CCNP - Network Engineer

We are seeking a remote contractor CCNP certified network engineer to design, implement and support enterprise routing, switching and security infrastructure for our client. You will own day-to-day network health, lead upgrade and migration projects, and serve as the escalation point for complex network issues. No Sponsorship Available Key responsibilities Design, configure and maintain Cisco routers, switches and wireless across LAN, WAN and data center environments Implement and troubleshoot routing protocols (OSPF, EIGRP, BGP) and switching technologies (VLANs, STP, EtherChannel, VPC) Deploy and manage SD-WAN, site-to-site and remote-access VPNs, and QoS policies Administer network security: firewalls (Cisco ASA/Firepower or Palo Alto), ACLs, 802.1X and Cisco ISE Act as Tier 3 escalation for outages and performance issues; perform root-cause analysis and document fixes Plan and execute hardware refreshes, IOS/NX-OS upgrades and network migrations during maintenance windows Monitor network health with tools such as SolarWinds, PRTG or Cisco DNA Center Maintain network diagrams, configuration standards and runbooks Automate routine tasks with Python, Ansible or similar Mentor junior engineers and coordinate with server, security and application teams Required qualifications Active Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) certification, Enterprise track preferred 5+ years of hands-on enterprise network engineering experience Strong command of TCP/IP, subnetting, OSPF, EIGRP and BGP Expert-level Cisco IOS, IOS-XE and NX-OS CLI configuration and troubleshooting Experience with Layer 2/3 switching, VLANs, trunking, STP and HSRP/VRRP Working knowledge of firewalls, VPNs and network access control Proven ability to diagnose complex outages under pressure Clear written and verbal communication, including documentation and change records Preferred qualifications Cloud networking in AWS or Azure (VPCs/VNets, Transit Gateway, ExpressRoute) Wireless design and troubleshooting with Cisco WLC or Meraki Network automation with Python, Ansible or Terraform Bachelor's degree in IT, Computer Science or a related field, or equivalent experience Experience in healthcare, energy or other regulated environments