Network Design Lead Specialist Engineer

Job Title: Network Design Lead Specialist Engineer
Location: Chicago Illinois
Experience: 12 Years
Employment Type: Contract
Interview Type: In-Person or Webcam

We are seeking a highly experienced Network Design Lead Specialist Engineer with extensive expertise in enterprise-level network architecture and design. The ideal candidate will lead the planning design and implementation of scalable secure and high-performance network solutions. This role involves close collaboration with cross-functional teams including infrastructure security and operational support teams to ensure alignment of network strategies with business needs.

• Lead the end-to-end design and architecture of enterprise network infrastructure including LAN WAN WLAN SD-WAN data center networks and cloud network connectivity.

• Develop high-level and low-level network design documentation topology diagrams and capacity planning models.

• Assess current network environments identify improvement opportunities and drive modernization and optimization initiatives.

• Implement advanced routing switching firewall and load-balancing solutions across complex networks.

• Work closely with security teams to integrate network security controls and maintain compliance with organizational standards.

• Provide technical guidance to engineering and operations teams and support the deployment of new technologies and solutions.

• Lead network-related incident resolutions root cause analyses and performance tuning.

• Evaluate new technologies vendor products and tools; provide recommendations for adoption.

• Develop engineering standards best practices and design frameworks.

• Present architectural solutions and findings to leadership and stakeholders.

• Bachelors degree in Computer Science Engineering or a related technical field.

• Minimum 12 years of professional experience in network engineering and architecture.

• Strong hands-on expertise in routing and switching technologies (Cisco Juniper Arista or similar).

• Proven experience designing enterprise or data center networks MPLS BGP OSPF EIGRP and QoS.

• Experience with SD-WAN technologies cloud networking (AWS Azure GCP) and hybrid networking.

• Proficiency with network security technologies such as firewalls VPN IDS/IPS.

• Demonstrated ability to lead complex technical projects and mentor engineering teams.

• Strong documentation skills and architectural presentation experience.

• Industry certifications such as CCNP CCIE JNCIP or equivalent.

• Experience with automation and scripting using Python Ansible or similar tools.

• Knowledge of network monitoring and performance management systems (SolarWinds NetScout Splunk etc.).

• Familiarity with zero-trust security architectures and SASE frameworks.

• Prior consulting or customer-facing engineering experience.

• Masters degree in a related field strongly preferred.