Manager, Network Engineering

Crescent is a differentiated U.S. energy company committed to delivering value through a disciplined returns-driven growth through acquisition strategy and consistent return of capital. Our long-life balanced portfolio combines stable cash flows from low-decline production with a deep high-quality development inventory.

Crescent is a top three producer (by gross operated production) in the Eagle Ford basin. Crescents leadership is an experienced team of investment financial and industry professionals that combines proven investment and operating expertise. For more than a decade Crescent and our predecessors have executed on a consistent strategy focused on cash flow risk management and returns.Through disciplined and accretive investments we have successfully tripled the size of our company since going public in December 2021 while maintaining a strong balance sheet.

We are seeking a highly capable Manager Network Engineering to lead the design operation modernization and reliability of Crescent Energys enterprise and operational technology network environment. This is a hands-on leadership role responsible for the network infrastructure that connects corporate offices field operations production sites tower locations operational technology environments and Microsoft Azure.

Crescent Energy operates a large distributed oil and gas environment with thousands of wells dozens of operational sites and more than 100 tower locations across field areas. The network is a critical operational backbone connecting field assets OT systems enterprise services and cloud platforms. The successful candidate must be equally comfortable leading people setting technical direction troubleshooting complex issues and building a disciplined secure well-documented network operating model.

Crescent is an enterprise Fortinet environment. This leader must bring strong hands-on and architectural experience with Fortinet firewalls switches routers SD-WAN VPN routing and centralized management. While the CISO organization owns cybersecurity governance and security operations the Network Engineering team is responsible for the engineering configuration operation and lifecycle management of network and firewall infrastructure. The ideal candidate will also bring deep experience with operational technology connectivity remote field communications tower-based networks hybrid cloud networking and Microsoft Azure networking. This role requires a leader who can support todays operations while building the standards automation monitoring documentation and engineering discipline required for Crescents continued growth.

Key Responsibilities
Lead the Network Engineering function responsible for enterprise field OT tower and cloud-connected networking environments.
Manage mentor and develop network engineering resources while maintaining a strong hands-on technical presence.
Own the design deployment operation documentation and lifecycle management of Crescents Fortinet-based network infrastructure.
Engineer and support Fortinet firewalls switches routers VPNs SD-WAN routing policies security zones segmentation and centralized management platforms.
Partner with the CISO organization to ensure firewall and network infrastructure configurations align with security policies risk requirements audit expectations and enterprise standards.
Design and support reliable connectivity for oilfield operations including wells production sites tower locations SCADA/OT environments field networks and remote communications infrastructure.
Lead the architecture and support of OT network segmentation secure remote access field connectivity and resilientcommunications paths between operational sites and corporate/cloud environments.
Support and mature Azure networking capabilities including hub-and-spoke network design virtual networks routing private connectivity VPN/ExpressRoute DNS network security controls and integration between field networks and Azure-hosted services.
Establish and enforce network standards configuration baselines documentation requirements change control practices and operational procedures.
Drive continuous improvement in network reliability observability capacity planning monitoring alerting and incident response readiness.
Troubleshoot complex network firewall routing SD-WAN OT connectivity and cloud networking issues through to resolution.
Coordinate with field operations SCADA/OT teams infrastructure teams security teams application teams service providers and vendors to deliver stable and secure connectivity.
Lead network modernization efforts including standardization of inherited environments technical debt reduction field network optimization and improved cloud connectivity.
Participate in architecture reviews project planning vendor evaluations infrastructure roadmaps and M&A integration activities as needed.
Maintain accurate network diagrams firewall rule documentation IP addressing standards routing documentation site connectivity records and operational runbooks.
Ensure network designs support business continuity operational uptime safety cybersecurity expectations and scalable growth.

