Network Lead Jobs
Network Lead jobs are open across telecommunications, enterprise IT, healthcare, and financial services, from mid-level engineer to senior architect and team lead, with specializations in LAN/WAN infrastructure, network security, and cloud networking. See the openings below and apply to the ones that match your experience.
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CSIK Consulting is seeking an experienced Lead Network Administrator to lead the network team supporting a federal agency’s enterprise network, which serves a large user base across the United States. The network covers Cisco routing and switching, WAN and data center connectivity, hybrid cloud networking, and Palo Alto firewalls. The team is small, so this is a working lead role. You will do hands-on Tier 3 engineering and also assign, track and manage the team’s incidents, recurring O&M and projects, including backlog management and sprint planning in Azure DevOps (ADO). You will work closely with architecture, cybersecurity, platform and engineering teams to keep services secure, compliant and aligned with enterprise standards.
Note: Must be able to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government Public Trust. U.S. work authorization required. Must be able to support critical incidents after hours as needed.
Duties
- Execute, delegate and track the network team’s work across incidents, O&M and projects. Assign work by skill and capacity, and rebalance it when priorities change.
- Plan and manage team work in ADO, including backlog, sprint planning and sprint tracking. Produce regular status reports on progress, risks and schedule impacts for program management and government stakeholders.
- Review team members’ change requests, ticket documentation and runbooks. Plan leave, on-call and after-hours coverage, and cross-train so every network function has a trained backup.
- Lead installation, configuration and maintenance of Cisco routers and switches. Provide secure baseline configurations, implementation plans and service deployments.
- Operate and maintain WAN infrastructure, including dual MPLS circuits per site and high-speed interconnects between colocation facilities.
- Support hybrid and multi-cloud connectivity, including Azure ExpressRoute (dual-region), AWS Direct Connect and site-to-site redundancy.
- Administer network monitoring platforms, including PathSolutions and Cisco DNA Center, and keep operations running during the transition from Cisco Prime.
- Apply patches, updates and security configurations to network devices across on-premises and cloud environments. Oversee hardware installation, structured cabling and lifecycle management across sites.
- Direct the team’s Palo Alto firewall work (PAN-OS, Panorama, GlobalProtect, Prisma Access) and provide backup coverage. Make sure rule base governance, policy review and end-of-support lifecycle planning are carried out and documented.
- Work with cybersecurity on segmentation, ingress/egress control and zero-trust initiatives. Support TIC 3.0, MTIPS and OMB M-21-31 logging and visibility requirements.
- Provide documentation and evidence for security assessments, ATO activities and audits.
- Own network Tier 3 incidents from assignment to closure using a structured troubleshooting method. Escalate to Cisco, Palo Alto, carriers and other vendors with complete case records, and drive permanent fixes through problem management.
- Manage the network team’s on-call rotation.
- Make sure recurring O&M tasks are completed on schedule and recorded in ServiceNow.
- Follow a formal change management process and hold the team to it. Validate changes through change windows, failover scenarios and DR exercises.
- Lead network projects from planning through closeout, including scope, milestones, phased implementation with rollback plans, and user communications.
- Communicate issues, impacts and timelines in plain language to end users and government stakeholders. Maintain configurations, diagrams, SOPs and runbooks.
Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
- 10+ years of enterprise network engineering and administration experience.
- 5+ years leading technical teams, with direct responsibility for assigning, tracking and reviewing other engineers’ work.
- Strong experience with Cisco routing and switching (BGP, OSPF, layer 2/3), WAN and data center connectivity including MPLS, and hybrid cloud connectivity (Azure ExpressRoute or AWS Direct Connect).
- Working knowledge of Palo Alto firewalls (PAN-OS, Panorama, VPN and GlobalProtect), enough to direct firewall work and provide backup coverage.
- Experience planning and tracking team work in Azure DevOps or a similar agile tool, including backlog management, sprint planning and status reporting.
- Demonstrated experience resolving Tier 3 network incidents in a ticketed (ITSM) environment using a repeatable troubleshooting process.
- Demonstrated experience following a formal change management process, including change board review and implementation and rollback plans.
- Demonstrated experience planning and delivering network projects through closeout.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills with end users and government or customer stakeholders.
- Preferred: Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) or equivalent.
- Preferred: A Palo Alto Networks certification (PCNSE, PCNSA, NGFW Engineer or Network Security Analyst).
- Preferred: ITIL 4 Foundation or equivalent IT service management training.
- Preferred: Experience with ServiceNow, ADO, PathSolutions and Cisco DNA Center.
- Preferred: Familiarity with federal requirements (TIC 3.0, MTIPS, OMB M-21-31) and ATO support.
- Preferred: Prior experience supporting a federal agency.
