Senior Network Engineer

Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit [](https://shield.ai/). Follow Shield AI on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/shield-ai), [X](https://x.com/shieldaitech), [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/shield_ai), and [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@Shield_AI). **Job Description** **This position may be based San Mateo, CA, the surrounding San Francisco region, or Seattle, WA.** Shield AI is seeking a highly skilled Senior Network Engineer to help advance and secure our mission-critical global infrastructure. You will design, deploy, and maintain resilient network systems that power Shield AI’s enterprise and development environments—spanning data centers, on-premises sites, and public cloud networks. You’ll partner with cross-functional teams to innovate, automate, and optimize network performance, availability, and security for operations supporting both classified and unclassified workloads. Limited travel to Shield AI sites may be required. ### What you'll do: **Network Engineering** \* Experience with public cloud networking in Azure and AWS, including secure connectivity models (e.g., ExpressRoute, Transit Gateway, Cloud WAN / vWAN). \* Design, architect, and implement routing, switching, WLAN, and firewall infrastructure across data centers and remote offices. \* Deploy and manage WAN and VPN connectivity, ensuring secure and reliable access for enterprise and mission environments. \* Develop and apply network automation to streamline provisioning, monitoring, and configuration management. \* Cloud, Platform, Security, and Infrastructure engineering teams to develop standardized network architectures supporting self-service platforms and engineering automation. \* Recommend and implement scalable, automated approaches to operational tasks and vulnerability remediation. \* Contribute to Agile delivery cycles and engineering principles while managing assigned network projects and deliverables. \* Conduct network capacity planning and provide recommendations for growth and optimization. **Operations and Support** \* Plan and execute network and firewall changes in accordance with change-management and security governance processes. \* Continuously monitor, analyze, and improve network performance, resiliency, and security posture. \* Provide advanced troubleshooting for network-related hardware, software, and application issues. \* Configure and maintain secure connectivity services (e.g., VPN/ZTNA, HTTPS, SFTP). \* Create and maintain clear operational and configuration documentation; mentor operational teams on processes and procedures. \* Engage vendors and strategic partners for escalated troubleshooting, lifecycle planning, and technology evaluations. \* Participate in on-call rotation and scheduled maintenance activities. Maintenance \* Lead or assist with network upgrades and patching within defined maintenance windows. \* Maintain network device software and license compliance. \* Ensure security vulnerabilities are identified and remediated in coordination with IT security teams. ### Required Qualifications: \* 6+ years of experience supporting and administering complex network systems in production environments. \* Expertise in network routing, switching, and security architectures. \* Proficiency in at least one Network Operating System (e.g., NX-OS, JunOS, Arista EOS). \* Proficiency in at least one Network Security OS (e.g., PAN-OS, FortiOS). \* Experience with network automation and infrastructure-as-code practices (e.g., Terraform, Ansible, Python). \* Strong understanding of firewall management, segmentation, and VPN technologies. \* Excellent analytical, organizational, and troubleshooting skills. \* Effective written and verbal communication across technical and non-technical audiences. \* Proven ability to work independently and deliver in a structured, process-driven environment. \* Bachelor’s degree in a technical discipline or 6+ years of relevant experience with a professional certification (e.g., CCNP, JNCIS, VCP-NV, or equivalent). \* Experience building and managing scalable hybrid infrastructure connectivity solutions linking on-premises systems with cloud networks. ### Preferred Qualifications: \* Familiarity with Juniper and Palo Alto network solutions and centralized management platform (Panorama preferred). \* Familiarity with WLAN technologies and wireless authentication (e.g., 802.1x, RADIUS). \* Experience with NAC solutions and network access policy enforcement. \* Experience with ZTNA / SASE solutions (Prisma, Zscaler, or Cato) \* Working knowledge of virtualization or operating system administration (VMware, Windows, or Linux). \* Demonstrated project management and leadership skills. \* Team-oriented, collaborative mindset with the ability to coach peers and present to non-technical stakeholders. \* Solution-driven, adaptable approach in a fast-paced, change-controlled environment.