Permanent Ran Optimization Engineer Jobs in Lawrence, KS

The IT Network Engineer is the primary owner of network design, administration, security, and reliability across multiple company sites. This role is responsible for the full lifecycle of the organization's network infrastructure, from architecture and configuration to ongoing maintenance, circuit management, security compliance, and incident resolution. It requires deep hands-on expertise with Palo Alto firewalls, Cisco routing and switching platforms, and Cisco Meraki wireless.

The Network Engineer exercises independent professional judgment on infrastructure design decisions, security policy governance, and technology recommendations, and serves as the internal subject matter expert that site teams and business stakeholders rely on to keep the network performing and secure. The ideal candidate has direct multi-site network engineering experience, a proven track record of maintaining high availability across distributed environments, and a customer-first mindset that extends to every site and every user they support.

The following responsibilities reflect the primary duties of this role. Independent judgment, network design analysis, and multi-site technical ownership are central to the performance of each.

• Design, configure, deploy, and maintain network infrastructure across multiple sites, including LAN, WAN, SD-WAN, and wireless environments, exercising independent judgment on topology, hardware selection, and configuration standards.
• Administer and maintain Palo Alto next-generation firewalls, including security policy design, rule base management, threat prevention profiles, NAT configurations, and firmware lifecycle management across all sites.
• Configure and manage Cisco routers and switches, including routing protocol configuration (BGP, OSPF, EIGRP), VLAN segmentation, STP, QoS, and access control, ensuring consistent and reliable connectivity across the enterprise.
• Administer Cisco Meraki wireless infrastructure, including access point deployment, RF planning, SSID configuration, client policy enforcement, and ongoing performance monitoring and optimization across distributed sites.
• Own circuit procurement, contract management, and vendor relationships for all WAN connectivity, including MPLS, broadband, dedicated fiber, and cellular backup circuits - managing SLAs, renewals, and escalations with carriers.
• Maintain and optimize network uptime across all sites, proactively monitoring infrastructure health, identifying degradation trends, and independently determining and implementing corrective actions before failures impact operations.
• Design, implement, and enforce network security controls, including firewall policy governance, network segmentation, intrusion prevention, VPN architecture (site-to-site and remote access), and zero-trust access principles.
• Working with the Information Security team, support PCI DSS network compliance requirements, including scoped network segmentation design, firewall rule review, quarterly network scans, and documentation to support audit and assessment activities.
• Manage DNS and Active Directory integration, including DNS zone administration, DHCP scope management, and ensuring reliable name resolution and authentication services across all network sites.
• Perform root cause analysis on network incidents, developing and documenting permanent corrective actions and sharing findings across the IT team to prevent recurrence.
• Develop and maintain network documentation, including topology diagrams, IP address management (IPAM), circuit inventories, hardware inventories, configuration standards, and runbooks.
• Evaluate and recommend emerging network technologies and vendor solutions, independently assessing fit against organizational requirements and presenting findings to IT leadership.
• Provide escalation support and technical guidance to site IT staff and support teams, serving as the internal subject matter expert for network-related incidents and projects.
• Partner closely with site operations, facilities, and business stakeholders at each location, maintaining a strong customer-service mindset and communicating network decisions and impacts clearly to non-technical audiences.

• 5+ years of progressive, hands-on network engineering experience supporting multi-site enterprise environments, including demonstrated ownership of network infrastructure design and operational decisions.
• Direct, hands-on experience administering Palo Alto Networks next-generation firewalls, including security policy management, Panorama (preferred), and threat prevention configuration.
• Proven experience configuring and supporting Cisco routers and switches in a multi-site enterprise environment, including routing protocols (BGP, OSPF), VLANs, and access layer design.
• Hands-on experience with Cisco Meraki wireless platform, including AP deployment, dashboard administration, and multi-site wireless management.
• Experience with circuit contract ownership and carrier management, including WAN circuit procurement, SLA management, and vendor escalation.
• Solid understanding of network security principles, including firewall policy governance, network segmentation, VPN architecture, and defense-in-depth design.
• Working knowledge of PCI DSS network requirements, including scoped segmentation, firewall rule review, and audit support.
• Experience with DNS administration and Active Directory integration, including DHCP management and multi-site name resolution.
• Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills, with the ability to independently diagnose and resolve complex, multi-layer network issues across geographically distributed sites.
• Excellent communication and customer-service skills, with the ability to translate technical network concepts for non-technical site stakeholders and to take clear ownership of issue resolution.
• Strong documentation discipline, including network diagrams, IPAM, configuration standards, and change management records.

• Relevant professional certifications such as CCNA, CCNP, Palo Alto PCNSE, Meraki ECMS, or equivalent.
• Experience with SD-WAN platforms, network monitoring tools (e.g., SolarWinds, PRTG, Meraki Dashboard), or SIEM/log aggregation solutions.
• Familiarity with cloud networking concepts (AWS, Azure, or GCP virtual networking, VPN gateways, and hybrid connectivity).
• Experience supporting network infrastructure in distribution center, warehouse, retail, or similarly operationally demanding multi-site environments.
• Exposure to network automation and configuration management tools (e.g., Ansible, Python/Netmiko, Terraform).
• Bachelor's degree in Network Engineering, Information Technology, Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent demonstrated expertise through progressive work experience.

• Must be available and willing to travel to multiple company sites as needed to perform on-site network installations, assessments, hardware deployments, and troubleshooting.
• Ability to work in varied operational environments across sites, including distribution centers, office locations, and data center/MDF/IDF spaces.
• Must be available to respond to critical network incidents outside standard business hours, including evenings, weekends, and during planned maintenance windows, to minimize impact on business operations.
• Ability to rack, cable, and position network hardware as required during infrastructure deployments and upgrades.

We need a network engineer who takes genuine ownership; someone who treats every site like it's their own and understands that a network outage at any location isn't just a technical event, it's people who can't work and customers who feel the impact. The right person is proactive, not reactive: they know their infrastructure, they catch problems before they become incidents, and they bring clear, confident communication to every stakeholder they support. Deep technical skill matters here, but so does the ability to show up at a site, understand what the people there actually need, and solve it in a way that earns their trust.

At Excelligence, you'll be part of a mission-driven organization dedicated to supporting educators and helping children succeed. You'll have the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on our logistics and supply chain operations while working alongside talented professionals in a collaborative and growth-oriented environment.

Excelligence Learning Corporation is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees, applicants, and other covered persons without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, pregnancy, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, citizenship status, genetic information, military or veteran status, age, physical or mental disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.