Lead Network Engineer Jobs in USA with Visa Sponsorship
Lead Network Engineer roles attract strong H-1B visa sponsorship because the position qualifies as a specialty occupation requiring a bachelor's degree in computer science, electrical engineering, or a related field. Employers filing LCAs must meet DOL prevailing wage requirements, and candidates with CCIE or CCNP credentials consistently clear the specialty occupation bar.
Find Lead Network Engineer JobsOverview
Showing 5 of 119+ Lead Network Engineer jobs










See all 119+ Lead Network Engineer Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new Lead Network Engineer roles.
Get Access To All Jobs
This role is four days onsite at our Wilmington, DE location, with the flexibility to work from home one day per week.
Overview:
- Responsible for implementing and supporting enterprise-scale Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) solutions and related network access control technologies. Enhances secure access controls, authentication services, device visibility, and network segmentation capabilities across wired, wireless, VPN, and cloud-connected environments. Assists the technical subject matter expert for Cisco ISE, authentication infrastructure, and Zero Trust initiatives, while mentoring less experienced engineers and supporting day-to-day operations and strategic cybersecurity projects. Responsible for designing and implementing large scale security systems and solutions to develop or enhance new or existing security solutions, solving advanced complex problems or enhancements. Acts as knowledge resource for and trains less experienced engineers. Completes day-to-day support activities and special projects.
Primary Responsibilities:
- Implement Cisco ISE-based Network Access Control (NAC) solutions supporting enterprise-wide authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) services.
- Configure and maintain Cisco ISE policies, including 802.1X authentication, RADIUS, TACACS+, device profiling, posture assessment, guest access, and BYOD onboarding.
- Assist in developing and maintaining role-based access controls, dynamic authorization policies, and network segmentation strategies using technologies such as Cisco TrustSec and Security Group Tags (SGTs).
- Support testing and validation activities for Cisco ISE deployments, upgrades, patches, integrations, and policy changes across wired, wireless, and VPN environments.
- Manage deployment and lifecycle management of Cisco ISE infrastructure, including distributed nodes, high-availability configurations, certificates, and identity source integrations.
- Maintain the integration of Cisco ISE with Active Directory, LDAP, PKI, certificate services, endpoint management platforms, SIEM solutions, and security orchestration tools.
- Develop automation and orchestration capabilities to streamline user provisioning, policy management, endpoint onboarding, compliance validation, and operational support activities.
- Analyze authentication, authorization, and network access events to identify security risks, optimize policies, and improve overall user experience.
- Troubleshoot complex authentication, authorization, certificate, device posture, and network access issues across enterprise environments.
- Partner with Network Engineering, Cybersecurity, Infrastructure, and Identity teams to implement secure access solutions aligned with Zero Trust architecture principles.
- Serve as a technical liaison with Cisco and other vendors to resolve advanced support issues, evaluate product enhancements, and optimize solution performance.
- Assist leadership with product lifecycle management, including licensing, hardware refresh planning, software upgrades, certificate management, and technology roadmap development.
- Develop standards, procedures, and best practices for identity-driven network access control and secure network segmentation.
- Act as a technical mentor and knowledge resource for junior engineers and operations teams.
- Understand and adhere to the Company's risk and regulatory standards, policies, and controls in accordance with the Company's Risk Appetite. Design, implement, maintain, and enhance internal controls to mitigate risk on an ongoing basis. Identify risk-related issues requiring escalation to management.
- Promote an environment that supports belonging and reflects the Company's values.
- Maintain internal control standards, including timely implementation of audit findings and remediation activities.
- Complete other related duties as assigned.
Scope of Responsibilities:
- This role primarily supports the following cybersecurity functions:
- Identity & Access Engineering
- Maintains enterprise authentication and authorization solutions.
- Assist in the Development and maintenance identity-driven access controls for users, devices, applications, and network resources.
- Supports Zero Trust initiatives through least-privilege access controls and policy enforcement.
- Security & Network Infrastructure
- Maintains secure network access architecture across wired, wireless, VPN, and remote access environments.
- Implements network segmentation, device visibility, posture validation, and access control technologies to reduce organizational risk.
- Maintains and optimizes Cisco ISE and related security infrastructure platforms.
- Additional Responsibilities:
- Partners primarily with Cybersecurity, Network Engineering, Enterprise Infrastructure, Identity Management, and Technology teams.
- Exercises judgment in selecting methods, techniques, and criteria to achieve objectives with limited supervision.
- Serves as a subject matter expert for Cisco ISE, AAA services, NAC technologies, and identity-based network security. Demonstrates advanced proficiency in cybersecurity and network infrastructure technologies.
Education and Experience Required:
Bachelor's degree and a minimum of 5 years’ relevant work experience, or in lieu of a degree, a combined minimum of 9 years’ higher education and/or work experience.
