Sr. Lead Network Engineer – Cisco NDFC / Data Center Networking

Sr. Lead Network Engineer – Cisco NDFC / Data Center Networking

Location: Downtown Chicago, IL (Hybrid – 3 Days Onsite)

Job Type: Long-Term Contract with strong potential to convert to fulltime

$70-75/hr W2

We are seeking a highly experienced, hands-on Sr. Lead Network Engineer to support a leading global financial institution. This individual will play a key role in complex data center network deployments, large-scale migrations, and Tier 3 production support across global infrastructure environments.

The ideal candidate has extensive Cisco data center networking experience, hands-on Cisco NDFC expertise, and a proven track record of working with application and infrastructure teams to successfully migrate complex network environments.

Sr. Lead Network Engineer - Key Responsibilities

• Implement, migrate, and troubleshoot Cisco Nexus and Catalyst data center networks.
• Execute large-scale network migrations, coordinating with application, compute, storage, and infrastructure teams.
• Deploy and manage Cisco NDFC (Nexus Dashboard Fabric Controller).
• Implement and support enterprise SD-WAN solutions.
• Support hybrid cloud connectivity across Azure, AWS, and colocation environments.
• Provide Tier 3 troubleshooting and resolution of complex production network issues.
• Collaborate with network architects to translate requirements into technical designs and implement solutions.
• Support network deployments across global data centers and enterprise environments.

Sr. Lead Network Engineer - Required Qualifications

• 10+ years of hands-on enterprise network engineering experience.
• Hands-on Cisco NDFC experience – Nexus is required.
• Expert-level Cisco Nexus, Catalyst, BGP, OSPF, and Layer 2/Layer 3 networking.
• Strong data center routing and switching experience.
• Proven experience executing complex, large-scale network migrations involving application teams.
• Hands-on enterprise SD-WAN experience; Palo Alto Prisma preferred. Cisco Viptela, VeloCloud, or Silver Peak experience considered.
• Experience with cloud connectivity, including Azure ExpressRoute and/or AWS Direct Connect.
• Advanced Tier 3 network troubleshooting and production support experience.
• Strong communication skills and ability to independently execute complex engineering initiatives.

Preferred Qualifications

• CCNP or higher certification.
• AZ-700 Azure Network Engineer certification.
• Experience with global network deployments and colocation facilities.
• Understanding of Palo Alto firewalls, Infoblox, and F5 load balancers.
• Exposure to network automation and scripting tools such as Python, Ansible, or Terraform.

If you have strong Cisco NDFC experience and enjoy working on complex enterprise network transformations, we'd like to hear from you.

Prairie Consulting Services / Naperville, IL