Qualifications Required
Bachelors degree in Computer Science Information Technology Engineering or a related field or equivalent practical experience.
8 years of progressive experience in network engineering infrastructure engineering or related roles.
3 years of experience leading engineers managing technical teams or acting as a senior technical lead with people leadership responsibilities.
Deep hands-on experience with Fortinet technologies including FortiGate firewalls FortiSwitch FortiRouter or Fortinet routing capabilities FortiManager FortiAnalyzer VPN SD-WAN segmentation and firewall policy
management.
Strong experience supporting distributed enterprise networks across offices remote sites field operations and hybrid environments.
Strong knowledge of routing switching firewalling SD-WAN VPN NAT VLANs QoS DNS DHCP IP addressing subnetting and network segmentation.
Strong operational technology networking experience including connectivity for SCADA field systems industrial networks production locations or comparable OT environments.
Experience with tower-based wireless microwave point-to-point point-to-multipoint LTE/private wireless or other remote field connectivity models.
Strong Microsoft Azure networking experience including virtual networks peering routing VPN gateways ExpressRoute or private connectivity private endpoints DNS NSGs Azure Firewall or equivalent controls and hybrid network patterns.
Experience managing network change control configuration standards monitoring incident response vendor coordination and lifecycle management.
Ability to balance security requirements with operational continuity in a production-oriented environment.
Strong troubleshooting skills across enterprise cloud firewall routing and OT connectivity layers.
Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to explain complex technical issues to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Ability to operate with urgency ownership and sound judgment in an environment where network availability directly impacts field operations.
Travel to field sites required (30%) including operational sites tower locations and remote field environments.

Preferred
Prior experience in oil and gas energy utilities industrial or other field-heavy operating environments.
Experience supporting networks for upstream or midstream oil and gas operations including wells production facilities field

Experience integrating acquired networks rationalizing inherited infrastructure and standardizing environments after M&A activity.
Experience with Azure landing zones hub-and-spoke architectures cloud security patterns and enterprise-scale hybrid connectivity.
Experience with infrastructure monitoring and observability tools such as Auvik Datadog FortiAnalyzer SolarWinds PRTG or similar platforms.
Experience with network automation Infrastructure as Code scripting or configuration management tools.
Familiarity with NERC/CIP-style controls industrial cybersecurity frameworks or OT security best practices.
Fortinet certifications such as FCP FCSS or equivalent Fortinet NSE certifications.
Microsoft Azure certifications such as Azure Network Engineer Associate or Azure Solutions Architect Expert.

Key Skills
Fortinet Firewalls Switches Routers SD-WAN and VPN
FortiManager and FortiAnalyzer
Enterprise Routing and Switching
Firewall Policy Management and Network Segmentation
OT / SCADA / Industrial Network Connectivity
Field Networks Towers Wireless and Remote Communications
Microsoft Azure Networking / Hybrid Cloud Connectivity
Network Reliability Monitoring and Observability
Change Control and Configuration Standards
Vendor and Service Provider Management
Incident Troubleshooting and Root Cause Analysis
Team Leadership and Technical Mentorship
Cross-Functional Collaboration with Security OT Cloud and Operations Teams

Leadership Expectations
The Manager Network Engineering is expected to be more than a ticket escalator or administrative manager. This leader must set standards create clarity improve engineering discipline and build trust with business field OT security and infrastructure stakeholders. The successful candidate will:

• Lead from both technical depth and operational ownership.

• Build a network engineering culture focused on stability documentation standardization and continuous improvement.

• Establish clear guardrails for firewall and network changes while working constructively with cybersecurity leadership.

• Improve visibility into the health risk and performance of Crescents network environment.

• Develop engineers and raise the overall maturity of the team.

• Help build a scalable network platform that supports Crescents growth acquisitions field operations and Azure-firsttechnology strategy.

Why Join Us

Lead a mission-critical network environment supporting large-scale oil and gas operations.
Work in an enterprise Fortinet environment with meaningful ownership across firewalls switching routing SD-WAN OT connectivity and cloud networking.
Play a key role in connecting field operations production systems enterprise services and Azure platforms.
Influence the future-state network architecture for a growing acquisition-oriented energy company.
Join a leadership team focused on modernization operational discipline reliability and business impact.
Competitive compensation benefits and career growth opportunities.

Crescent Energy is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race color religion gender/pregnancy gender identity or expression sexual orientation national origin genetics disability age veteran status or any other legally protected status. Crescent Energy is also committed to compliance with all fair employment practices regarding citizenship and immigration status. If you require accommodation to complete the application process please let us know by contacting .