Network/Telecom Analyst III

This position will work within our Technology Infrastructure Division's (TID) Enterprise Network Operations team. The county wide enterprise network is a large complex Metropolitan (MAN) and Wide area network (WAN) secure network infrastructure with two geo-diverse high available hyperconverged datacenters servicing 230+ Fairfax county locations.

This is a crucial role in maintaining and optimizing our network infrastructure. The Tier 3 Network Engineer is responsible for handling complex technical issues escalated from Tier 1 and Tier 2 support teams, ensuring high levels of network availability and reliability. This role requires strong troubleshooting skills, in-depth knowledge of networking technologies, and the ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams to resolve issues promptly.

Duties and Responsibilities:
All duties are performed in accordance with DIT standards, policies, Service Level Agreements (SLAs), and maintenance windows.

1. Network Troubleshooting and Support: Provide advanced-level support for network incidents, problems, and change requests escalated from Tier 1 and Tier 2 support teams. Diagnose and resolve complex network issues related to routers, switches, firewalls, load balancers, WAN accelerators, wireless devices and other network devices. Conduct thorough root cause analysis for network incidents and implement corrective actions to prevent recurrence. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to troubleshoot and resolve network-related issues and outages. Provide technical guidance and mentoring to Tier 1 and Tier 2 support engineers to enhance their troubleshooting skills and knowledge. Collaborate with vendors and service providers to troubleshoot and resolve network-related issues.
2. Network Performance and Management: Perform network performance monitoring and capacity planning to ensure optimal performance and scalability. Design and implement addition of networks, network changes and upgrades in accordance with best practices and change management processes. Stay updated with industry trends and technologies to propose and implement network improvements and enhancements.
3. Documentation: Document network configurations, processes, and procedures to maintain accurate network documentation. Assist Tier 2 with documenting method of procedures (MOP), network configurations, troubleshooting steps, and resolutions in the incident management system.
4. Collaboration, Customer Service: Collaborate with team members and other departments to develop project requirements or to resolve network-related issues. Participate in team meetings and provide updates on ongoing projects and tasks. This position may be assigned to lead or participate in new construction or technology projects.
5. Quality Assurance and Safety Compliance: Perform quality checks on network configurations and standardization. Provide excellent customer service to internal users and stakeholders, communicate effectively and professionally regarding network issues and resolutions. Adhere to safety protocols and ensure compliance with organizational policies, standards and procedures.
6. Network Equipment Installation and Maintenance: Regular inspection and maintenance of network equipment such as routers, switches, firewalls, and wireless access points. Updating firmware and performing necessary configurations as directed. Lifting, mounting, unmounting, configuring, replacing power supplies/batteries/access points, and cleaning air flow intakes.
7. Infrastructure Management: Install, patch, configure, secure, and optimize routers, switches, firewalls, and other network hardware to meet evolving business needs.
8. Wireless Networking Expertise: Design, configure, and optimize 802.11x wireless networking environments to ensure robust connectivity and performance across all enterprise locations.
9. Network Monitoring and Optimization: Utilize advanced network monitoring tools to analyze performance metrics, identify bottlenecks, and recommend or implement improvements.
10. Security and Compliance: Collaborate with security teams to implement network security best practices, such as access controls, encryption, and intrusion detection/prevention systems, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Any combination of education, experience, and training equivalent to the following:
(Click on the aforementioned link to learn how Fairfax County interprets equivalencies for "Any combination, experience, and training equivalent to")
Possession of an associate's degree in computer science, electrical engineering, electronics, or a related field; plus four years' network and/or telecommunications experience; or a bachelor's degree in such fields; plus two years' experience in network or telecommunications system design, analysis, installation, and troubleshooting.

CERTIFICATES AND LICENSES REQUIRED:
Valid driver's license.

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:
The appointee to this position will be required to complete a criminal background check and driving record check to the satisfaction of the employer.

This position is emergency/essential services personnel. (Required to report for duty during inclement weather and/or other emergencies.)

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• In-depth knowledge and experience with most of the following: VLAN, VRF, OSPF, BGP, MPLS, VPN, STP, DHCP, Trunk and 802.11 standards. Including servicing MAN / WAN / LAN / SDWAN / and Wireless LAN architectures.
• Hands on experience with the major network equipment manufacturers routers, switches and access points.
• Experience with SolarWinds, Splunk, Catalyst Center, ISE, Nexus Dashboard or equivalent systems.
• Automation experience with scripting languages such as Python or other.
• Datacenter Technology experience such as Leaf and Spine utilizing VxLAN in a multi datacenter environment.
• VM NSX-T infrastructure using SDN technologies such as VDS, T0 and T1, DFW and AVI (ALB) and Cloud networking.
• In-depth experience with IP Address Management (IPAM) systems such as InfoBlox.
• Experience with network incident management and related support practices.
• In-depth knowledge and experience with Layer 1 cable infrastructure: Ethernet (CAT6/6A); fiber optics; and patching panels within network closets.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks effectively.
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, emphasizing superior customer service.