Sr Network Engineer

Optomi, in partnership with an industry-leading manufacturing organization, is seeking a highly experienced Senior Network Engineer to serve as the primary technical resource for network infrastructure at a manufacturing site. This is a hands-on role for a senior-level network engineer who can take ownership of the site’s network environment, lead technical activities, and serve as the key liaison between plant operations and centralized IT teams.

The ideal candidate will have deep enterprise networking experience, particularly with Cisco LAN, wireless, ACI, ISE, and Catalyst Center. Experience supporting OT, industrial, or manufacturing environments is highly preferred, but candidates with exceptional enterprise networking skills and limited OT experience will also be considered.

This is not an architecture-only position. The successful engineer will be hands-on, comfortable owning technical activities from start to finish, and capable of making decisions and driving work independently at the site.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary network engineering resource and technical point of contact for an assigned manufacturing location.

• Take ownership of the site's network environment, including day-to-day operations, troubleshooting, upgrades, deployments, and project activities.

• Design, implement, maintain, and troubleshoot Cisco enterprise network infrastructure across LAN, wireless, and related technologies.

• Support Cisco ACI, Cisco ISE, Catalyst Center, and Cisco SDA environments as applicable.

• Lead network software upgrades, infrastructure changes, maintenance activities, and technical deployments.

• Provide hands-on support for network incidents and complex technical issues, including escalation and root-cause analysis.

• Work directly with plant engineering, operations, maintenance, and local IT teams to understand business and production requirements and deliver effective network solutions.

• Serve as the primary liaison between the manufacturing site and centralized IT/network teams, building strong relationships and ensuring corporate solutions account for the realities of the plant environment.

• Support network infrastructure connected to manufacturing equipment, plant-floor systems, automation, and other operational technologies.

• Participate in network design and senior-level projects, providing technical direction and hands-on execution.

• Coordinate with vendors, internal engineering teams, and other technical stakeholders to drive projects and issues through completion.

• Develop and maintain network standards, documentation, implementation procedures, and operational processes.

• Mentor and provide technical guidance to local IT and support personnel.

• Travel to other company locations and international sites as needed, primarily within Mexico, with occasional travel to Canada or other locations.

Technical Environment

• Cisco LAN/WAN

• Cisco routing and switching

• Cisco Wireless

• Cisco ACI

• Cisco ISE

• Cisco Catalyst Center

• Cisco SDA

• Network segmentation

• VLANs and routing

• Network security and access control

• High-availability network environments

• Network monitoring and troubleshooting

• Manufacturing and plant-floor networks

• OT / industrial networking

• Manufacturing equipment and automation connectivity

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive network engineering experience.

• Strong hands-on expertise with Cisco enterprise networking technologies.

• Strong experience with Cisco LAN, routing, switching, and wireless environments.

• Experience with Cisco ACI, ISE, and/or Catalyst Center.

• Demonstrated experience working on network designs, implementations, upgrades, migrations, or senior-level technical projects.

• Ability to independently own technical activities and drive work through completion.

• Strong troubleshooting and problem-solving skills in complex, high-availability environments.

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to work effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

• Ability to work onsite five days per week in a manufacturing/plant environment.

• Ability and willingness to travel approximately 20–25%, including international travel to Mexico.

• Must be authorized to work in the U.S. without H-1B sponsorship.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting OT, industrial, or manufacturing network environments.

• Experience working directly with plant engineering, production, maintenance, or operations teams.

• Experience with Cisco SDA.

• Experience supporting manufacturing equipment, automation, or plant-floor network infrastructure.

• Knowledge of OT networking, segmentation, IDMZ, and industrial network security.

• Experience supporting large-scale manufacturing network deployments or plant modernization initiatives.

• Cisco certifications such as CCNA, CCNP, or equivalent technical experience.

• Experience working across multiple manufacturing locations or geographically distributed environments.

Position Type / Work Environment

• Long-term contract engagement.

• Onsite five days per week.

• Approximately 20–25% travel, primarily to Mexico, with occasional travel to Canada or other locations.

• Travel requirements may increase periodically based on project needs.

• Occasional after-hours or weekend work may be required for maintenance windows, upgrades, and cutovers.