Network Engineer

About the role

Indiana University Network Engineering provides comprehensive wired and wireless network connectivity for all IU campuses across the state of Indiana.

Department-Specific Responsibilities

• Establishes and standardizes procedures for the design, evaluation, development, and deployment of network hardware and software, applying advanced technical expertise.
• Provides network operational support, identifying and resolving complex problems across the environment.
• Counsels systems studies - feasibility, conceptual design, cost/benefit analysis, and implementation planning - to support the growth of IU-managed networks, and leads efforts to improve network performance and reliability.
• Ledges network implementation and upgrade plans and schedules, including campus edge and wireless (WLAN) refresh initiatives; develops justifications for purchasing, installing, and housing new and upgraded systems, and follows through to ensure successful deployment.
• Leads project teams in design sessions with clients to ensure goals are met; evaluates service requests, estimates resources, and analyzes design solutions.
• Collaborates with customers, partners, and vendors to deliver network systems and services on time and to requirement.
• Mentors and develops junior engineers.

General Responsibilities

• Applies comprehensive and advanced knowledge to establish and standardize procedures for the design, evaluation, development, and deployment of network system software and hardware technology.
• Identifies and resolves increasingly complex problems, issues, and assignments in providing network operational support.
• Performs systems studies which include feasibility, conceptual design, cost/benefit analysis, and implementation planning to support the growth and expansion of IU-managed networks; leads the improvement of network performance and reliability.
• Ledges network implementation and upgrade plans and schedules; provides detailed explanations for purchasing, installing, and housing new and upgraded network systems and components, and follows through to insure that systems are successfully implemented.
• Often leads project teams in network system design sessions working with clients to ensure achievement of goals; evaluates service requests, estimates resources, and analyzes design and development solutions.
• Works closely with customers, partners, and vendors to ensure the timely design and delivery of network systems and services to meet the customer's needs.
• Mentors junior staff.

Education and Experience

• Required: Bachelor's degree (preferably in Computer Science, Information Systems, or related field.)
• Required: 5 years of network engineering or related experience.

Skills

• Proficient communication skills.
• Maintains a high degree of professionalism.
• Maintains a high commitment to quality.
• Possesses flexibility to work in a fast paced, dynamic environment.
• Seeks to acquire knowledge in area of specialty.
• Highly thorough and dependable.
• Demonstrates a high level of accuracy, even under pressure.
• Possesses a high degree of initiative.
• Ability to influence internal and/or external constituents.

Preferred Experience

• Deploying and operating large-scale network infrastructure (200,000+ devices), including monitoring, measurement, and best practices for resiliency and lifecycle management.
• Broad, in-depth knowledge of the TCP/IP protocol suite, including dual-stack IPv6.
• Strong grounding in routing and switching: OSPF, iBGP/eBGP, MPLS (LDP and/or segment routing), VRFs, and multicast (PIM/IGMP).
• Enterprise wireless (WLAN) design and operation at scale: Wi-Fi 6/6E and Wi-Fi 7, controller-based and/or cloud-managed architectures, RF planning and high-density tuning, and wireless security (WPA3, 802.1X, fast roaming via 802.11r/k/v).
• Access-layer/edge design and refresh: campus edge switching, PoE/PoE++ for AP and IoT power, and access segmentation.
• Experience with modern campus and data-center fabrics: EVPN-VXLAN and CLOS / spine-leaf architectures.
• Familiarity with legacy L2VPN designs (VPLS) and spanning tree (RSTP/MSTP) a plus for migration work.
• Network access control and identity: 802.1X / NAC.
• First-hop/gateway redundancy: VRRP or equivalent (e.g., anycast gateway in EVPN fabrics).
• Working knowledge of core network services: DNS, DHCP/DHCPv6, IPsec, and VPNs.
• Experience with stateful firewalls and network security.
• Network automation and programmability: Python, Ansible, and templating (Jinja); NETCONF/YANG and/or REST APIs; and version control (Git) with infrastructure-as-code practices for configuration management.
• Monitoring, telemetry, and measurement: SNMP and streaming telemetry (gNMI/gRPC), time-series databases, and dashboarding (e.g., Grafana).
• Expertise in advanced network troubleshooting across large, complex environments.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, including explaining technical solutions and addressing concerns with non-specialist stakeholders and customers.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision on large, cross-functional projects.
• Strong organizational, time-management, and prioritization skills with a customer-service orientation.
• High standards for quality, accuracy, and dependability - including under pressure.
• Initiative, adaptability in a fast-paced environment, and a drive to keep learning.

Benefits

Comprehensive medical and dental insurance
Health savings account with generous IU contributions
Healthcare and dependent care flexible spending accounts
Basic group life insurance paid by IUV
Voluntary supplemental life, long-term disability, critical illness, and supplemental accidental death & dismemberment insurance
Base retirement plan with generous IU contributions, subject to vesting
Voluntary supplemental retirement plan options
Tuition subsidy for employees and family members taking IU courses
Generous paid time off plans
Paid leave for new parents and IU-sponsored volunteer events
Employee assistance program (EAP)