Network Staging Lab Engineer

Job Title: Associate, Network Engineering
Location-Type:Local Remote - Must Reside in the Dallas-Fort Worth, TX Area. Relocation will not be considered at this time.
Start Date Is: ASAP
Duration: 1 year
Work Hours: 8am-5pm CST
Travel: Approximately 10%
Compensation Range: $46-56/hr W2
Benefits: Eligible for Health, Dental, Vision, 401K
Must be authorized to work in the U.S. This position is not eligible for sponsorship.

Our client is seeking an experienced Network Staging Lab Engineer to support a highly visible, global network infrastructure initiative. This role focuses on remotely configuring, testing, validating, and preparing network equipment for deployment into production data center environments. The engineer will work with routers, switches, firewalls, and other network infrastructure to ensure devices meet technical, security, and operational standards before deployment.

The ideal candidate brings CCNP-level networking expertise, strong hands‑on routing and switching experience, and a solid understanding of physical data center infrastructure. This is a primarily remote engineering role requiring independent troubleshooting, technical ownership, and occasional travel for hands‑on lab or data center support.

• Remotely access network devices to establish connectivity, configure infrastructure, and prepare equipment for production deployment.
• Configure, stage, test, and validate routers, switches, firewalls, load balancers, and out‑of‑band management equipment.
• Perform network configuration deployments, baseline validation, and pre‑deployment acceptance testing.
• Troubleshoot Layer 1 connectivity, cabling, optics, physical interfaces, and other network infrastructure issues.
• Validate routing, switching, security, and network management functionality before deployment.
• Configure and troubleshoot TCP/IP, VLANs, Ethernet switching, OSPF, BGP, and related networking technologies.
• Install and validate network operating systems, firmware, and approved software releases.
• Verify device configurations and software versions against established security and operational standards.
• Support network expansion, refresh, migration, and deployment initiatives across global environments.
• Coordinate with network engineering, operations, vendors, and project managers to resolve technical issues and deployment blockers.
• Support occasional onsite rack‑and‑stack, cabling, equipment validation, and data center activities.
• Maintain network device inventory, asset records, configuration documentation, and deployment checklists.
• Document device configurations, software versions, serial numbers, testing results, and deployment readiness.
• Troubleshoot hardware failures and coordinate vendor RMAs when necessary.
• Participate in engineering meetings, technical troubleshooting discussions, and deployment planning.
• Develop and maintain staging procedures, technical runbooks, and standard operating procedures.
• Identify opportunities to streamline and automate network staging, configuration, and validation processes.
• Support network automation initiatives involving scripting, zero‑touch provisioning, and configuration management tools.
• Maintain secure handling practices and appropriate documentation throughout the staging and deployment lifecycle.

3+ years of hands‑on network engineering experience supporting routing, switching, network infrastructure, or deployment environments.

CCNP-level networking knowledge or equivalent demonstrated hands‑on technical expertise.

Strong understanding of Layer 1 connectivity and physical network infrastructure within data center environments.

Hands‑on experience working in data center environments.

Experience configuring, troubleshooting, and validating enterprise…