Network Engineer Lead

Job DescriptionJob Description

About SILAC

SILAC Insurance Company is one of the fastest-growing insurance companies in the nation and continues to be a top contender in the industry. SILAC offers industry-leading annuity products that help individuals prepare for retirement. Teams can align around a shared vision of providing clean, simple & competitive products for clients, delivering best-in-class service to agents & business partners, and propelling the success of our employees.

With a fast-growing team of more than 300 employees, we are committed to remaining adaptable, innovative, and trustworthy for our clients, agents, and employees.

We hold true to our core values:

• Adaptability & Continuous Improvement
• Transparency & Trust, Honesty & Integrity
• Teamwork & Collaboration
• Gratitude & Compassion

At SILAC Insurance Company, we welcome and encourage and are dedicated to creating an environment and culture that is respectful and inclusive for everyone.

Network Engineer Lead

Job Overview: The Network Engineer III serves as the lead engineer for the Network Infrastructure team and is responsible for the architecture, operation, and reliability of all network communications supporting business-critical services. As a key member of the IT Operations organization, this role oversees network monitoring, design, documentation, and coordination of day-to-day and project-based work.

This position partners closely with IT Security, Infrastructure, Service Desk, and other business departments to maintain a secure, resilient, and highly visible network environment. The Network Engineer III ensures proactive identification and resolution of issues, adherence to security best practices, and consistent delivery of high-quality network services.

The ideal candidate brings extensive hands-on experience across core network technologies-including routing, switching, firewalls, wireless, WAN, SAN networking, load balancing/ADC, IPS, and IDS-and demonstrates strong leadership, architectural insight, and operational excellence in an enterprise setting.

Job Details

Security-Focused Network Architecture

Design, build, and maintain enterprise network infrastructure with a security-first mindset, partnering closely with the IT Security team to ensure alignment with Zero Trust principles, segmentation standards, compliance requirements, and secure configuration baselines.

Technical Leadership & Strategy

Serve as the technical lead for network initiatives, providing architectural guidance, establishing engineering standards, evaluating emerging technologies, and influencing long-term roadmap planning across WAN, LAN, WLAN, cloud networking, and data center environments.

Design & Project Planning

Provide expert input and leadership on all network-related projects, including requirements gathering, solution design, capacity planning, vendor/product selection, and implementation oversight. Proactively identify necessary upgrades, optimizations, and risk areas, recommending improvements and providing clear budgeting insight to support planning, prioritization, and long-term investment decisions.

Network Infrastructure Administration

Possess deep, hands-on expertise with Cisco, Arista, and Palo Alto platforms, including advanced routing (BGP, OSPF, EVPN), switching, firewalling, VPNs, and SD-WAN. Experience with automation tooling (Ansible, Terraform, Python) is strongly .

Documentation & Diagramming

Create and maintain detailed network documentation, including Visio diagrams, architecture standards, CMDB entries, and asset inventories, ensuring accuracy and consistency across environments.

Operations Ownership & Incident Management

Oversee day-to-day operations of the network environment, lead response to high-severity incidents, conduct root cause analysis, and ensure proactive maintenance, monitoring, and lifecycle planning.

Third-Party Vendor Oversight

Manage and provide technical oversight for third-party network service providers, ensuring delivery within SLAs, reviewing solution quality, and influencing vendor performance and architecture decisions.

Service Ticket Workflow Leadership

Prioritize, assign, and oversee network-related service requests and incident queues, ensuring timely response and guiding junior engineers in troubleshooting and best practices.

Cross-Team Collaboration

Work closely with Service Desk, Infrastructure, Security, and BI&A teams to ensure consistent platform alignment, reduce manual processes, and support a simplified, resilient enterprise environment.

Job Requirements

Required

• Industry Certifications or Equivalent Experience – Relevant certifications (e.g., Cisco, Arista, Palo Alto) or equivalent enterprise experience across firewalls, routers, wireless, and switching platforms.
• Enterprise Networking Experience – Minimum of 6 years hands-on experience designing, administering, and supporting large-scale enterprise networks.
• VPN Expertise – Strong proficiency with site-to-site (P2P) VPNs, client-based VPN solutions, and software-defined VPN technologies.
• Advanced Routing Knowledge – Expertise with routing protocols such as EIGRP, IS-IS, and BGP, including route optimization, redistribution, and troubleshooting.
• WAN Technologies – Deep experience with MPLS, point-to-point circuits, DIA, and modern SD-WAN platforms such as VeloCloud/Velo.
• Core Network Services & Protocols – Strong understanding of DHCP, NAC (802.1X), DNS, RADIUS, Syslog, and related foundational network technologies.
• Expert Troubleshooting Abilities – Demonstrated ability to analyze complex issues, perform deep packet analysis, and resolve multi-layered network incidents.
• Root Cause Analysis – Ability to conduct thorough RCA activities and document systemic issues with corrective action recommendations.
• Architecture & Design Experience – Proven experience designing resilient, scalable network architectures and understanding how network decisions impact the broader infrastructure ecosystem.
• On-Call Participation – Willingness to participate in an on-call rotation for after-hours support, critical incidents, and planned maintenance.
• Organizational Skills – Strong ability to prioritize, multi-task, and manage workloads in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
• Stress & Change Management – Effective under pressure with the ability to adapt quickly to changing priorities and operational demands.
• Decision-Making Skills – Excellent judgment with the ability to make rapid, informed decisions in complex or high-stakes situations.
• Professional Integrity – Demonstrates a high level of integrity, trustworthiness, confidentiality, and accountability in all interactions.

Desired

• Advanced Security & Access Solutions – Experience with technologies such as Cisco ISE, Palo Alto GlobalProtect, and Aruba networking/wireless solutions.
• Cloud Networking Experience – Hands-on experience designing or supporting cloud networking in Azure or AWS, including VNETs, security groups, routing, and hybrid connectivity.
• ITIL Framework Knowledge – Familiarity with ITIL methodologies and best practices for change management, incident response, and service delivery.
• Architectural & Business Planning Skills – Demonstrated ability to develop architectural proposals, create business cases, and guide design implementation through structured planning processes.
• Collaboration & Documentation Tools – Working experience with Jira, Confluence, or similar platforms for workflow management and collaborative documentation.

Communication & Leadership – Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to effectively translate complex technical concepts for diverse audiences across all organizational levels.

BENEFITS:

• Medical Plans, including FSA and HSA
• Dental and Vision
• 401(k) (Roth and Traditional)
• Pet Insurance
• Parental Leave
• Paid Time and Sick Time off
• 10 Paid Holidays and 1 Birthday Pay
• Paid Volunteer Time
• College Tuition Reimbursement

Communication during the recruitment process regarding interview requests or job offers will come directly from a recruiting team member with a silacins.com email address.

At SILAC, we celebrate a diverse and inclusive work environment, where we honor and support varying backgrounds, beliefs, and perspectives for the benefit of our business, including our employees and products. We are proud to be an equal-opportunity workplace and strive to be a place where every employee feels they belong. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, , sex, origin, , age, citizenship, marital status, , , or Veteran status. If you have a or a special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.

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