Network Engineer (6 month contract)

About the role

Join Bio-Techne, a company dedicated to enabling cutting-edge research in Life Sciences and Clinical Diagnostics. This is a 6 month temporary contract position, requiring hybrid availability (4 days in office) to work out of our Minneapolis site.

Responsibilities

• Design, configure, and deploy LAN, WAN, WLAN, and VPN solutions, including routing (BGP) and switching across distributed sites.
• Administer and optimize Palo Alto Networks firewalls (PAN-OS, Panorama), security policies, NAT, and threat prevention features.
• Manage Aruba switching and wireless infrastructure (ArubaOS-CX, ArubaOS, Aruba Central) across campus and remote locations.
• Implement and maintain 802.1X port-based authentication and RADIUS services for wired and wireless network access control.
• Design and enforce network segmentation using VLANs, firewall zones, ACLs, and micro-segmentation to support zero-trust principles.
• Operate and tune LogicMonitor (and adjacent monitoring tools) for network performance, capacity, availability, and alerting.
• Troubleshoot and resolve network incidents using NetFlow, syslog, packet captures, and SNMP-based monitoring; perform root cause analysis.
• Plan and execute network upgrades, migrations, and refresh projects with minimal business disruption.
• Maintain accurate network documentation, including topology diagrams, IP address management, and configuration baselines.
• Collaborate with security, systems, and applications teams on infrastructure projects and compliance initiatives.
• Support disaster recovery and business continuity planning related to network systems.
• Provide tier 2/3 support and mentor junior engineers and helpdesk staff on networking matters.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field, or equivalent experience.
• 8+ years of hands-on experience in enterprise network engineering and operations.
• Strong knowledge of routing and switching, including BGP, OSPF, static routing, route redistribution, STP, VLANs, and VRF.
• Hands-on experience administering Palo Alto Networks firewalls (PAN-OS, Panorama, security policies, NAT, GlobalProtect).
• Hands-on experience with Aruba switching and wireless (ArubaOS-CX, ArubaOS, Aruba Central, Mobility Controllers, ClearPass).
• Experience designing and operating network segmentation strategies (VLANs, micro-segmentation, firewall zones, east-west controls).
• Understanding and ability to troubleshoot and/or support telephony systems (MS Teams, ShoreTel, 8x8).
• Experience with LogicMonitor (or equivalent platforms such as SolarWinds, PRTG, Zabbix) for performance monitoring, alerting, and dashboarding.
• Proficiency with monitoring and diagnostic tools including SNMP, NetFlow/sFlow, syslog, and packet capture (Wireshark, tcpdump).
• Experience with VPN technologies (IPsec, SSL) and remote access solutions.
• Strong troubleshooting skills across the OSI model in distributed, multi-site environments.

Preferred Qualifications

• Industry certifications such as PCNSA/PCNSE (Palo Alto), Aruba ACSA/ACSP/ACMA/ACMP, CCNP, or equivalent.
• Familiarity with cloud networking in Azure, AWS, or GCP (VNets, VPCs, ExpressRoute, Direct Connect).
• Knowledge of Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) and SASE frameworks.
• Experience working in regulated environments (HIPAA, SOX, PCI, or similar).

Skills & Attributes

• Excellent analytical and problem-solving abilities under pressure.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain technical concepts to non-technical audiences.
• Self-directed with strong project management and prioritization skills.
• Willingness to participate in on-call rotation and occasional after-hours maintenance windows.

Benefits

• Competitive insurance benefits starting on day one: medical, dental, vision, life, short-term disability, long-term disability, pet, and legal and ID shield.
• Investment in employees' financial futures through 401k plans, an employee stock purchase plan (ESPP), Health Saving Account (HSA), Flexible Spending Account (FSA), and Dependent Care FSA.
• Empowerment of employees' career development through mentorship, promotional opportunities, training and development, tuition reimbursement, internship programs, and more.
• Employee resource groups, volunteer paid time off, employee events, and charity drives to build a culture of caring and belonging.
• An accrued leave policy with paid holidays, paid time off, and paid parental leave.
• A culture of empowerment and innovation, where employees feel valued and encouraged to bring their new ideas to the table.

Pay

Pay Range: $70/hour - $90/hour

Schedule

This is a 6 month temporary contract position, requiring hybrid availability (4 days in office) to work out of our Minneapolis site.