Senior Network Engineer - Switch Migration & Infrastructure Security

Experience Level: 10+ Years | Contract Role

About the Role

We're looking for a seasoned Network Engineer to lead a critical switch migration initiative - owning everything from architecture review and secure configuration to live cutover and post-migration support. This is a hands-on, high-visibility role for someone who thrives on precision planning, airtight execution, and zero-surprise go-lives.

If you've led enterprise switch migrations end-to-end, know your way around security hardening standards, and can speak fluently to both engineers and business stakeholders - we want to talk to you.

What You'll Own

Planning & Design

• Review network architecture, design documents, and migration requirements
• Validate switch hardware, software versions, licensing, and compatibility
• Build implementation, migration, rollback, and test plans
• Identify dependencies, risks, and outage windows
• Coordinate cross-functionally with security, server, application, and ops teams

Build & Configuration

• Upgrade firmware/OS to approved baselines
• Review and configure switches per approved standards

Security Hardening

• Implement network security hardening aligned to company standards
• Disable unused ports and services
• Ensure full compliance with security and audit requirements

Monitoring & Alerting

• Integrate switches with enterprise monitoring platforms
• Configure and validate: SNMP, Syslog forwarding, NetFlow/sFlow (where applicable), performance & capacity monitoring, interface utilization, and environmental monitoring (temperature, power, fan status)
• Set up operational alerts and confirm data flow into monitoring platforms

Migration Execution

• Perform pre-migration validation and health checks
• Back up existing configurations
• Execute migrations per approved plan with minimal downtime
• Coordinate cutover with application and infrastructure teams

Testing & Validation

• Run full connectivity testing
• Troubleshoot and resolve issues in real time

Documentation

• Maintain network diagrams, port mappings, IP addressing records, security configs, and monitoring documentation
• Keep implementation and rollback procedures current

Post-Migration Support

• Monitor logs and alerts post-cutover
• Optimize configurations as needed
• Deliver knowledge transfer to operations
• Secure stakeholder sign-off on successful migration
• Prepare all release-readiness documentation

What You Bring

• 10+ years of hands-on network engineering experience
• Deep expertise in network switch migrations at enterprise scale
• Strong command of network infrastructure and configuration
• Proven track record in network security hardening
• Working knowledge of monitoring and alerting tools (SNMP, Syslog, NetFlow/sFlow)
• Excellent documentation discipline and attention to detail
• Strong stakeholder coordination skills - able to manage technical and business conversations alike
• Calm, methodical approach under pressure during live migrations

Deliverables You'll Drive

• Approved switch build configuration
• Completed security hardening checklist
• Fully integrated and tested monitoring/alerting
• Configuration backups and rollback plans
• Updated network diagrams and documentation
• Migration report with validation results and sign-off
• Complete release-readiness documentation package