Network Patch Management Specialist

The Network Patch Management Specialist is responsible for planning, coordinating, and executing patch management activities across the organization’s network infrastructure. This role ensures network devices remain secure, stable, and compliant by managing patch cycles, assessing vulnerabilities, coordinating maintenance windows, and minimizing operational risk., Own the end-to-end patch management life cycle for network infrastructure, including Routers (Cisco), Switches( Cisco Cat Switches and Nexus), Firewalls(Cisco ASA, Firepower and Palo Aloto), F5 load balancers, F5 BigIQs,VPN gateways, and related appliances Own the end-to-end patch management life cycle for network infrastructure, including Routers, Switches, Firewalls, load balancers, Cisco ISE nodes, VPN gateways, and related appliances Partner with cybersecurity teams and Service Assurance Teams to prioritize remediation of critical and high-risk vulnerabilities Own the end-to-end patch management life cycle for network infrastructure, including Routers, Switches, Firewalls, load balancers, VPN gateways, and related appliances Review vendor advisories, security bulletins, and vulnerability notifications to assess patch relevance and priority Plan and schedule patch deployment activities in coordination with network operations, security, infrastructure, and business stakeholders Validate patch compatibility, dependencies, rollback requirements, and implementation risks before deployment Coordinate testing of patches in lab, staging, or controlled production environments where applicable Execute or support patch deployment during approved maintenance windows Monitor post-patch health, performance, and service stability, and lead rollback actions if required Maintain accurate patch status records, remediation trackers, exception logs, and compliance reporting Partner with cybersecurity teams to prioritize remediation of critical and high-risk vulnerabilities Track patch compliance across the network estate and escalate overdue or high-risk gaps Support audit, regulatory, and internal control requirements related to patching and security hygiene Contribute to patch management standards, runbooks, governance processes, and continuous improvement initiatives

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Network Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience Proven experience in network operations, infrastructure support, or patch management in an enterprise environment Strong understanding of network devices and platforms such as Routers, Switches, Firewalls, and load balancers Experience with vulnerability management, patch governance, change management, and incident response processes Familiarity with enterprise maintenance planning, risk assessment, and rollback procedures Ability to analyze vendor documentation, technical advisories, and patch dependencies Strong coordination and stakeholder management skills across operations, security, and business teams Good documentation, reporting, and communication skills, Experience with multi-vendor network environments such as Cisco, Juniper, Palo Alto, Fortinet, F5, or similar platforms Familiarity with vulnerability and patch tools such as Tenable, Qualys, Rapid7, ServiceNow, SCCM, Ansible, or equivalent operational tooling Understanding of ITIL-based change and incident management practices Relevant certifications such as CCNA, CCNP, CompTIA Security+, ITIL, or vendor-specific network/security certifications

Key Skills

Network patch life cycle management Vulnerability remediation prioritization Change and release coordination Risk assessment and rollback planning Stakeholder communication Operational governance and reporting Troubleshooting and incident support Process improvement

Success Measures

Timely remediation of critical and high-risk network vulnerabilities High patch compliance across in-scope network assets Minimal service disruption during patch execution Accurate audit-ready documentation and reporting