Associate Director of Network Engineering

The Knights of Columbus is a tax-exempt Catholic fraternal benefit society providing financial security through life insurance, long-term care insurance, disability income insurance, investment, and annuity products. Charity is central to our mission, with $1.73B donated over the past ten years to support those in need and our faith. While open to all employees, we adhere to Catholic teachings in investments and benefits, supporting pro-life causes, opposing assisted suicide, and aiding persecuted Christians.

About the Role

The Associate Director of Network Engineering is a hands-on technical leader responsible for overseeing the design, implementation, and support of the enterprise-wide network infrastructure. This role leads a team of network engineers while actively participating in planning, configuration, troubleshooting, and optimization of network technologies.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage day-to-day operations of the network engineering team, providing technical guidance and mentoring
• Design, configure, and maintain enterprise network infrastructure including LAN, WAN, SD-WAN, firewalls, VPNs, switches, wireless systems, and UCaaS/CCaaS systems
• Serve as an escalation point for complex network issues, participating in troubleshooting and root cause analysis
• Implement and maintain network monitoring and performance tuning tools to ensure high availability and reliability
• Oversee network security in collaboration with the cybersecurity team, ensuring compliance with company policies and procedures
• Manage lifecycle upgrades for switches, routers, firewalls, and other networking hardware
• Participate in the architecture and implementation of hybrid cloud network environments (e.g., Azure, AWS, Google Cloud)
• Collaborate with application, server, and security teams to ensure seamless end-to-end infrastructure support
• Develop and maintain documentation and network diagrams
• Manage vendor relationships and coordinate support for hardware and software issues
• Lead network-related projects including office expansions, data center migrations, and cloud integrations

Requirements

• BS or BA in Computer Science, Information Systems, or related field, or equivalent combination of experience and training
• 12+ years of hands-on experience in network engineering, with at least 3 to 5 years in a leadership or supervisory role

Skills

• Strong working knowledge of enterprise networking technologies (Cisco, Fortinet, Aruba, Meraki, Arista, Azure Cloud Networking, etc.)
• Experience in routing and switching protocols (BGP, OSPF, EIGRP, QoS, VLANs, STP)
• Experience with firewalls, VPNs, and Zero Trust security models
• Experience with Cloud Networking (Azure ExpressRoute, Azure Firewalls, VPN Gateways, Azure BGP, Virtual WAN HUB, VNET Subnetting, etc.)
• Experience with network automation, scripting, and monitoring tools (SolarWinds, Logic Monitor, etc.)
• Skilled at working within a team-oriented, collaborative environment
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Experience with Cloud-Based UCaaS/CCaaS Systems

Pay

The wage range for this role is $135,000–$229,500, applicable for work performed in Connecticut. Adjustments may be made for other locations. Compensation decisions consider skill sets, experience, training, licensure, certifications, and organizational needs.

Benefits

• Time Away: 13 paid holidays per year, vacation, paid sick leave, and flexible workweek schedules
• Professional Development: Certifications, designation, and tuition reimbursement
• Retirement Benefits: 401(k) with matching contributions and cash balance retirement plans fully funded by the company
• Health and Wellness:
  • Short-term disability and term life insurance fully paid by the company
  • Up to 12 weeks of childbirth leave under STD policy
  • One week of fully paid parental leave for all new parents (including adoptive and foster parents)
  • Health insurance options, including premium-level family coverage and a pre-tax Health Savings Account with employer contributions (plans do not cover abortion, sterilization, or contraception)
  • Long-term disability, dental, and vision insurance
  • Health club membership reimbursement
  • Employee Assistance Program

Physical Demands

• Must be able to remain in a stationary position for a majority of the workday
• Ability to travel as needed