NetApp

Senior Network Systems Engineer

NetApp$147K — $220K *
Information Technology
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 8+ years of hands-on experience in enterprise network engineering and operations, with a focus on a senior or lead technical role.
  • Expert knowledge in enterprise routing protocols such as BGP, OSPF, and EIGRP, with practical Cisco platform experience.
  • Deep expertise in Cisco SD-WAN management and configuration, including overlay and underlay troubleshooting.
  • Strong grasp of campus LAN architectures and enterprise wireless design and implementation.
  • Excellent communication and mentoring skills, with experience working across global teams.

Responsibilities

  • Design, implement, and manage the global routing architecture, ensuring optimal routing and connectivity.
  • Engineer and operate the Cisco SD-WAN environment, including policy management and troubleshooting.
  • Lead campus networking initiatives to deliver reliable and secure connectivity across offices and labs.
  • Resolve high-impact operational issues as a senior escalation point, driving thorough root-cause analysis.
  • Manage new site buildouts, coordinating with vendors and ensuring meticulous execution of designs and plans.
  • Implement structured change control for network modifications, including risk assessment and testing protocols.
  • Utilize network monitoring tools to maintain operational health and pre-empt issues before they affect users.

Benefits

  • Health Insurance
  • Life Insurance
  • Retirement or Pension Plans
  • Paid Time Off
  • Employee stock purchase plan and/or restricted stocks (RSUs)
Full Job Description
Job Summary

We are seeking a Senior Network Systems Engineer to join our Global Network Services team, operating and engineering the enterprise network that underpins NetApp worldwide. This is a deep technical role for an expert in Cisco routing, SD-WAN, and campus networking who can own complex infrastructure end to end - from design and deployment through day-two operations and escalated troubleshooting - across a global, multi-region estate.

The team is evolving toward a cloud-first, automation-led operating model. While this role is anchored in deep networking expertise, the ideal candidate brings - or is eager to build - automation and infrastructure-as-code skills, and will help modernise how we operate: replacing manual, repetitive work with codified, repeatable engineering. You will be a senior technical voice on the team, mentoring others and setting the standard for engineering quality.

Job Responsibilites

  • Own routing across the global routing estate - design, implement, and operate enterprise routing (BGP, OSPF,), including internet edge, WAN, and inter-site connectivity.
  • Engineer and operate the Cisco SD-WAN environment (Catalyst SD-WAN / Viptela) - policy design, template management, onboarding new sites, and troubleshooting overlay/underlay issues.
  • Lead campus networking across the global office and lab footprint - access/distribution/core, wireless, and network access - delivering reliable, secure, high-performance connectivity.
  • Resolve escalated operational issues (Tier 3/4) - act as the senior escalation point for complex incidents, driving root-cause analysis and permanent resolution.
  • Deliver new site builds, refreshes, and migrations - produce designs, interconnect matrices, and cutover plans; coordinate with vendors and installation partners through delivery.
  • Drive network changes through structured change control - plan, risk-assess, and execute changes with appropriate testing, validation, and rollback.
  • Maintain operational health through observability - use network monitoring and telemetry tooling to detect, diagnose, and pre-empt issues before they impact users.
  • Contribute to standards, runbooks, and documentation - raise the quality bar for how the team designs, operates, and hands off work.
  • Mentor junior engineers and share expertise - act as a technical mentor and multiplier across the team.
  • Support automation and modernisation - partner with automation/SRE colleagues to codify recurring tasks, moving the team from manual operations toward infrastructure as code.


Job Requirements

  • Routing
  • Expert-level knowledge of enterprise routing: BGP, OSPF, EIGRP, route redistribution, path selection, and policy-based routing.
  • Hands-on experience operating routing on Cisco platforms (IOS-XE, ASR/ISR, Catalyst 8000) at enterprise scale.
  • Strong grasp of internet edge, WAN, and DIA circuit design, including working with service providers on connectivity and troubleshooting.

