Senior Network Administrator: Office of Innovative Technologies - UTK

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville is seeking a Network Services Admin IV to design, implement, support, and maintain a highly secure, resilient, and high-performance wired and wireless network infrastructure that empowers academic research, educational excellence, and seamless university operations. 

 

This position is a senior-level networking expert in deploying, managing, and evolving wired and wireless network projects and solutions across a production network enterprise architecture. Deploys and manages systems, networks, or databases. Understanding and expertise in WAN networks, LAN networks, and competency in routing protocols such as BGP. Operates independently for all sizes of systems, networks, and/or databases. Leads and directs teams for large-scale projects, new implementations, upgrades, etc. Provides direction and support to staff. Serves as highest level expert and leader in service area teams. Work is managed by results. Work is completed with minimal oversight with a high level of accuracy and quality. Must have the ability to learn, implement, and operate new technologies. Participation in on-call rotation, which covers non-business hours including the weekend. On-call support is for one week and may be required for three to four weeks within a year.

• Orchestrate wired and wireless network projects through discovery, design, implementation, and closure phases.

• Research and deploy new networking technologies and tools to enhance university systems.

• Coordinate with departments and vendors for major network deployments and upgrades.

• Analyze technical data to assess network risks and recommend improvements.

• Maintain accurate documentation of network designs, configurations, and inventories.

• Develop solutions to meet evolving university network needs and new technology trends.

• Respond to and resolve network service requests efficiently through the ticketing system.

• Communicate clearly with both technical and non-technical staff during troubleshooting.

• Monitor and interpret network performance and telemetry data to identify issues.

• Facilitate and participate in meetings regarding network operations and readiness.

• Troubleshoot day-to-day network related issues as needed; providing high-level networking support as required. 

• Contribute to high level project planning, configuration, & deployments of networks in varying sized and complexity.

• Collaborate with on- and off-campus partners during planned or emergency outages.

• Ensure network services meet high standards of reliability, scalability, and security.

Required Qualifications

• Education: 
  • Associate degree
• Experience: 
  • Six (6) years of direct industry-related experience in network administration and/or network engineering
  • OR 10 years experience in network engineering or administration in lieu of Associate's degree
• Knowledge, Skills, Abilities: 
  • Strong ability to work independently of direct supervision and in line with strategic direction.
  • Intermediate ability to manage projects. 
  • Strong verbal and written communication skills.
  • Intermediate working knowledge of networking concepts: WAN/LAN, DNS/DHCP, Layer 3/2, TCP/IP, Wi-Fi, firewalls, and security policies such as access control lists.
  • Ability to glean network requirements from users, technical and conceptual drawings. 
  • Advanced understanding of VPN tunneling protocols and encryption standards to ensure secure, high-performance data transmission across public and private networks.
  • Locate, identify, and rectify problems related to host and network interactions.
  • Intermediate working knowledge of network infrastructure and supporting systems: routers, switches, wireless controllers, wireless access points, IDS/IPS, gateways, firewalls, NAC, virtual private clouds, structured cabling.
  • Able to execute implementation, configuration, and deployment of a switched-Ethernet network.
  • Able to execute implementation, configuration, and deployment of a routed IP network.
  • Able to execute Implementation, configuration, and deployment of network firewalls and other network-security devices.
  • Able to execute configuration of VPN services for user-access and site-to-site services.

 

Preferred Qualifications

• Education: 
  • Bachelor’s degree
  • Professional certifications such as PMP, CCNA, CCNP, ACMA, AZ-900, AZ-700, CWNA, CWDP, or similar certifications
• Experience: 
  • Experience in large-scale campus area wired and wireless networks environments
  • Experience with hybrid cloud infrastructure
  • Experience in networking and advanced network engineering
  • Experience and/or deep understanding of EVPN & VXLAN
  • Experience in a higher education environment
• Knowledge, Skills, Abilities: 
  • Proven experience in the planning and execution of large-scale network infrastructure deployments.
  • Proven ability to perform root-cause analysis on critical infrastructure failures to ensure maximum network reliability and uptime
  • Proficient in the end-to-end installation, configuration, and provisioning of Wide Area Network (WAN) infrastructure to ensure seamless multi-site connectivity
  • Able to execute implementation, configuration of IPS/IDS services.

 

Work Location: 

• This is an on-campus position in Knoxville, Tennessee with some flexibility for hybrid/remote work.

 

Compensation and Benefits 

• UT market range: MR16 (Find more information on the UT Market Range structure here)
• Anticipated hiring range: $90,000-$100,000

• Regular Full Time Exempt 

• Benefits include: (Find more information on UT Benefits here)

  • Generous paid leave, accruing up to 24 days of vacation and 12 days of sick leave annually, plus 14 paid holidays and administrative closing days 

  • Education benefits for employees and their dependents at UT System campuses 

  • Retirement and deferred compensation plans, including 401(k), 403(b), etc.  

  • Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance plans 

  • Employee discounts to attractions, services, and goods 

Application Instructions

All applicants must upload the following attachments. The documents should directly address the required qualifications. 

• Resume

• Cover Letter

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has shaped leaders, changemakers, and innovative thinkers since its founding in 1794. The university is home to more than 38,000 students and 10,000 statewide employees—the Volunteers—who uphold the university’s tradition of lighting the way for others through leadership and service. 
UT Knoxville offers over 900 programs of study across 14 degree-granting colleges and schools. As Tennessee’s flagship land-grant university, its footprint spans the entire state. The university holds the highest Carnegie classification for research activity and has deep partnerships with industry leaders and the US Department of Energy’s largest multidisciplinary laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory. 
The Knoxville campus serves and recruits for UT Knoxville, including the Institute of Agriculture and the Space Institute, as well as the UT Institute of Public Service.  
UT Knoxville considers its employees its number one asset. With values that focus on work-life balance, compensation, and innovation leadership, all Vols are supported to advance professionally. Employees have access to career development and coaching, continued education, and an extensive list of development and training possibilities. The Volunteer employee experience implements structures and practices to attract and retain top-tier talent, fostering a strong staff community and supporting a culture of involvement and engagement for everyone. 
The university holds a strong commitment to its land-grant mission of learning and engagement, with a tradition of service and leadership that carries that Volunteer spirit throughout the state and around the world. It has been ranked nationally as “Best Employer for New Graduates,” “One of America’s Best Large Employers,” and “Best Workplace for Women,” and has been designated as “Best Place for Working Parents” by Forbes Magazine.  
Apply today and join the Tennessee Volunteer community!