Network Architect

Texas State University - San Marcos, TX

Full-time - Mid Level

San Marcos, TX

Educational Services

About the position

The Network Architect at Texas State University is responsible for planning, designing, managing, and optimizing a wide array of network technologies. This role involves overseeing complex network projects, ensuring high availability of network infrastructure, and providing technical leadership to a team of network professionals. The position requires a strong background in network engineering and advanced networking protocols, along with hands-on experience in network automation and scripting.

Responsibilities

• Oversee and conduct major studies regarding system usage, make recommendations for improvements, and determine network system requirements.
• Review network system plans for completeness and accuracy, and plan and schedule network studies and system implementations.
• Analyze existing network and system procedures for efficiency and effectiveness.
• Manage multiple complex network projects, including planning, designing, and integrating local area or wide area networks, Internet and intranet systems, and other data networks.
• Diagnose, troubleshoot, and resolve complex network issues, providing support for escalated trouble tickets and ensuring minimal disruption to end-user services.
• Oversee the allocation and management of campus-wide network IP address space, ensuring efficient use and compliance with best practices.
• Perform backup and recovery operations for network infrastructure configuration data to safeguard against data loss and ensure quick restoration in case of issues.
• Analyze and define network disaster recovery responsibilities and procedures.
• Execute regular administration tasks to support the continuous operation of the campus network infrastructure, maintaining high availability in a 24/7 environment.
• Configure and maintain monitoring systems to detect and alert on network failures and performance problems.
• Install and manage software and firmware updates, including security patches, to maintain the security and performance of network devices.
• Produce and maintain detailed documentation of network designs, processes, procedures, configurations, and network diagrams to ensure clarity and consistency.
• Develop and implement automated solutions for network management tasks using network automation tools and scripting languages, improving efficiency and reducing manual workload.
• Collaborate with hardware and software vendors by submitting support tickets for network-related issues and working closely with them until resolution is achieved.
• Provide technical leadership for a team of network professionals, including learning and sharing new technologies and skills.
• Mentor and develop junior team members and inter-departmental technical specialists.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Network Engineering, or a closely related field; or equivalent professional experience.
• At least 5 years of experience in network engineering, with a minimum of 2 years in a senior or network architect role.
• Demonstrated experience with advanced networking protocols, specifically MPLS, EVPN, BGP, and VXLAN.
• Possession of a relevant networking certification (e.g., CCNP, CCIE, CWNP, JNCIS-SP, MEF-CECP, etc).
• Proven expertise in designing, implementing, and managing complex wired and wireless networks.
• Hands-on experience with network automation tools and scripting (e.g., Python, Ansible).

Nice-to-haves

• Experience supporting IT systems in a Higher Education environment.
• Advanced degree in Network Engineering, Cybersecurity, or a related field.
• Experience with cloud networking solutions, including platforms like AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud.
• Project management experience or certifications.

Benefits

• Health insurance
• Paid holidays
• Paid time off
• Wellness program