SD-WAN
  • Deep expertise in Cisco SD-WAN (Catalyst SD-WAN / Viptela): control, management, and data plane; vManage/Catalyst Manager, vBond, vSmart.
  • Proven experience with SD-WAN policy design, template configuration, site onboarding, and overlay/underlay troubleshooting.
  • Understanding of transport-independent design across MPLS, broadband, and cellular, with application-aware routing and QoS.

Networking
  • Expert knowledge of campus LAN architecture: access/distribution/core, Layer 2/Layer 3 design, spanning tree, VLANs, and first-hop redundancy (HSRP/VRRP).
  • Strong experience with Cisco campus switching (Catalyst 9000 series) or Juniper Switching.
  • Expertise in enterprise wireless - design, deployment, and troubleshooting of Cisco wireless (WLC, Catalyst/Meraki or Juniper Mist access points), RF planning, and roaming.
  • Familiarity with network access control and segmentation (Cisco ISE, 802.1X, TACACS+/RADIUS).

General
  • Significant hands-on experience (typically 8+ years) in enterprise network engineering and operations, including a senior or lead technical role.
  • Demonstrated ownership of complex, high-impact network infrastructure in a global environment.
  • Strong troubleshooting discipline and structured incident-resolution skills under pressure.
  • Excellent communication skills, with the ability to work across regions and mentor others.

Nice to Have
  • The following are not required, but will distinguish a strong candidate - particularly the automation and cloud capabilities that align with where the team is heading.
  • Scripting and automation experience - Python, Ansible, or similar - applied to network configuration or operations.
  • Exposure to infrastructure as code (Terraform) and network-as-code approaches.
  • Experience with workflow automation and orchestration platforms such as n8n - building automated workflows that connect network tooling, APIs, and operational processes.
  • Familiarity with the Model Context Protocol (MCP) and AI-agent integration - connecting AI assistants to network tools, data sources, and operational systems.
  • Familiarity with Git-based workflows and CI/CD concepts for network change.
  • Experience with network observability and telemetry platforms (e.g. ThousandEyes, NetScout, SolarWinds, LiveAction, streaming telemetry).
  • Cloud networking exposure across AWS, Azure, or OCI (transit, peering, cloud connectivity).
  • Interest in AIOps or AI-assisted operations - using modern tooling to reduce toil and improve reliability.
  • Understanding of SRE practices: SLOs, error budgets, and toil reduction.
  • Firewall and security exposure (Cisco ASA/Firepower, Palo Alto).
  • Relevant certifications: CCNP / CCIE (Enterprise Infrastructure), Cisco SD-WAN specialisation, or equivalent.
  • Experience with data-centre networking (Nexus, ACI) and load balancing / GSLB.

Compensation:
The target salary range for this position is 147,900 - 220,000 USD. The salary offered will be determined by the candidate's location, qualifications, experience, and education and may be outside of this range. The range is based on 'On Target Earnings' (OTE) representing the total potential earnings, which is the sum of the base salary and potential commission earned when performance targets are achieved. Final compensation packages are competitive and in line with industry standards, reflecting a variety of factors, and include a comprehensive benefits package. This may cover Health Insurance, Life Insurance, Retirement or Pension Plans, Paid Time Off, various Leave options, employee stock purchase plan, and/or restricted stocks (RSU's). These offerings are subject to regional variations and governed by local laws, regulations, and company policies. We will provide detailed information about the specific benefits for your region during the recruitment process.

About NetApp

NetApp is a global cloud-led, data-centric software company that empowers organizations to lead with data in the age of accelerated digital transformation. The company provides systems, software and cloud services that enable them to run their applications optimally from data center to cloud, whether they are developing in the cloud, moving to the cloud, or creating their own cloud-like experiences on premises. With solutions that perform across diverse environments, NetApp helps organizations build their own data fabric and securely deliver the right data, services and applications to the right people?anytime, anywhere. Learn more at www.netapp.com.
Learn more about NetApp
Size
12,000 employees
Market Cap
$12.7 billion
Industry
Net Income
$592 million
Founded
1992
5 Year Trend
+2.8%
Revenue
$5.5 billion
NASDAQ

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