Lead Network Engineer

The Lead Network Engineer is accountable for the strategic direction and operation of the College’s network and its components. The Network Engineer understands network technology and trends at a strategic level; is versant in implementing new technologies and protocols; architects, creates, maintains, upgrades, and monitors network systems for optimal availability and performance; and troubleshoots network issues at their root cause. This role reports to the Director, Core Systems and Infrastructure., Independently performs all of the following tasks or supervises others in the performance of all of the following tasks:

Systems Administration and Maintenance (50%)

• Administers network systems to ensure optimal design, usage, security, performance, and availability.
• Maintains, upgrades, and patches network components with minimal interruption to students, faculty, and staff.
• Creates and maintains network documentation, such as network diagrams and systems configurations, processes and procedures.
• Ensures best practices, processes, and techniques are used when administering technology solutions.
• Consistently monitor network for integrity, performance, and availability.

Support and Consulting (20%)

• Addresses issues at their root level, using creative problem-solving techniques to achieve high-quality, highly efficient, highly effective resolutions.
• Proactively identifies potential issues and resolves them before they become an issue.
• Appropriately escalates issues to vendors and other College teams after an appropriate time or when issues require further expertise.
• Able to interact positively with both internal and external partners to achieve high satisfaction in both consulting and problem resolution situations
• Accurately documents and maintains all support requests and efforts in the ticket management system.
• Ensures support tickets are appropriately transferred, escalated, and closed.
• Keeps customers updated on the status of their open incidents.
• Ensures that customers are satisfied upon ticket closure.

Project Management (20%)

• Able to manage multiple projects at once.
• Executes project plans according to schedule, with attention to communication, risk management, training, and ongoing support and maintenance; setting and meeting expectations for project progress and completion; and ensuring that project deliverables are complete, sufficient, and of high quality.
• Manages implementation of technology solutions, including the following elements:

o Architecture and Design

o Stakeholder communication

o Risk management

o Qualities of service, such as Security, Accessibility, Performance, Availability, Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity, Manageability, and Monitoring.

o Ongoing budget

o Education and training

o Support

• Identifies, categorizes, and prioritizes CLC’s network needs, and researches, assesses, selects, acquires, and implements technology solutions that best satisfy those needs.
• Designs, develops, configures, integrates, installs and tests network systems

Other (10%)

• Maintains and shares subject matter expertise, staying current on industry trends and emerging technologies, identifying opportunities for further research, establishing and maintaining relationships with industry and professional colleagues, and attending conferences and seminars in order to recommend new solutions in service of student success and faculty and staff effectiveness and efficiency, while enhancing systems design, usage, security, performance, and availability.
• Provides a consistent stream of new ideas to enhance the College’s network.
• Assists in the development of IT processes and procedures
• Proactively works with members of other departments to identify and implement key opportunities for operational improvements, especially with regards to processes and leverage of data/information.
• Performs other duties of a similar nature or level.

We value candidates who bring language skills that help us better serve and connect with our diverse community. Bilingual English/Spanish proficiency is preferred but not required., * Masters Degree with three years of experience in an Information Technology role, at least three years of which were in a role specific to this discipline OR Bachelors Degree with six years of experience in an Information Technology role, at least four years of which were in a role specific to this discipline OR Associates Degree with ten years of experience in an Information Technology role, at least six years of which were in a role specific to this discipline

• Committed to keeping up-to-date with the changing networking landscape
• Experience in the configuration, management, and troubleshooting of Cisco Unified Communications Products on a SIP-Based VOIP environment.
• Experience working with Cisco TAC, Cisco knowledge base, and Cisco toolsets
• Experience in network design

Has role-specific skills and knowledge of:

o DNS

o DHCP

o TCP/IP

o VLANs

o BGP

o OSPF/EIGRP

o VPNs

o SNMP

o Cisco routing/switching/telephony and internetwork operating systems

o Palo Alto Firewalls

o HP servers and desktops/laptops

o MS Windows server and desktop operating systems

o VMWare

o Cloud-based hardware/operating systems/applications & utilities

• Effective and polished verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to work effectively with a wide range of customers and a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Committed to keeping up-to-date with the ever-changing technology landscape.
• Reflect a positive, high-energy and professional demeanor
• Demonstrated ability to work well on and improve the performance of a team
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize and deliver according to deadlines while handling multiple tasks, ability to exercise judgment, handle confidential information, and function with minimal supervision
• Demonstrated excellent organizational abilities and attention to detail
• Ability to cogently explain technical concepts and procedures to non-technical users
• Ability to problem-solve, analyze information to make informed decisions and/or recommendations
• Application of principles of logical thinking to a wide range of intellectual and practical problems.
• Ability to travel between campuses as needed.
• Ability to work nights and weekends as needed., * Cisco certifications or on track for certification
• Higher Education experience ideally in a community college setting
• An innate focus on students and their success
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong analytical skills.
• An interest in improving existing processes and procedures on a continual basis.
• Ability to manage projects as needed.

The College of Lake County (CLC) offers a competitive salary, excellent benefits that includes Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois health, Delta Dental and Superior Vision insurance plans, tuition support for employees and qualified family members, three retirement plans, disability, group and supplemental life insurance, health and dependent care flexible spending account plans, a compressed work week in the summer (Closed Fridays!), generous vacation, sick and personal time off and 14 paid holidays each year.

Some benefits will not be available for Part-Time or Part Time Staff Under 20 Hours (ex: health insurance).