Network Administrator in Abilene, Harlingen TX

About Company

Cogent Infotech is a leading tech consulting firm headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, offering cutting-edge digital transformation solutions in Cloud, Cybersecurity, Data Analytics and AI. ISO-certified and CMMI Level 3 appraised, we proudly partner with 70+ Fortune 500 companies and 150+ government agencies. Cogent is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate based on any protected status under applicable law.

Title: Network Administrator

Employment Type: Contract to Full-Time

Location: Harlingen and Abilene, TX

The Network Administrator supports and maintains the network infrastructure across multiple campuses statewide. This role will focus on Juniper switches, routing, security, and ensuring reliable network connectivity for students, faculty, and staff. The ideal candidate has experience managing multi-campus/location networks, troubleshooting complex issues, and collaborating with IT teams to support academic and administrative services.

• Network Infrastructure Management:
  • Configure, deploy, and maintain Juniper switches (EX, QFX series) across all campuses.
  • Manage Layer 2 and Layer 3 networking, including VLANs, Spanning Tree (RSTP/MSTP), BGP, OSPF, and DHCP.
  • Ensure high availability and redundancy for critical education and administrative systems.
  • Support firewalls, VPNs, and WAN connectivity, ensuring secure inter-campus communication.
  • Assist in migrating legacy networking equipment to modern Juniper solutions.
• Network Security & Compliance:
  • Implement 802.1X network authentication, access control policies, and security best practices.
  • Monitor for security threats, vulnerabilities, and compliance with FERPA, HIPAA, and other regulatory standards.
  • Assist in managing firewall rules, IDS/IPS, and network access control policies.
  • Support Wi-Fi security and segmentation for student, faculty, and guest access.
• Troubleshooting & Support:
  • Provide Tier 2 / Tier 3 support for network connectivity, performance, and security issues.
  • Work closely with help desk teams and local IT staff at different campuses to resolve network problems.
  • Utilize monitoring tools like Netreo, Extreme IQ and Mist AI for proactive network management.
  • Document troubleshooting steps, issue resolutions, and infrastructure changes.
• Strategic Planning & Documentation:
  • Assist in network upgrades, capacity planning, and performance optimizations.
  • Maintain accurate network diagrams, topology maps, and change logs for all campuses.
  • Contribute to disaster recovery and business continuity planning for network services.
  • Evaluate and recommend new technologies to enhance network security and performance.

• 3+ years of experience in network administration, ideally in higher education or large-scale enterprise environments.
• Experience with Cisco, Juniper, or Extreme and ability to translate that experience to other vendors’ equipment.
• Strong knowledge of TCP/IP, VLANs, BGP, OSPF, QoS, multicast, and subnetting.
• Experience with firewall management, VPNs, and security policies.
• Proficiency in network monitoring and diagnostic tools (Wireshark, tcpdump, Junos CLI, etc.).
• Familiarity with multi-campus network architecture and WAN technologies (MPLS, SD-WAN, DIA, broadband).
• Excellent time management skills with the ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously.
• Ability to handle change effectively, considering business processes and systems implications along with new technology trends.
• Ability to handle moderately complex issues and problems.
• Strong ownership of work, self-starter, independent problem solver, and team player.
• Excellent troubleshooting, communication, and documentation skills.

• Expertise with Juniper networking hardware (EX, QFX, SRX, MX series).
• Juniper certifications (JNCIA, JNCIS, JNCIP) or equivalent.
• Experience with wireless networking (Extreme, Mist, or Ubiquiti).
• Knowledge of cloud networking (Azure, AWS, Google Cloud) and hybrid campus architectures.
• Experience with VoIP systems and unified communications.
• Scripting and automation skills (Python, Ansible, Power Shell) for network management.

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• Industry certifications such as JNCIA, JNCIS, CCNA, Network+, or Security+ preferred.