Why CSIK
- Lead the Tier 3 network team for an enterprise network that supports a large user base across the United States
- Long-term, 5-year program with real stability
- Certification reimbursement: we invest in your credentials (e.g., CCNP or PCNSE)
- Job rotation and training for advancement within the program and the company
- A small, senior team that takes on complex problems and gives people room to make real decisions
About CSIK Consulting
CSIK Consulting is a certified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) and network systems integrator delivering network infrastructure, cybersecurity, structured cabling, managed IT, and service desk operations for commercial, data center, and government clients.
Pay: $140,000.00 - $170,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Work Location: Remote
CSIK Consulting is seeking an experienced Lead Network Administrator to lead the network team supporting a federal agency’s enterprise network, which serves a large user base across the United States. The network covers Cisco routing and switching, WAN and data center connectivity, hybrid cloud networking, and Palo Alto firewalls. The team is small, so this is a working lead role. You will do hands-on Tier 3 engineering and also assign, track and manage the team’s incidents, recurring O&M and projects, including backlog management and sprint planning in Azure DevOps (ADO). You will work closely with architecture, cybersecurity, platform and engineering teams to keep services secure, compliant and aligned with enterprise standards.
Note: Must be able to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government Public Trust. U.S. work authorization required. Must be able to support critical incidents after hours as needed.
Duties
- Execute, delegate and track the network team’s work across incidents, O&M and projects. Assign work by skill and capacity, and rebalance it when priorities change.
- Plan and manage team work in ADO, including backlog, sprint planning and sprint tracking. Produce regular status reports on progress, risks and schedule impacts for program management and government stakeholders.
- Review team members’ change requests, ticket documentation and runbooks. Plan leave, on-call and after-hours coverage, and cross-train so every network function has a trained backup.
- Lead installation, configuration and maintenance of Cisco routers and switches. Provide secure baseline configurations, implementation plans and service deployments.
- Operate and maintain WAN infrastructure, including dual MPLS circuits per site and high-speed interconnects between colocation facilities.
- Support hybrid and multi-cloud connectivity, including Azure ExpressRoute (dual-region), AWS Direct Connect and site-to-site redundancy.
- Administer network monitoring platforms, including PathSolutions and Cisco DNA Center, and keep operations running during the transition from Cisco Prime.
- Apply patches, updates and security configurations to network devices across on-premises and cloud environments. Oversee hardware installation, structured cabling and lifecycle management across sites.
- Direct the team’s Palo Alto firewall work (PAN-OS, Panorama, GlobalProtect, Prisma Access) and provide backup coverage. Make sure rule base governance, policy review and end-of-support lifecycle planning are carried out and documented.
- Work with cybersecurity on segmentation, ingress/egress control and zero-trust initiatives. Support TIC 3.0, MTIPS and OMB M-21-31 logging and visibility requirements.
- Provide documentation and evidence for security assessments, ATO activities and audits.
- Own network Tier 3 incidents from assignment to closure using a structured troubleshooting method. Escalate to Cisco, Palo Alto, carriers and other vendors with complete case records, and drive permanent fixes through problem management.
- Manage the network team’s on-call rotation.
- Make sure recurring O&M tasks are completed on schedule and recorded in ServiceNow.
- Follow a formal change management process and hold the team to it. Validate changes through change windows, failover scenarios and DR exercises.
- Lead network projects from planning through closeout, including scope, milestones, phased implementation with rollback plans, and user communications.
- Communicate issues, impacts and timelines in plain language to end users and government stakeholders. Maintain configurations, diagrams, SOPs and runbooks.
Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
- 10+ years of enterprise network engineering and administration experience.
- 5+ years leading technical teams, with direct responsibility for assigning, tracking and reviewing other engineers’ work.
- Strong experience with Cisco routing and switching (BGP, OSPF, layer 2/3), WAN and data center connectivity including MPLS, and hybrid cloud connectivity (Azure ExpressRoute or AWS Direct Connect).
- Working knowledge of Palo Alto firewalls (PAN-OS, Panorama, VPN and GlobalProtect), enough to direct firewall work and provide backup coverage.
- Experience planning and tracking team work in Azure DevOps or a similar agile tool, including backlog management, sprint planning and status reporting.
- Demonstrated experience resolving Tier 3 network incidents in a ticketed (ITSM) environment using a repeatable troubleshooting process.
- Demonstrated experience following a formal change management process, including change board review and implementation and rollback plans.
- Demonstrated experience planning and delivering network projects through closeout.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills with end users and government or customer stakeholders.
- Preferred: Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) or equivalent.
- Preferred: A Palo Alto Networks certification (PCNSE, PCNSA, NGFW Engineer or Network Security Analyst).
