Systems Engineer II

We are Optimum, a leader in the fast-paced world of connectivity, and we’re seeking driven and enthusiastic professionals to join our team, empower lives, fuel businesses, and drive innovation. Connectivity is no longer a luxury, but a necessity. A career at Optimum means you’ll be enabling progress and enhancing lives by providing reliable, high-speed connectivity solutions that keep the world connected. Our successes, now and in the future, are powered by our amazing product, a commitment to our people and culture, and the connections we make in our communities.

If you are resourceful, collaborative, and passionate about delivering consistent excellence, Optimum is for you! Job Summary

We are looking for aSystems Engineer IIto join our dynamic engineering team. In this role, you willbe responsible forintegrating systems for broadband devices while designing, implementing, andmaintaininga robust infrastructure. The ideal candidate will haveexpertisein system administration, network architecture, automation, and troubleshooting complex technical issues. You will work closely with cross-functional teams tooptimizeand enhance system performance, ensuring seamless integration and reliability forcutting-edgebroadband technologies. Responsibilities

Scope of Work:

• Design, deploy, and maintain systems, including SASE/SD-WAN controllers and gateways, branch CPE, and networking components.
• Automate deployment and management of system operations using scripting languages and APIs (e.g., Python, PowerShell, Bash, Ansible).
• Integrate and validate broadband CPE (gateways, modems, Wi-Fi) into the production architecture.
• Integrate and validate B2B SASE/SD-WAN CPE (e.g., Versa) into the production architecture, including ZTP/staging, overlay, and policy.
• Work with Google Cloud to host, network, and operate lab and production-support infrastructure for SASE/SD-WAN (compute, VPC, IAM, storage, and connectivity).
• Deploy and maintain services on Kubernetes (GKE), including configuration, upgrades, monitoring, and troubleshooting of cluster and workload issues.
• Automate lab and operational workflows; monitor SD-WAN/SASE, GCP, and GKE health and close issues through to root cause.
• Partner with development, operations, and security on releases, incidents, and Zero Trust / security-policy hardening.
• Keep topologies, MOPs, change logs, and troubleshooting guides current.
• Monitor and improve network and SASE performance, ensuring high availability and security.
• Troubleshoot CPE, overlay/underlay, software, and network issues, implementing effective solutions.
• Collaborate with development and security teams to support DevOps, Zero Trust, and cybersecurity initiatives.
• Collaborate in the planning and execution of disaster recovery and high-availability strategies for SASE infrastructure.

Collaboration and Documentation:

• Maintain up-to-date documentation of network topologies, including traffic flow and interconnectivity.
• Create detailed troubleshooting guides for device and network failures.
• Create change management & deployment logs to track system updates and upgrades to ensure stability.
• Write clear and concise workflow documents, emails, presentations, and thought leadership materials.

Continuous Improvement:

• Staying current with new technologies, certifications, and knowledge sharing.
• Proactively share knowledge, mentor junior engineers, and maintain accountability for team performance and production availability., * Networking and SD-WAN: Strong foundation in routing, switching, VPN, and SD-WAN deployments (underlay/overlay, WAN/LAN, VLANs, BGP where used). Apply this to branch CPE, path selection, and connectivity into the SASE fabric.
• SASE platform: Hands-on experience with SASE / Versa, including controllers, gateways, CPE, policy, ZTP/staging, and service-provider SASE operations.
• Cloud security and Zero Trust: Implement and maintain secure access, including SWG, CASB, ZTNA, and cloud-based firewall policies. Enforce Zero Trust on user, device, and site access.
• Google Cloud Platform: Hands-on GCP for compute, VPC, IAM, storage, and connectivity used to host, network, and operate SASE/SD-WAN lab and production-support systems. Familiarity with AWS or Azure is a plus.
• Kubernetes (GKE): Deploy, operate, and troubleshoot Kubernetes clusters and workloads on GKE, including configuration, upgrades, monitoring, and cluster/workload networking.
• Broadband CPE and Wi-Fi: Integrate and validate broadband CPE (gateways, modems, Wi-Fi) into the production architecture. Expertise in Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax) troubleshooting and architecture, and in
• DOCSIS cable modems (provisioning, firmware validation, service bring-up) where SASE rides the broadband underlay.
• Linux / Unix systems: Administer and harden Linux (Ubuntu, CentOS, RHEL) with a focus on availability, scalability, fault diagnosis, and system resources (CPU, memory, storage).
• Scripting and automation: Python, Bash, Ansible, Terraform, or APIs to automate configuration, policy deployment, validation, and monitoring, including GCP (gcloud) and Kubernetes (kubectl, Helm). Follow MOPs for change, rollback, and consistency.
• Monitoring and troubleshooting: Prometheus, Grafana, Splunk (or similar), and SIEMs/NMS as needed, for health, logging, alerting, and isolating network, SASE, CPE, GCP, and GKE faults.
• Documentation: Maintain topologies, troubleshooting guides, change/deployment logs, and clear written/verbal updates.

• Bachelor’s in Computer Science, Information Technology, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent experience (Master’s a plus).
• 3-5 years in systems, network, or CPE engineering with SD-WAN, SASE, or enterprise WAN/security.
• Hands-on routing/switching/VPN, Zero Trust / secure access, and a SASE platform (Versa strongly preferred).
• Scripting or IaC (Python, Ansible, Terraform, or APIs) and cloud familiarity (AWS, Azure, or GCP).
• Strong troubleshooting, written communication, and cross-team collaboration.
• Docker/Kubernetes, deeper cybersecurity/certs (e.g. NSE, Versa, CCNA/CCNP, ZTNA), additional NMS/SIEM, B2B underlay (fiber/DOCSIS) awareness.
• Excellent communication and collaboration abilities.

At Optimum, every action and interaction we take part in, is driven by our three Guiding Principles: Do What’s Right, Drive One Optimum, and Make It Happen. These aren’t just words, they help us build trust, create real community, and embrace new ways of thinking. Our employees are empowered to do the right thing for our customers and co-workers and to recognize and reward these behaviors when we see them. It’s all part of the bigger picture of “Be The Difference” where each employee knows they have the power to enact real change, share new ideas, and understand that learning never stop.

If you have the drive to succeed and are ready to embark on a thrilling career, seize this opportunity today, and join our winning team. Together, we’ll shape the future of connectivity.