Senior Network Automation Engineer Jobs in Kentucky

The Senior Network Engineer is Harbor IT's technical authority for network design and delivery, owning the architecture, engineering standards, and delivery quality for networking engagements across the client portfolio. This role leads pre-sales design work, drives complex network implementations, and sets the technical standard for Harbor IT's networking domain - spanning LAN/WAN, wireless, SD-WAN, network security, and next-generation campus and branch architectures.

The Senior Network Engineer has deep hands-on expertise with Extreme Networks and Fortinet platforms, both of which are core to Harbor IT's networking stack and required experience for this role. Beyond delivery, this role contributes to the practice by developing standards, reviewing peer designs, mentoring junior engineers, and engaging clients as a trusted advisor on infrastructure strategy. The ideal candidate brings enterprise-class architecture experience, strong vendor platform depth, and the communication skills to operate effectively in both technical and client-facing contexts.

• Own network architecture and design across Harbor IT's professional services engagements including campus LAN, WAN, SD-WAN, wireless, and network security deployments.
• Serve as technical lead and delivery authority on complex network implementations - providing hands-on engineering support and directing engineers and field resources through project execution.
• Lead pre-sales solution design for networking opportunities including discovery sessions, architecture documentation, bill-of-materials development, and technical proposal support.
• Design, configure, deploy, and validate Extreme Networks (campus switching, wireless, ExtremeCloud IQ) and Fortinet (FortiGate, FortiSwitch, FortiAP, FortiManager, FortiAnalyzer) solutions as primary Harbor IT-supported platforms.
• Develop and maintain Harbor IT's networking architecture standards, design templates, and configuration baselines to drive consistency and reduce delivery risk across the engineering team.
• Conduct network assessments and health reviews for existing clients, producing findings reports and remediation roadmaps that translate technical risk into business language.
• Collaborate with solutions architects and account managers during pre-sales to validate scope, identify technical risk, and produce accurate statements of work.
• Mentor and develop junior and mid-level network engineers through project participation, design reviews, and direct technical coaching.
• Maintain working knowledge of relevant vendor ecosystems including competitive platforms, licensing models, support structures, and roadmap direction.
• Represent Harbor IT's networking practice in client-facing settings including architecture reviews, executive briefings, and technology strategy discussions.

• Expert-level hands-on experience with Extreme Networks platforms including campus switching (EXOS/VOSS), wireless (ExtremeCloud IQ, AP series), and network management - required.
• Expert-level hands-on experience with Fortinet platforms including FortiGate firewalls, FortiSwitch, FortiAP, FortiManager, FortiAnalyzer, and FortiClient EMS - required.
• Strong architecture and design depth across LAN/WAN, campus networking, SD-WAN, network segmentation, VLANs, routing protocols (BGP, OSPF), and next-generation firewall policy design.
• Demonstrated ability to translate business requirements into network architecture designs and produce clear, client-ready documentation including diagrams, BOMs, and design rationale.
• Experience leading network deployments as the senior technical resource - coordinating field engineers, managing vendor resources, and validating final configurations against design intent.
• Solid understanding of network security principles including zero-trust segmentation, NGFW policy, NAC, and secure SD-WAN as applied to enterprise and mid-market environments.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills - able to present architecture recommendations to both technical and non-technical audiences and contribute to pre-sales proposals.
• Comfortable operating in an MSP professional services environment with concurrent client engagements, billable utilization expectations, and cross-functional coordination with PMs, architects, and account teams.

• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Network Engineering, Computer Science, or a related discipline. Equivalent experience considered.
• 7+ years of network engineering and architecture experience, with at least 3 years in a senior architecture or lead engineer role.
• Hands-on Extreme Networks experience required. ExtremeCloud IQ or EXOS/VOSS certification strongly preferred.
• Hands-on Fortinet experience required. NSE 4 minimum required, NSE 7 or higher strongly preferred. FortiGate and FortiManager expertise essential.
• Additional certifications a plus: CCNP (routing and switching or enterprise), CWNA/CWSP, SD-WAN vendor certifications.
• MSP or consulting delivery background preferred over pure enterprise IT - experience managing multiple concurrent client environments is a meaningful differentiator.

• Senior technical role within Harbor IT's Professional Services department, operating in an EOS-managed, growth-stage MSP environment with shared accountability across engineering, architecture, and project delivery functions.
• Remote-first with occasional travel to client sites for network assessments, project deployments, and architecture reviews - infrequent but expected.
• Direct client exposure across enterprise, healthcare, agribusiness, and defense-adjacent verticals with complex, multi-site network environments.

• Competitive base salary commensurate with experience
• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) with company match
• Flexible PTO
• Remote-first work environment

Note: Harbor IT is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or veteran status.

Harbor IT is a leading Managed Service Provider (MSP) specializing in delivering cutting edge Cybersecurity, IT, and Cloud Services to a diverse portfolio of clients. We pride ourselves on our commitment to excellence, innovation, and customer satisfaction. Harbor IT is backed by investment firm Worklyn Partners since 2022 and has built a national platform through acquisition and rapid organic growth. Our mission is to manage our clients’ technology and mitigate their cyber risks, so that they don’t have to.