- Preferred: ITIL 4 Foundation or equivalent IT service management training.
- Preferred: Experience with ServiceNow, ADO, PathSolutions and Cisco DNA Center.
- Preferred: Familiarity with federal requirements (TIC 3.0, MTIPS, OMB M-21-31) and ATO support.
- Preferred: Prior experience supporting a federal agency.
Why CSIK
- Lead the Tier 3 network team for an enterprise network that supports a large user base across the United States
- Long-term, 5-year program with real stability
- Certification reimbursement: we invest in your credentials (e.g., CCNP or PCNSE)
- Job rotation and training for advancement within the program and the company
- A small, senior team that takes on complex problems and gives people room to make real decisions
About CSIK Consulting
CSIK Consulting is a certified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) and network systems integrator delivering network infrastructure, cybersecurity, structured cabling, managed IT, and service desk operations for commercial, data center, and government clients.
Pay: $140,000.00 - $170,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Work Location: Remote
Network Lead Jobs by Experience Level
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Who's Hiring
Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software
- Education
- Automotive
- Healthcare & Medical Services
- Insurance
What Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in network lead jobs.
- Five or more years of hands-on experience designing and managing enterprise network infrastructure
- Active CCNP or CCIE certification, or an equivalent vendor-neutral credential
- Proficiency with routing protocols including BGP, OSPF, and EIGRP in production environments
- Experience with network security tools such as firewalls, IDS/IPS systems, and VPN configurations
- Familiarity with SD-WAN platforms and cloud networking in AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud
- Bachelor's degree in computer science, information technology, or a related technical field
Tips for Your Network Lead Job Search
Quantify network scale on your resume
Hiring managers want to see the size and complexity of networks you've managed. Include specifics like node counts, bandwidth capacity, or the number of sites you've supported so your experience translates immediately to their environment.
List certifications in a dedicated section
CCNP, CCIE, and cloud-networking credentials carry real weight for network lead roles. Put them in their own section near the top of your resume so recruiters and ATS systems catch them before scanning your work history.
Apply early to roles that fit
Migrate Mate lists network lead openings from across the United States in one place, so you can find roles that match and apply directly to each listing.
Target postings that name your stack
Filter openings by the vendors and protocols you know best, whether that's Cisco, Juniper, SD-WAN, or BGP/OSPF. Applying to roles aligned with your actual stack dramatically improves your chances of clearing the technical screen.
Prepare a network incident story for interviews
Interviewers for lead roles almost always ask about a time you diagnosed and resolved a major outage. Have one clear example ready that covers your diagnostic steps, the root cause you found, and the fix you implemented under pressure.
Negotiate scope alongside compensation
When you receive an offer, clarify what infrastructure you'd own and whether the role includes authority to approve architecture changes. Scope defines your day-to-day impact and your path to a senior or architect title more than title alone does.
Network Lead Jobs: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies are hiring the most network leads?
The most active employers for network leads right now are JPMorganChase, EOS IT Solutions, and Booz Allen Hamilton, and the most openings are in Texas, Virginia, and Colorado, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Demand is especially concentrated in sectors that run large distributed infrastructure, including healthcare systems, financial institutions, and managed service providers.
How many network lead jobs are remote?
About 71% of network lead openings are fully remote or hybrid as of November 2026, though fully on-site roles remain common for positions that require hands-on data center or campus work. Network security monitoring and architecture planning tend to be the sub-areas most compatible with remote arrangements.
How do you become a network lead?
Start by building several years of hands-on experience as a network engineer or administrator, working across routing, switching, and security in a production environment. Earn an industry certification such as CCNP to validate your skills formally. Take on project ownership or mentorship responsibilities whenever possible to demonstrate readiness for a lead role, then target openings that match the infrastructure scale you've supported.
Can you get a network lead job without much experience?
Moving directly into a network lead role with little experience is difficult because the title typically requires proven ability to manage infrastructure independently and guide junior staff. The clearest path is to build two to three years as a network technician or engineer first, pursue a certification like CCNP, and document any mentoring or project-lead work you've done, even informally, to show readiness for the step up.
What does the network lead interview process look like?
Most network lead interviews run across two to four rounds. An initial call with a recruiter or hiring manager screens for experience and culture fit. A technical round follows, usually involving scenario-based questions on routing protocols, troubleshooting methodology, and security architecture. Some employers add a practical exercise or whiteboard design session. Final rounds typically involve meeting stakeholders or senior leadership to assess your communication style and strategic thinking.
Where can I find and apply to network lead jobs?
You can find and apply to network lead jobs on Migrate Mate, which lists current openings from across the United States. Search the listings to find roles that match your experience, certifications, and preferred location, then apply directly to each one that fits.
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