Cisco SD-Access; SDA Network Engineer

Job Title:
Cisco SD-Access (SDA) Network Engineer

Location: Tempe, AZ, Raleigh, NC, Indianapolis, IN, Richardson, TX, Houston, TX, Providence, RI, Hartford, CT

Duration: Full Time

Seeking a highly skilled Cisco SD-Access (SDA) Network Engineer with strong hands-on experience in enterprise SDA deployments, migrations, automation, and operations. This role is SDA-first and requires deep practical expertise with Cisco Catalyst Center (DNAC) multi-cluster environments, ISE integrated with SDA and wired & wireless SDA architectures.

• Candidate must be located within commuting distance of Tempe, AZ, Raleigh, NC, Indianapolis, IN, Richardson, TX, Houston, TX, Providence, RI, or Hartford, CT, or be willing to relocate to these areas.
• Bachelor’s degree or foreign equivalent required from an accredited institution. Will also consider three years of progressive experience in the specialty in lieu of every year of education.
• At least 4 years of Information Technology experience.
• Strong experience with DNAC, ISE, switching, routing, wireless & network automation.
• Cisco Software Defined-Access:
• Hands-on deployment and operations of Cisco Catalyst Center (DNAC) in multi-cluster environments.
• End-to-end SDA fabric deployment and lifecycle management.
• Experience with Border Nodes, Control Plane Nodes, Edge Nodes, and Fabric-in-a-Box.
• Strong understanding of Virtual Networks (VNs), Scalable Group Tags (SGTs), SDA zoning.
• Deep knowledge of VXLAN data plane and LISP control plane in SDA environment.
• SDA fabric expansion, brownfield to SDA migrations, site onboarding.
• Advanced troubleshooting of SDA fabric, control plane, data plane, and policy enforcement.
• Production support, upgrades, and health monitoring of SDA environments.
• Cisco Identity Services Engine (Software Defined Access - Focused):
• Professional-level knowledge/experience of Cisco Trust Sec (CTS) within SD-Access, including SGT assignment in ISE, SGT exchange and propagation across SDA fabric nodes, enforcement via VN and fabric policies, and integration with Catalyst Center for automated segmentation and access control.
• Cisco ISE integrated with SD-Access environments.
• SGT creation, propagation, and enforcement.
• ISE and Catalyst Center integration for policy automation.
• 802.1X (wired/wireless), MAB, and profiling in SDA.
• ISE Policy Sets aligned with SDA workflows.
• Cisco Wireless in SDA:
• SDA wireless architecture and requirements.
• WLC integration with Catalyst Center.
• Fabric-enabled SSIDs mapped to VNs and SGTs.
• AP onboarding, wireless mobility, and policy enforcement.
• Troubleshooting wireless issues in SDA environments.
• Network provisioning and site onboarding.
• SDA automation workflows.
• API and automation exposure preferred.
• Assurance, telemetry, and compliance operations.
• Design, deploy, migrate, and operate SDA networks.
• Lead complex SDA troubleshooting.
• Operate and maintain Catalyst Center environments.
• Integrate and support Cisco ISE for SDA.
• Support wired and wireless SDA networks.
• Participate in P1/P2 incidents.
• Integrations & transformations from traditional network to SDA Fabric.
• Perform upgrades, expansions, and monitoring.
• Follow ITIL and SLA processes.
• Participate in 24x7 support rotations.

• Routing and Switching fundamentals.
• WAN and SD-WAN awareness.
• CCNP Enterprise, CCIE Enterprise is preferred.
• Cisco DEV certifications (Dev Net, Dev Ops, DevCOR, ENAuto).
• Cisco SDA / Catalyst Center specialization certifications.
• Extraordinary Planning, Project Management, Coordination, and Analytical skills.
• Hands-on experience in working in Global Delivery Model with onsite/offshore resources.
• Exceptional Organizational Skills.
• Ability to manage and prioritize tasks efficiently.
• Readiness to demonstrate a proactive attitude.
• Solid attention to detail and excellent written and verbal communication skills are required.
• Ability to work in team in diverse/multiple stakeholder environment.