Network Staging Lab Engineer

Job Title:

Network Staging Lab Engineer

Location:

Remote (DFW Area Required)
Duration: 1 year+ contract

Work Schedule:

Monday Friday, 8:00 AM5:00 PM CST
Travel:
Approximately 10%

Seeking a Network Staging Lab Engineer to support a large-scale global network infrastructure program for a leading enterprise organization. In this role, you will play a critical part in preparing, validating, configuring, and testing network infrastructure prior to deployment into production environments.

The ideal candidate will combine strong network engineering fundamentals with hands‑on data center experience and a disciplined approach to validation, documentation, and deployment readiness. This position supports a highly visible global initiative where accuracy, technical depth, and attention to detail are essential.

Although primarily remote, candidates must reside in the Dallas‑Fort Worth area and be available for occasional onsite lab activities and travel (10%) when required.

• Configure, validate, and test network infrastructure equipment prior to production deployment.
• Load and verify operating systems, firmware, software releases, and configuration baselines.
• Execute deployment readiness testing and pre‑deployment validation procedures.
• Verify routing, switching, security, and management functionality.
• Document hardware inventories, software versions, configurations, and deployment status.
• Support equipment packaging, shipment coordination, and deployment logistics.

• Remotely access and configure network devices across enterprise environments.
• Support network expansion, refresh, migration, and infrastructure deployment initiatives.
• Perform troubleshooting and issue resolution for hardware, software, and configuration‑related problems.
• Work closely with network engineering, operations, project management, and vendor teams to resolve deployment blockers.
• Participate in technical discussions, project meetings, and engineering reviews.

• Support network staging lab operations and inventory management.
• Perform rack‑and‑stack activities, hardware installation, cabling, and equipment validation as needed.
• Maintain asset tracking, inventory records, and equipment documentation.
• Ensure adherence to lab standards, cable management practices, equipment labeling, and operational procedures.
• Support RMA activities and vendor coordination for failed or defective hardware.

• Assist with network automation initiatives and deployment optimization efforts.
• Support automated configuration validation, device provisioning, and deployment workflows.
• Contribute to process documentation, deployment runbooks, and standard operating procedures.
• Identify opportunities to reduce manual effort and improve deployment efficiency through automation.

• 3+ years of hands‑on network engineering, network operations, deployment, or infrastructure support experience.
• Strong understanding of:
  • TCP/IP networking
  • Ethernet switching
  • VLANs
  • Routing fundamentals
  • Network security concepts
• Experience working in data center environments.
• Experience supporting physical network infrastructure, including Layer 1 connectivity.
• Experience configuring and validating enterprise networking equipment.
• Ability to independently troubleshoot network‑related issues.
• Experience working with one or more major networking platforms such as:
  • Cisco
  • Juniper
  • Arista
  • Palo Alto
  • Fortinet
• Experience with console access, remote management tools, and network documentation.
• Ability to lift and install network equipment in accordance with safety guidelines.

• CCNP certification or equivalent hands‑on…