Network Engineering Manager

Knoxville, TN | Network Engineering Manager | Full-time

The Senior Manager of Network Engineering is responsible for defining and executing the strategic direction and day-to-day operations of the company s enterprise network. This role provides leadership and oversight to the Network Manager, Network Team Lead, and Network Architect, ensuring a cohesive, scalable, and forward-looking approach to network design, performance, and security.

The ideal candidate is a strategic, execution-oriented leader with deep operational expertise in network engineering. They will drive innovation while maintaining operational excellence, ensuring that the company s network infrastructure enables the business s growth and resilience. Success in this role depends on fostering strong partnerships across Enterprise Technology Operations, Security, and other Technology teams to deliver integrated, reliable, and secure solutions.

• Team Development:
  Provide mentorship and coaching to network leaders and engineers, fostering professional growth, accountability, and high performance.
• Oversee network operations to ensure high availability, performance, and compliance with internal and regulatory standards.
• Partner effectively with Security, Infrastructure, Cloud, and Application teams to deliver end-to-end technology solutions.
• Working with the Portfolio team, Manage project intake, prioritization, and execution across network initiatives, including budget management, resource planning, metrics, and reporting.
• Champion automation, standardization, and process optimization to increase network efficiency and reliability.
• Present strategies, roadmaps, and key initiatives to executive leadership and stakeholders; build alignment across teams through clear, persuasive communication.
• Stay informed on industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices to guide the company s network modernization and transformation roadmap.
• Develop and execute a comprehensive enterprise network strategy aligned with the company s technology and business goals.

• Bachelor s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, a related field, or equivalent experience.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in network engineering, including 5+ years in a leadership role within a large, complex enterprise environment.
• Proven success leading distributed network teams across multiple domains (LAN/WAN, Wi-Fi, VoIP, SD-WAN, Cloud Networking, etc.).
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex cross-functional initiatives without direct authority.
• Strong organizational navigation skills; adept at influencing senior leaders and peers.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills with the ability to communicate complex technical concepts to business stakeholders.
• Deep technical understanding of enterprise networking technologies, including routing, switching, firewalls, VPNs, unified communications, and network performance monitoring.
• Experience developing and enforcing network policies, procedures, and standards in alignment with cybersecurity and compliance requirements.
• High integrity, discretion, and sound judgment when handling sensitive information.
• Comfortable operating in dynamic environments, balancing long-term strategy with immediate operational needs.
• Leadership & Management
• Proven ability to lead and develop high-performing, distributed technical teams.
• Skilled at balancing strategic planning with tactical execution.
• Strong mentoring and coaching mindset; invests in people growth and capability building.
• Experienced in managing through ambiguity and influencing without direct authority.

Advanced knowledge of enterprise networking;
Core Routing & Switching (Cisco, Aruba, etc.) Wireless Infrastructure (Aruba, Meraki, or equivalent) SD-WAN / Cloud Networking (Azure/AWS integrations, Prisma SD-WAN, or equivalent) Network Security (Firewalls, VPN, NAC, segmentation, Zero Trust) Voice & Unified Communications (Cisco UC, Teams Voice, etc.) Network Monitoring & Observability (Solar Winds, Datadog, Splunk, or similar)

Understanding of automation and Infrastructure-as-Code (Python, Terraform, etc.) for network configuration and provisioning.

Working knowledge of cloud networking architecture and hybrid connectivity (Express Route, Direct Connect, VPN/Transit gateways).

Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled