Senior Network Engineer, Operations; Network Operations Center

Overview

About CENIC Join the team that connects California to the world — advancing education and research statewide by providing the world-class computing network essential for innovation, collaboration, and economic growth. Our organization operates the California Research and Education Network (CalREN), a high-capacity computer network with more than 8,000 miles of optical fiber. The network serves over 20 million users across California, including the vast majority of K-20 students, together with educators, researchers, and individuals at other vital public-serving institutions.

Position We are looking for Network Engineers at various levels: mid-career > senior > technical expert > and leadership roles. Please see our career center for other positions available.

Reporting to the Manager of Operations, the Senior Network Engineer, Network Operations, provides operational support for CENIC’s advanced services network to advance CENIC’s goals of a high-performance, open, and secure network. The Senior Network Engineer functions as a point of escalation, providing technical leadership and decision-making to on-shift staff and/or escalating issues as necessary.

• Monitor the CENIC networks to detect and resolve problems and ensure uninterrupted operations.
• Monitor daily workflows to ensure timely execution of next action items.
• Review notifications for accuracy and relevancy of included information.
• Review turnover reports, scheduled maintenance, and the general state of the network.
• Provide oversight of all ongoing outages, providing technical insight and guidance to Network Engineers.
• Monitor hardware and software vendor advisory notices for potential impact.
• Participation in triage shifts as needed.
• Troubleshoot: troubleshoot and resolve problems, including interaction with carriers, vendors, and CENIC’s senior-level engineering group.
• Serve as the point of contact for major incidents involving multiple sites or backbone services and determine the best course to resolution.
• Take ownership of complex problems involving member sites or backbone services.
• Draft clear and concise announcements for network outages.
• Investigate, document, and perform root cause analysis of incidents or complex problems.
• Compile post-mortem reports to share with leadership and members, identifying areas for improvement.
• Evaluate risk exposures and collaborate with teammates on best paths to resolution.
• Customer Service: respond to service requests via phone and ticketing system and coordinate with CENIC associates.
• Prepare announcements for maintenance activities and network outages; provide backup escalation for external escalations when the Lead Engineer is unavailable.
• Maintenance: plan, evaluate, and execute network maintenance activities; assist with equipment shipments and maintenance announcements; approve change control requests; participate in advanced maintenance tasks.
• Subject Matter Expert: stay current on emerging trends, ensure documentation is current, and provide training to the team when needed.
• Documentation: contribute to policies, procedures, technical reports, and internal training materials; maintain accurate network equipment inventory; create and maintain technical documentation for Network Operations; contribute to weekly major issues report; participate in post-mortem documentation with Lead Engineer and Manager.
• Continuous Improvement: execute OKRs aligned with organizational goals and implement data-driven process improvements.

• Staff Development: work with Lead Engineers and the Manager on new-hire development, onboarding, and training; collaborate on technology implementations requiring additional training and documentation; mentor interns, Network Administrators, and Network Engineers; conduct learning sessions for the team.
• Staff Accountability: manage on-shift escalations, ensure adherence to processes and best practices; audit tickets and maintenance calendars to ensure standards; coordinate turnover activities across shifts.
• Strategic Planning: identify gaps and work with leadership on procedures, policies, and documentation;…