Senior Network Systems Engineer

About the Role We’re seeking a Senior Network Systems Engineer to join NetApp's Global Network Services team. You’ll own the enterprise network that underpins NetApp worldwide, focusing on Cisco routing, SD-WAN, and campus networking, from design through day-two operations. The role supports a cloud-first, automation-led operating model, and you’ll mentor others to raise engineering quality. What You'll Do

• Own routing across the global routing estate — design, implement, and operate enterprise routing (BGP, OSPF,), including internet edge, WAN, and inter-site connectivity.

• Engineer and operate the Cisco SD-WAN environment (Catalyst SD-WAN / Viptela) — policy design, template management, onboarding new sites, and troubleshooting overlay/underlay issues.

• Lead campus networking across the global office and lab footprint — access/distribution/core, wireless, and network access — delivering reliable, secure, high-performance connectivity.

• Resolve escalated operational issues (Tier 3/4) — act as the senior escalation point for complex incidents, driving root-cause analysis and permanent resolution.

• Deliver new site builds, refreshes, and migrations — produce designs, interconnect matrices, and cutover plans; coordinate with vendors and installation partners through delivery.

• Drive network changes through structured change control — plan, risk-assess, and execute changes with appropriate testing, validation, and rollback.

• Maintain operational health through observability — use network monitoring and telemetry tooling to detect, diagnose, and pre-empt issues before they impact users.

• Contribute to standards, runbooks, and documentation — raise the quality bar for how the team designs, operates, and hands off work.

• Mentor junior engineers and share expertise — act as a technical mentor and multiplier across the team.

• Support automation and modernisation — partner with automation/SRE colleagues to codify recurring tasks, moving the team from manual operations toward infrastructure as code. What We're Looking For

• Routing Expert-level knowledge of enterprise routing: BGP, OSPF, EIGRP, route redistribution, path selection, and policy-based routing.

• Hands-on experience operating routing on Cisco platforms (IOS-XE, ASR/ISR, Catalyst 8000) at enterprise scale.

• Strong grasp of internet edge, WAN, and DIA circuit design, including working with service providers on connectivity and troubleshooting.

• SD-WAN Deep expertise in Cisco SD-WAN (Catalyst SD-WAN / Viptela): control, management, and data plane; vManage/Catalyst Manager, vBond, vSmart.

• Proven experience with SD-WAN policy design, template configuration, site onboarding, and overlay/underlay troubleshooting.

• Understanding of transport-independent design across MPLS, broadband, and cellular, with application-aware routing and QoS.

• Networking Expert knowledge of campus LAN architecture: access/distribution/core, Layer 2/Layer 3 design, spanning tree, VLANs, and first-hop redundancy (HSRP/VRRP).

• Strong experience with Cisco campus switching (Catalyst 9000 series) or Juniper Switching.

• Expertise in enterprise wireless — design, deployment, and troubleshooting of Cisco wireless (WLC, Catalyst/Meraki or Juniper Mist access points), RF planning, and roaming.

• Familiarity with network access control and segmentation (Cisco ISE, 802.1X, TACACS+/RADIUS).

• General: Significant hands-on experience (typically 8+ years) in enterprise network engineering and operations, including a senior or lead technical role. Demonstrated ownership of complex, high-impact network infrastructure in a global environment. Strong troubleshooting discipline and structured incident-resolution skills under pressure. Excellent communication skills, with the ability to work across regions and mentor others. Nice to Have

• Scripting and automation experience — Python, Ansible, or similar — applied to network configuration or operations.

• Exposure to infrastructure as code (Terraform) and network-as-code approaches.

• Experience with workflow automation and orchestration platforms such as n8n — building automated workflows that connect network tooling, APIs, and operational processes.

• Familiarity with the Model Context Protocol (MCP) and AI-agent integration — connecting AI assistants to network tools, data sources, and operational systems.

• Familiarity with Git-based workflows and CI/CD