Job Description
Senior Principal Consultant - Network Operations
Location :- Princeton NJ
Duration : 3 Months
In this role, you will be responsible for managing L3 escalations, drives root cause analysis, supports network design/architecture improvements, ensures availability and performance, and leads problem management and automation/standardization initiatives. You will partner with L1/L2 teams, Security, Cloud, Applications, and Vendors to deliver stable and scalable network services.
Responsibilities
- Own and resolve complex network incidents escalated from L1/L2 (LAN/WAN/WiFi/Load Balancing/DNS).
- Perform deep-dive troubleshooting across routing, switching, wireless, SD-WAN, firewall policies, and network performance.
- Lead Major Incident / Bridge Calls, provide technical direction, and restore services within SLA.
- Create and maintain runbooks/KB articles, troubleshooting playbooks, and standard operating procedures (SOPs).
- Drive RCA and corrective/preventive actions (CAPA) for recurring incidents.
- Analyze logs/telemetry from monitoring tools, syslogs, NetFlow/sFlow, packet captures, and SIEM inputs.
- Identify systemic issues (design gaps, capacity bottlenecks, misconfigurations) and implement improvements.
- Provide architectural input for:
- Campus/Branch LAN, DC networking, WAN/Internet edge, Wireless, Segmentation, Zero Trust alignment and
- HA design (HSRP/VRRP, clustering, redundant paths), scalability, resiliency, and performance best practices.
- Review and validate HLD/LLD, ensure standards compliance, and support implementation planning.
- Participate in technology refresh, migrations, and onboarding of new sites/applications.
- Plan and execute/guide complex changes with low risk:
- Firmware upgrades, routing changes, VRF/segmentation changes, QoS, SD-WAN policies, firewall rule changes.
- Prepare MOP (Method of Procedure), backout plans, risk assessments, and post-change validation reports.
- Ensure change documentation and CMDB updates are accurate.
- Work closely with Network Security team on:
- Firewall/IPS policies, VPNs (site-to-site/remote access), NAC, segmentation, secure routing.
- Support vulnerability remediation, secure configuration baselines, and audits.
- Enhance observability: alert tuning, dashboards, proactive health checks, capacity planning.
- Develop/assist in scripting/automation (Python/Ansible/PowerShell) for config validation, backups, compliance checks.
- Recommend standardization and improvements to reduce MTTR and improve service reliability.
- Mentor L1/L2 engineers, review tickets, coach troubleshooting approach, conduct KT sessions.
- Lead technical discussions with vendors and service providers; manage TAC cases and follow-ups.
Qualifications we seek in you!
Minimum Qualifications / Skills
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Electrical Engineering, or a related field. Advanced degrees or relevant professional training are a plus.
- Good experience in System administration, and good experience in Cloud operations and leadership/senior technical role.
- Proficiency in cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud.
- Strong understanding of cloud architecture, services, and best practices.
- Experience with cloud management and monitoring tools.
- Proficiency in scripting and automation (e.g., PowerShell, Python, Terraform).
- Strong knowledge of cloud security principles and practices.
- Effective communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to interact with stakeholders at all levels.
- Experience in vendor management and contract negotiations.
- A proactive approach to continuous improvement and innovation in data center operations.
Preferred Qualifications/ Skills
- Cloud certifications such as AWS Certified DevOps Engineer, Microsoft Certified: Azure DevOps Engineer Expert, or Google Professional Cloud DevOps Engineer.
- Experience with DevOps practices and tools (CI/CD, Jenkins, Git).
- Familiarity with ITIL or other IT service management frameworks.
- Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to effectively interact with technical and non-technical stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify root causes of issues and implement effective solutions in a timely manner.
- Proven ability to work independently as well as part of a team, with a proactive and self-motivated attitude towards achieving project goals.
Job Tags
Contract work, Remote work