Contractual Remote Cisco Network Engineer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Network Engineer
Position Type: Full-Time, Remote
Working Hours: U.S. Client Business Hours (with flexibility for on-call support and critical incident response)
Location: Remote (LATAM, Pakistan, South Africa, Eastern Europe Preferred)
About the Role
Our client is seeking a highly skilled Network Engineer to design, configure, secure, and maintain enterprise network infrastructure across multiple environments.
This role requires deep technical expertise in routing, switching, firewalls, monitoring, and troubleshooting, along with a proactive mindset focused on uptime, security, scalability, and operational reliability. The Network Engineer will support both day-to-day network operations and long-term infrastructure initiatives while collaborating closely with cloud, DevOps, and IT teams.
The ideal candidate is detail-oriented, calm under pressure, and capable of solving complex networking issues in fast-moving production environments.
Responsibilities
Network Configuration & Maintenance
• Configure and manage enterprise-grade routers, switches, and firewalls including Cisco, Juniper, Palo Alto, and Fortinet devices
• Implement and maintain VLANs, VPNs, QoS policies, and routing protocols such as OSPF, BGP, and EIGRP
• Perform firmware upgrades, device patching, and hardware lifecycle management
• Configure network segmentation and redundancy to improve reliability and performance
• Support LAN, WAN, wireless, and hybrid cloud networking environments
Monitoring & Troubleshooting
• Monitor network performance and availability using SolarWinds, Nagios, PRTG, Zabbix, or similar platforms
• Investigate and resolve connectivity, latency, routing, and packet loss issues
• Utilize tools such as Wireshark and TCPdump for packet analysis and diagnostics
• Respond to escalated incidents and provide detailed root cause analysis documentation
• Participate in on-call support rotations and critical incident response efforts
Security & Compliance
• Implement and maintain firewall policies, ACLs, VPN security, and intrusion prevention systems
• Support Zero Trust networking initiatives and secure segmentation strategies
• Ensure compliance with security and regulatory frameworks including PCI-DSS, HIPAA, SOX, and GDPR where applicable
• Maintain patching schedules and monitor for vulnerabilities across network infrastructure
Performance Optimization & Reliability
• Conduct bandwidth analysis and capacity planning to support growth and performance
• Optimize load balancing, failover systems, and high-availability configurations
• Improve uptime, resiliency, and network scalability across environments
• Identify risks proactively and recommend infrastructure improvements before outages occur
Documentation & Governance
• Maintain accurate network diagrams, topology maps, runbooks, and operational documentation using Visio, Lucidchart, or similar tools
• Document network changes, incidents, and configurations following ITIL or change management best practices
• Ensure all network documentation remains audit-ready and current
Collaboration & Infrastructure Projects
• Collaborate with DevOps, cloud, and systems teams on hybrid cloud networking initiatives (AWS VPCs, Azure VNets, GCP networking)
• Support office expansions, migrations, VPN rollouts, and infrastructure upgrades
• Assist in evaluating hardware vendors, networking solutions, and infrastructure improvements
• Participate in infrastructure planning and long-term network architecture discussions
What Makes You a Perfect Fit
• Strong troubleshooting instincts with the ability to stay calm under pressure
• Highly detail-oriented with strong documentation discipline
• Excellent communicator capable of explaining technical issues clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Proactive mindset focused on prevention, reliability, and continuous improvement
• Comfortable managing multiple priorities in fast-paced environments
Required Experience & Skills
• 3+ years of hands-on network engineering experience
• Cisco CCNA/CCNP or equivalent enterprise networking experience
• Strong understanding of routing protocols including OSPF and BGP
• Experience with firewalls, VPNs, switching, VLANs, and enterprise network architecture
• Familiarity with network monitoring and troubleshooting tools
• Strong understanding of enterprise networking and security concepts
Ideal Experience & Skills
• CCNP, CCIE, Palo Alto, or Fortinet certifications
• Experience with AWS VPCs, Azure VNets, or hybrid cloud networking
• Familiarity with automation and Infrastructure-as-Code tools such as Python, Ansible, or Terraform
• Experience supporting multi-site enterprise environments
• Exposure to Zero Trust architectures and advanced network security implementations
What Does a Typical Day Look Like?
A Network Engineer's day revolves around ensuring networks remain secure, stable, and optimized. You will:
• Monitor dashboards and alerts to identify and resolve issues proactively
• Troubleshoot escalated connectivity, routing, or performance problems
• Configure network devices, firewalls, VPNs, and routing policies
• Collaborate on cloud integrations, infrastructure projects, and migrations
• Update documentation, diagrams, and change management records
• Analyze network performance trends and recommend optimization strategies
• Support uptime, resiliency, and operational stability across environments
In essence: you are the guardian of network performance, reliability, and security - ensuring businesses stay connected, protected, and operational at all times.
Key Metrics for Success (KPIs)
• Network uptime ≥99.9%
• Mean Time to Resolution (MTTR) within SLA targets
• Zero missed critical patches or compliance failures
• Accurate and up-to-date network documentation
• Reduction in recurring incidents and downtime events
• Positive internal stakeholder and end-user feedback on network performance
Interview Process
• Initial Phone Screen
• Video Interview with Pavago Recruiter
• Technical Assessment (e.g., VLAN configuration or troubleshooting scenario)
• Client Interview with Engineering / IT Leadership
• Offer & Background Verification
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