Job Description
Salary: $133,000 - 173,000 per year Requirements:
- At least 4 years of experience in enterprise network architecture and engineering in complex, mission-critical environments, including leading initiatives from requirements and design through implementation, troubleshooting, and operational transition.
- At least 4 years of experience with LAN/WAN technologies, including Juniper routing and switching, TCP/IP, routing protocols, DNS, DHCP, and IPAM.
- At least 4 years of experience with infrastructure modernization, lifecycle and capacity planning, resiliency, and high-availability design.
- At least 4 years of experience with network security, including Fortinet firewalls, VPN/SASE, NAC, segmentation, and security policy implementation.
- At least 4 years of experience with AWS or Azure cloud and hybrid networking, network automation, orchestration, scripting, Infrastructure as Code, and network monitoring, observability, analytics, and performance management.
- A bachelors degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Network Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related discipline, or equivalent work experience.
- Strong skills in technical documentation, standards development, architecture diagrams, project management, technical mentoring, troubleshooting, written and verbal communication, analysis, customer service, stakeholder coordination, vendor management, and knowledge transfer.
- Preferred: Experience developing enterprise network strategies, standards, reference architectures, and roadmaps; supporting complex higher education environments; and working with Aruba and Cisco switching and wireless, software-defined networking, observability, telemetry, automation, virtualization, cloud networking, cybersecurity, zero-trust, and secure network architecture.
- Preferred: Experience coordinating infrastructure projects with facilities organizations, architects, contractors, consultants, and external engineering firms.
- Preferred certifications: JNCIP-ENT or higher; Fortinet FCP or higher in a relevant area; CCNP Enterprise or CCIE; relevant Aruba or AWS/Azure networking certification; ITIL Foundation or higher; or CompTIA Security+.
Responsibilities: - Define and advance our Enterprise Data Networks long-term technical vision, translating institutional needs into scalable, secure, and resilient solutions.
- Lead architecture and engineering across enterprise LAN, WAN, wireless, data center, cloud, hybrid networking, and network security, including complex modernization and implementation initiatives.
- Design and optimize highly available connectivity across campus, data centers, cloud platforms, and external services; perform hands-on engineering when needed.
- Establish and maintain architecture and engineering standards, reference architectures, roadmaps, lifecycle recommendations, network diagrams, and technical documentation; review designs developed by other staff.
- Analyze business, institutional, and technical requirements and turn them into network designs and implementation plans.
- Lead modernization, lifecycle and capacity planning, and remediation of aging or at-risk infrastructure.
- Advance network automation, orchestration, Infrastructure as Code, monitoring, observability, alerting, analytics, and operational metrics to improve consistency and proactively manage network health, capacity, performance, and efficiency.
- Serve as a senior technical resource and Tier III escalation point, providing advanced troubleshooting and guidance for complex incidents, engineering challenges, and architecture decisions.
- Coordinate with Network Operations, Information Security, Cloud Services, Physical Network Infrastructure, Facilities Planning, project teams, vendors, contractors, consultants, and campus stakeholders.
- Evaluate emerging technologies and support procurement, vendor evaluations, investment decisions, and long-term infrastructure planning.
- Mentor technical staff, transfer knowledge, and support sustainable operations; participate in maintenance windows and after-hours support when required.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Technologies: - AWS
- Architect
- Aruba
- Azure
- Cloud
- Cisco
- Support
- ITIL
- LAN
- Network
- Security
- TCP/IP
- VPN
- Windows
- Firewall
More:
We are seeking a senior Network Architect for our clients Division of Information Technology, which needs specialized enterprise networking expertise to support critical infrastructure, operational continuity, and strategic modernization. The role provides technical leadership and knowledge transfer while helping improve resiliency, modernize aging systems, and establish standards for long-term objectives. This is a contract position based at our clients downtown Columbia, South Carolina campus. It is primarily on-site, with occasional remote work permitted. The architect collaborates with enterprise architecture, operations, security, cloud services, facilities, project teams, vendors, and campus stakeholders.
last updated 44 week of 2026
Job Tags
Full time, Contract work, For contractors, Work experience placement, Casual work, Remote work