Principal Network Engineer (Cisco Catalyst/Nexus)

Location: Aliso Viejo, California, with hybrid work requiring 2–3 days onsite.

Company

hirify.global provides technology services and offers opportunities to collaborate with clients and technical specialists on emerging technologies.

What you will do

• Assess LAN, data center, and perimeter networks, including topology, configurations, hardware lifecycle, and operational practices.
• Identify single points of failure and redundancy gaps involving HSRP/VRRP, vPC, port-channels, STP design, and routing convergence.
• Evaluate segmentation, firewall-to-switch integration, management-plane hardening, and Layer 2 security controls.
• Produce risk-rated gap assessment reports with current-state and target-state diagrams.
• Develop phased remediation roadmaps covering quick wins and longer-term architecture changes.
• Present findings to IT leadership and support or lead remediation work.

Requirements

• Active Cisco CCNP certification in Enterprise or Data Center is required; candidates without a current CCNP will not be considered.
• 12+ years of enterprise or data center network engineering experience.
• Experience leading network assessments or architecture reviews and producing formal deliverables.
• Expertise with Cisco Catalyst and Nexus platforms and Layer 2/3 switching, including VLANs, STP, vPC, LACP, SVIs, OSPF, EIGRP, BGP, and HSRP/VRRP.
• Strong knowledge of high-availability design, network security architecture, and NGFW integration.
• Hands-on experience with fiber optics, including SFP/QSFP, SMF/MMF, and DOM.
• Experience with network analysis tools such as SolarWinds, Wireshark, or similar.
• Excellent technical writing and executive communication skills.

Nice to have

• CCIE or CCDE certification, especially for principal-level work.
• Experience in healthcare, life sciences, or laboratory environments, including HIPAA familiarity.
• Experience with VXLAN/EVPN, NIST CSF or CIS Controls, network automation, and Arista EOS.

Culture & Benefits

• Collaboration with experts, clients, and high-performing teams.
• Long-term career growth and professional development opportunities.
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• Paid time off and paid holidays.
• 401(k) matching, life and disability insurance, wellness programs, and other benefits.
• Inclusive workplace committed to equal opportunity, diversity, and respect.