Freelance Network Operations Center Jobs in California

About CENIC:

Join the team that connects California to the world — advancing education and research statewide by providing the world-class computing network essential for innovation, collaboration, and economic growth. Our organization operates the California Research and Education Network (CalREN), a high-capacity computer network with more than 8,000 miles of optical fiber. The network serves over 20 million users across California, including the vast majority of K-20 students, together with educators, researchers, and individuals at other vital public-serving institutions.

Bring your IT career and technical expertise to help support the California Research and Education Network (CalREN), a high-bandwidth, fiber-optic network that serves over 20 million users. CENIC is a nonprofit governed by its member K-12 schools, libraries, community colleges, universities, and other public-serving institutions. Its mission is to advance education and research by providing a world-class network essential for innovation, collaboration, and economic growth.

We are looking for Network Engineers at various levels: mid-career, senior, technical expert, and leadership roles! Please see our career center for other positions available.**

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Network Operations Engineer provides front-line support for CENIC's network, serving as the primary point of contact for members, vendors, and carriers to deliver initial diagnosis and early resolution of network issues. This role is responsible for CENIC's core incident management processes, including monitoring alarms, managing incident tickets, triaging and communicating outages to the appropriate parties, and executing network changes on behalf of Network Engineering and coordinating scheduled maintenance activities. The Network Operations Engineer works around the clock to identify and resolve issues before they become service-affecting.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY: None

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

1. Proactively monitor CENIC's network to detect, triage, and resolve issues before they become service-affecting, reviewing turnover reports, scheduled maintenance, and the general state of the network

2. Participate in a rotating triage schedule to investigate monitoring alarms, respond to incoming calls, and address new requests as they arise

3. Serve as the primary point of contact for members, vendors, and carriers on network issues, providing initial diagnosis and early resolution, and maintaining professional, courteous communication at all times

4. Respond to service requests via phone and ticketing system, managing incident tickets through resolution, and communicating outage notifications and network status updates to affected parties

5. Execute network changes on behalf of Network Engineering, including configuration changes, firmware updates, and hardware maintenance, in accordance with approved plans and procedures

6. Plan, evaluate, and coordinate network maintenance activities, including performing impact analysis, drafting Methods of Procedure (MOPs), and adhering to change enablement policies

7. Draft clear and concise announcements for scheduled maintenance and network outages

8. Coordinate with vendors and carriers on remote-hands work and equipment shipment for member sites, and maintain accurate inventory for network equipment

9. Escalate complex, ambiguous, or unresolved incidents to the Lead or Senior Network Operations Engineer as appropriate

10. Participate in updating and revising policies, procedures, and documentation as needed

KEY SUCCESS FACTORS:

1. Sound judgment and composure when responding to alarms, incidents, and time-sensitive requests

2. Excellent oral and written communication skills, including the ability to communicate clearly with members, vendors, carriers, and teammates

3. Strong troubleshooting and analytical skills, with the ability to diagnose network issues under time pressure

4. Well-organized and able to prioritize multiple concurrent incidents, requests, and scheduled tasks

5. Strong commitment to customer service and a team-first mindset

6. Ability to work independently while adhering to established policies and procedures, and knowing when to escalate to leadership

7. Willingness to work any shift, including nights, weekends, and holidays, and to rotate shifts and schedules as assigned

8. Collaborative mindset and effectiveness working across teams, shifts, and with vendors and carriers

9. Ability to consider, understand, and prioritize security and privacy principles, practices, and procedures in all aspects of the role

10. Strong commitment to continuous improvement, proactively identifying opportunities for process, tooling, or workflow enhancements, and sharing suggestions with the team

REQUIRED EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE:

1. 2+ years of experience in a network operations environment, technical support role, or similar setting, interacting with customers or members via phone and ticketing system

2. Hands-on experience with live production Cisco, Juniper, or similar network devices, including configuration, firmware updates, and hardware maintenance

3. Experience with Layer 3 routing protocols and troubleshooting router/network performance issues on a live production network

4. Experience in troubleshooting circuit problems for both commercially lit and self-lit dark fiber services

5. Understanding of network security fundamentals, including secure device configuration, ACLs, firewalls, and intrusion detection systems

6. Experience preparing announcements for scheduled maintenance activities and network outages

PREFERRED EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE:

1. Cisco CCNA, Juniper JNCIA, or equivalent networking certification

2. Direct experience in network configuration, management, and operations in a service provider environment

3. Experience with optical transmission systems such as DWDM

4. Working knowledge of BGP, MPLS, and L2VPN technologies

5. Familiarity with network monitoring and ticketing platforms such as Zabbix and Jira

6. Experience in a research and education network or higher education environment

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

This position operates in a professional office environment with standard office equipment, including computers, telephones, photocopiers, and filing cabinets.

WORK HOURS:

Network Operations is a 24-hour, 7-day-per-week, 365-day-per-year operation. An employee's regular work schedule is four ten-hour days on any of the seven days in the week, based on CENIC's business needs.

WORK AUTHORIZATION:

Documented Proof of identity and legal eligibility to work in the United States.

Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time.

CENIC does not offer STEM OPT training opportunities and cannot complete Form I-983.

WHY WORK AT CENIC?

Company Culture: Small teams and a collaborative environment provide the opportunity to make a significant impact in a small organization.

Community Engagement: We work with research and education institutions in the largest state economy in the United States. Your work has meaning.

Generous Health Benefit Package: We value our employees' wellness. We offer a variety of medical, dental, and vision benefits. We have you covered with life, short-term, and long-term insurance. We also offer pet insurance at a discount.

Paid Time Off: We offer liberal vacation and sick leave, plus 15 paid holidays.

Investment in Your Future: CENIC contributes to your 403(b) even if you don't. We also offer matching contributions. Pre-tax and Roth options are also available.

CENIC is an equal opportunity employer – Vets/disabled