Network Engineer

Company: Northeastern Illinois University
Location: Chicago
Posted on: April 3, 2026

Job Description:

Northeastern offers a rewarding working environment for our students and employees. Our faculty and staff are smart, dedicated people who work to create an excellent urban university experience for bright and motivated students. Job Summary: The Network Engineer provides technical expertise, support, and project leadership for IT infrastructure, including LAN/WAN technologies, data center networking, servers, storage, cloud systems, and backup solutions. Responsibilities include implementing and maintaining operating systems and software components, evaluating and recommending hardware and software configurations, and ensuring performance, security, and system reliability. The Network Engineer also offers technical guidance on data processing practices, performance standards, and systems analysis, while contributing to project planning by defining infrastructure requirements, timelines, and deliverables. Job Description: Core Network Engineering & Technological Expertise Manage, maintain, and optimize functional network infrastructure LAN, WAN, WLAN. Configure, manage, and maintain networking equipment such as routers, switches, wireless access points, including firewalls, VPNs, load balancers and other related devices. Configure and maintain advanced network protocols including DNS, DHCP, BGP, OSPF, SIP, SNMP, and ICMP. Administer IP address schemes, DHCP scopes, and DNS configurations. Implement and manage network security measures including ACLs, segmentation, firewall rules, intrusion prevention systems, and zero-trust network controls. Monitor network performance, availability, and integrity; troubleshoot complex network issues to ensure maximum uptime. Provide specialized technical expertise in network administration, telecommunications, VOIP systems, customer support, and related technical domains. Define operational objectives for the networking area by interpreting the technology needs of the university. Develop and maintain policies and procedures related to network operations, standards, and security. Operational Support, Cybersecurity, Documentation & Service Perform routine administrative tasks such as backups, device updates, upgrades, monitoring, patching, and hardware lifecycle management. Conduct regular network audits to identify security gaps, configuration issues, or performance improvement opportunities. Create and maintain standard operating procedures along with detailed documentation for network configurations, topologies, and diagrams. Provide high-quality customer service by supporting service desk personnel, delivering technical solutions, and responding promptly to UTS needs. Coordinate vendor equipment installations, integrations, and acceptance testing. Identify and manage alerts related to malicious activities on the network. Conduct fundamental cyber analysis on potential threats and report actionable findings. Perform security testing and benchmarking of new network devices, routers, switches, and software prior to deployment. Protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of university data by applying security best practices, organizational policies, and relevant regulations. Strategic Planning, Budget/Resource Input & Project Management Provide input and participate in development and adjustment of strategic plans to meet future network and infrastructure needs. Contribute to budget planning by identifying resource needs, recommending products, and estimating costs for upgrades, licenses, and infrastructure improvements. Work with UTS staff to determine resource requirements and resolve operational challenges. Lead or support network-related projects, including new deployments, system upgrades, campus expansions, and cloud integrations. Coordinate new vendor equipment installations and perform acceptance testing. Stay up-to-date on industry trends and emerging technologies to propose innovative solutions. Related Duties Make vendor and product recommendations based on project requirements and technology standards. Identify and provide training and support professional development of UTS team members. Performs related duties as assigned. Minimal Qualifications: 1. Any one or any combination totaling 5 years (60 months) from the following categories: A. College coursework which includes Information Technology (IT), IT Management, Programming, IT Systems, or a closely related discipline, as measured by the following conversion table or its proportional equivalent: 30 semester hours equals one (1) year (12 months) Associate’s Degree (60 semester hours) equals eighteen months (18 months) 90 semester hours equals two (2) years (24 months) Bachelor’s Degree (120 semester hours) equals three (3) years (36 months) B. Work experience in IT-related functions such as hardware/software support, programming, network design, network engineering, IT systems integration, or closely related field, which includes supervisory or lead worker capacity. 2. Based on position requirements, additional education, training, and/or work experience in the area of specialization inherent to the position may be required. DEPARTMENTAL PREFERENCES Experience in Aruba Network Fabric, Wireless Administration, and Aruba Central. Data Center infrastructure solutions: F5 (LTM, APM, ASM), Checkpoint (NGFW IDS/IPS functions), Infoblox. Industry certifications (CCNA, CCNP, Network). Knowledge of VoIP, VLANs, and wireless network optimization. Scripting or automation experience with Python or PowerShell is a plus. Bachelor's degree in computer science or related discipline. Ability to professionally and effectively communicate with other colleagues, supervisors, administrative staff, and other campus/agency units. Knowledge of the systems and operations used within the areas and departments of responsibility. Ability to identify, diagnose and resolve technical incidents. Hours: Monday through Friday, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm. (On-call availability for emergency support during outages, security incidents, critical system failures, and after-hours maintenance and/or upgrades). Location: NEIU Main Campus (Requires travel to all NEIU campuses). Setting: Remote work will be available on a limited basis (one day per week or on occasion). No permanent or full-time work from home is available . Out of State Applicants: Once a final employment offer is completed, the out-of-state candidate must establish Illinois residency within 180 calendar days of the start date for the designated position per the State Universities Civil Service Requirements . This position does not include relocation assistance. On a case-by-case basis, NEIU will consider applications from individuals who have valid work authorization in the United States (including those holding valid F-1 and H-1B status) and who currently reside in and are physically within the United States. This position requires a background check. ? Salary Range $70,000 - $85,000 ? Benefits University employees may be eligible for a variety of State of Illinois benefits. These benefits are administered through the Illinois Department of Central Management Service (CMS). Please visit our Employee Benefits page to learn more about our comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, and vision benefits, sick and vacation days, and participation in the State Universities Retirement System. Northeastern Illinois University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and invites applications from Women, Minorities, Veterans and Persons with Disabilities, as well as other qualified individuals. Northeastern Illinois University's positions are contingent upon the University's receipt of its State of Illinois appropriation.

Keywords: Northeastern Illinois University, Wheaton , Network Engineer, IT / Software / Systems , Chicago, Illinois