Network Engineer – SLED & K-12 Infrastructure
Location: West Virginia / Mid-Atlantic Region
Job Type: Full-Time
Experience Level: Junior through Senior
Compensation: Competitive and based on experience, certifications, and technical capability
About the Role
Advantage Technology is looking for a Network Engineer to support State, Local Government, Education, and K-12 customers throughout the region.
We are intentionally open to candidates at multiple experience levels.
You may be an experienced engineer who can independently lead complex network projects, or you may be an earlier-career engineer with strong networking fundamentals who wants to grow into larger enterprise networking responsibilities.
Compensation and responsibilities will be aligned with your level of experience and technical ability.
What matters most is that you understand networking, enjoy solving problems, are comfortable working hands-on with infrastructure, are comfortable with travel, and want to continue developing your skills.
What You’ll Work With
Our SLED and K-12 environments include technologies such as:
Extreme Networks
Fortinet
Cisco Meraki
HPE Aruba
Juniper Mist
Cisco
Enterprise switching and routing
High-density wireless
Network segmentation
Experience with Extreme Fabric Connect and ExtremeCloud IQ is especially valuable.
You do not need experience with every technology listed above.
What You’ll Do
Depending on your experience level, responsibilities may include:
Installing and configuring enterprise switches
Configuring VLANs, uplinks, routing, and redundancy
Deploying and replacing wireless access points
Supporting high-density K-12 wireless environments
Troubleshooting wired and wireless connectivity
Supporting network refresh and modernization projects
Participating in network cutovers
Troubleshooting Layer 1 through Layer 3 issues
Supporting VPN, WAN, and site-to-site connectivity
Assisting with network segmentation and security projects
Staging and configuring equipment before deployment
Testing and validating completed installations
Documenting customer network environments
Working with project managers, engineers, field technicians, and customers
Traveling to customer locations when projects require on-site support
K-12 & SLED Networking
A major focus of this position is supporting schools, municipalities, state and local government, and other public-sector organizations.
Projects may include:
Campus network upgrades
Core and access switch refreshes
Wireless modernization
MDF and IDF upgrades
Network segmentation
Multi-building connectivity
Internet and WAN migrations
Troubleshooting production network problems
Improving wireless coverage and performance
You may work in classrooms, schools, government facilities, MDFs, IDFs, and other customer environments.
Grow With the Position
We are intentionally hiring across multiple experience levels.
Earlier-Career Engineers
You may be a strong fit if you:
Understand networking fundamentals
Have experience configuring switches, wireless, or firewalls
Understand VLANs, IP addressing, routing, DHCP, and DNS
Have hands-on experience in network closets or customer environments
Are comfortable troubleshooting connectivity problems
Want exposure to larger enterprise and campus networks
Want to learn technologies such as Extreme, Fortinet, Aruba, Juniper, and Cisco
You will have opportunities to work alongside experienced engineers and grow into larger design and implementation responsibilities.
Experienced Engineers
More experienced candidates may:
Design complete network solutions
Lead major infrastructure refresh projects
Lead network migrations and cutovers
Troubleshoot complex production issues
Design switching, wireless, firewall, and segmentation solutions
Serve as the technical lead on customer projects
Mentor developing engineers
Work directly with customers on architecture and strategy
Your level of responsibility will match your demonstrated experience and capability.
This Is a Hands-On Position
This is not a remote-only networking role.
You should be comfortable:
Working in MDFs and IDFs
Installing and replacing network equipment
Connecting and testing infrastructure
Participating in network cutovers
Troubleshooting live customer environments
Working in schools and government facilities
Traveling throughout the region based on project needs
Working alongside engineers, field technicians, and structured cabling teams
What We’re Looking For
Candidates may range from developing network engineers to highly experienced professionals.
We are looking for some combination of:
Hands-on networking experience
Enterprise switching experience
Wireless networking experience
Firewall experience
Strong troubleshooting skills
Understanding of Layer 2 and Layer 3 networking
Understanding of VLANs and IP networking
Experience with enterprise Wi-Fi
Experience with VPN and WAN technologies
SLED or K-12 experience
Strong communication skills
Professional presence at customer sites
Willingness to learn new technologies
Willingness to travel as projects require
You do not need to check every box to apply.
If you have strong networking fundamentals, enjoy hands-on engineering, and have the ability and desire to learn, we want to hear from you.
Technologies That Will Get Our Attention
Experience with any combination of the following is valuable:
Networking & Wireless
Extreme Networks
Extreme Fabric Connect
ExtremeCloud IQ
Cisco
Cisco Meraki
HPE Aruba
Juniper Mist
Firewalls & Security
Fortinet / FortiGate
Cisco Meraki
Enterprise firewall platforms
VPN
Network segmentation
Certifications
Certifications are helpful but are not required for every experience level.
Relevant certifications may include:
CompTIA Network+
CCNA
CCNP
Extreme Networks certifications
Fortinet certifications
HPE Aruba certifications
Juniper certifications
CWNA
Demonstrated technical ability and willingness to learn are just as important as certifications.
Who Will Excel Here
This position is a strong fit for someone who:
Enjoys networking and infrastructure
Likes troubleshooting difficult problems
Wants exposure to large networks
Enjoys learning new networking technologies
Is comfortable working both independently and with a team
Takes pride in clean, organized implementations
Wants increasing responsibility as their skills grow
Likes seeing the real-world impact of their work
Whether you are early in your networking career or already capable of leading complex enterprise deployments, there is room to grow and make an impact at Advantage Technology.
Employment Type: Full Time
Years Experience: 3 - 5 years
Salary: $60,110 - $114,234 Annual
Bonus/Commission: Yes
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