Education and Experience Preferred:
- Advanced understanding of the security system development and infrastructure lifecycle and architecture, and systems design.
- Proven experience with the development and customization of tools utilized in assigned Cybersecurity function.
- Demonstrated ability to translate architecture into technical requirements.
- Proficient level of critical thinking and problem solving ability.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
- Experience partnering with leaders to design solutions to business needs.
- Proficient persuasive communication skills to gain buy-in of others.
- Strong ability to analyze and draw reliable conclusions based on large volumes of quantitative data from diverse sources.
- Ability effectively serves in indirect leadership role.
M&T Bank is committed to fair, competitive, and market-informed pay for our employees. The pay range for this position is $128,100.00 - $213,500.00 (USD). The successful candidate’s particular combination of knowledge, skills, and experience will inform their specific compensation.
Location:
Wilmington, Delaware, United States of America
See all 119+ Lead Network Engineer Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new Lead Network Engineer roles.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding Visa Sponsorship as a Lead Network Engineer
Align your credentials to specialty occupation standards
USCIS evaluates whether your degree directly relates to network engineering duties. A computer science, electrical engineering, or telecommunications degree strengthens your petition. If your degree is in an adjacent field, document coursework or certifications like CCIE that bridge the gap.
Verify prevailing wage before accepting an offer
Use the OFLC Wage Search to look up the Level III or IV wage for network engineering roles in your target metro. If an employer's offer falls below the certified LCA wage, they cannot legally proceed with your H-1B petition.
Target employers with multi-site network infrastructure
Large enterprises managing WAN, SD-WAN, or data center interconnects across multiple locations regularly sponsor Lead Network Engineers. Federal contractors and financial institutions with compliance-driven network requirements file LCAs frequently for this role.
Find verified sponsoring employers on Migrate Mate
Search Migrate Mate for Lead Network Engineer roles at employers with confirmed LCA filing history. This filters out postings from companies that have never sponsored, saving you from wasted applications at organizations unlikely to navigate the petition process.
Clarify the job duties scope during offer negotiation
Lead network engineer petitions sometimes face RFEs when duties overlap with general IT management. Ask your prospective employer to document hands-on technical responsibilities, such as BGP routing design or firewall policy architecture, separately from supervisory duties in the offer letter.
Understand the LCA site-of-work posting requirement
Your employer must post the LCA notice at each physical worksite where you'll perform network engineering duties. For hybrid or multi-site roles, confirm with your employer which locations DOL requires listed, as omitting a site can trigger a compliance issue after filing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Lead Network Engineer role qualify as a specialty occupation for H-1B purposes?
Yes, Lead Network Engineer consistently qualifies as a specialty occupation under USCIS criteria because the role normally requires at least a bachelor's degree in computer science, electrical engineering, or telecommunications. Employers strengthen the petition by documenting that the position involves complex network architecture decisions rather than routine IT support, and that a specific technical degree is a standard industry requirement for the role.
Which visa types are realistic for Lead Network Engineers seeking sponsorship?
H-1B is the most common path, covering specialty occupation roles and allowing initial status for up to three years, extendable to six. Canadian and Mexican nationals should evaluate the TN visa under the USMCA, which lists computer systems analysts and engineers as qualifying professions and requires no lottery. Australian nationals can apply for the E-3 visa, which carries a separate cap and has never been exhausted.
What degree does an employer typically require to file an H-1B for this role?
Most employers specify a bachelor's degree in computer science, electrical engineering, network engineering, or information technology. USCIS may accept a degree in a closely related field if the employer demonstrates it is standard for the position. Industry certifications like CCIE can supplement but do not replace the degree requirement for H-1B specialty occupation purposes, though they can reinforce the technical complexity of the role.
How do I find Lead Network Engineer jobs where the employer is willing to sponsor?
Browse Lead Network Engineer listings on Migrate Mate, which shows only employers with verified sponsorship history. This means you can focus on companies that have already navigated the LCA and petition process, rather than approaching employers who may decline sponsorship once you reveal your visa situation.
Can a Lead Network Engineer working remotely create complications for H-1B sponsorship?
Yes. The H-1B LCA must list every physical location where you'll perform work, and remote roles can require multiple LCA postings if you work from home in a different metro from the employer's office. DOL requires the prevailing wage to reflect the highest wage among all listed worksites. Employers with fully remote arrangements should consult their HR or immigration team before filing to ensure LCA compliance across all applicable locations.
What is the prevailing wage requirement for sponsored Lead Network Engineer jobs?
U.S. employers sponsoring a visa must pay at least the prevailing wage, which is what workers in the same role, area, and experience level typically earn. The Department of Labor sets this rate to make sure companies aren't hiring foreign workers simply because they'd accept lower pay than a U.S. worker. It varies by job title, location, and experience. You can look up current prevailing wage rates for any occupation and location using the OFLC Wage Search page.