebrate as a team with meaningful (and fun) events and tokens of appreciation throughout the year


Posting Notices

  • Salary commensurate with experience
  • The health and safety of our employees and members is our top priority
  • This position does not qualify for visa sponsorship
  • Any job offer is contingent upon receipt of results of a satisfactory background check

#LI-Hybrid

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