Global Network Operations Manager

Global Network Operations Manager

Location: Neenah, Wisconsin; must be able to commute. 2–3 days onsite per week; final work arrangement requires confirmation.

Duration: Expected six-month contract, with a potential conversion opportunity after six months

Hours: 40 hours per week

Start: As soon as possible

Position overview

Lead the engineering, modernization, and operational performance of a global enterprise network spanning corporate locations, manufacturing environments, data centers, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP).

This strategic technical leadership role oversees SD-WAN transformation, secure cloud connectivity, network automation, data center optimization, and factory-edge networking. The position also leads distributed engineering teams and partners with business and technology leaders to improve reliability, security, and service delivery.

Responsibilities

• Own the lifecycle and 24/7 operational performance of enterprise WAN, SD-WAN, LAN, Wi-Fi, and GCP networking environments.
• Advance Intent-Based Networking (IBN) and AIOps through policy-driven automation and closed-loop assurance.
• Optimize connectivity among enterprise sites, factory-edge environments, and GCP using Cloud Interconnect, Cloud Router, Shared VPCs, SASE, and ZTNA.
• Deliver EVPN-VXLAN leaf-spine data center fabrics and optimize on-premises infrastructure during cloud migrations.
• Lead Network as Code practices using Terraform, Ansible, Python, and Git/GitOps.
• Partner with manufacturing and OT security teams on shop-floor segmentation and protection using the Purdue Model, industrial firewalls, and plant-floor compute nodes.
• Lead and mentor global network engineers; establish operational standards, SLOs, SLAs, observability metrics, and NOC escalation paths.
• Manage carrier, telecom, colocation, and hardware vendor relationships, contracts, and service commitments.

Required qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Network Engineering, or a related field.
• At least five years of related enterprise network engineering experience.
• Proven experience leading enterprise SD-WAN transformations using platforms such as Cisco, Fortinet, or Palo Alto Networks, along with SASE/ZTNA deployments such as Prisma.
• Deep knowledge of GCP networking, including Shared VPCs, Cloud Interconnect, Cloud Router, and VPC Service Controls.
• Experience designing EVPN-VXLAN leaf-spine topologies, micro-segmentation, and hybrid/on-premises network optimization during cloud migrations.
• Proficiency with Terraform, Ansible, Python, and Git/GitOps automation pipelines.
• Expert knowledge of BGP, OSPF, MP-BGP, VXLAN overlays, and enterprise IPv4/IPv6 addressing.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills, including presenting complex network concepts to executive leadership.
• Native or bilingual proficiency in English.

Preferred qualifications

• Master’s degree in a relevant field.
• At least 10 years of progressive IT experience.
• At least three years of technical leadership or engineering management experience overseeing distributed global teams.
• Manufacturing/OT network security experience, including IEC 62443, industrial firewalls, and plant-floor LAN/Wi-Fi.
• Experience with Digital Experience Monitoring and observability tools such as ThousandEyes, Dynatrace, or Wireshark.
• GCP Professional Cloud Network Engineer or CCIE certification.
• Hands-on expertise with Cisco ACI and Cisco Catalyst Center.
• Experience managing Cisco Voice/Unified Communications architectures.

Proficiency with Palo Alto Networks NGFW and security management platforms.