Principal Network Engineer

Flex is the diversified manufacturing partner of choice that helps market-leading brands design, build and deliver innovative products that improve the world. We believe in the power of diversity and inclusion and cultivate a workplace culture of belonging that views uniqueness as a competitive edge and builds a community that enables our people to push the limits of innovation to make great products that create value and improve people's lives. A career at Flex offers the opportunity to make a difference and invest in your growth in a respectful, inclusive, and collaborative environment. If you are excited about a role but don't meet every bullet point, we encourage you to apply and join us to create the extraordinary.

To support our extraordinary teams who build great products and contribute to our growth, we're looking to add a
Principal Network Engineer - IT
located in
Chennai location.
We are seeking a highly experienced and skilled Senior Network Engineer to join our Global Networks and Telecoms (GNT) team. In this role, you will be responsible for designing, implementing, and managing complex on-prem and cloud-based networking solutions for Flex with over 150 sites across 35 countries.

The ideal candidate should have extensive experience in on-prem and cloud networking technologies, a deep understanding of multiple network protocols and technologies, as well as strong analytical and problem-solving skills and experience working with large enterprise networks. The right candidate will be comfortable in a fast-moving organization and enjoy digging into operational problems to implement the process enhancement and technical solutions to solve them and is able to quickly learn and pick up new domain expertise and technologies. The candidate will work together with a larger global network team to support Flex's global network operations across Asia, Europe, and the Americas.

Reporting to the
Director
, and the role involves:

What a typical day looks like:

• Designing, building, and maintaining complex highly scalable and available network solutions deployed on-prem and in public clouds (such as AWS, Azure, GCP), and/or hybrid environments.
• Support the DevOps cultural transformation of the global network services team at Flex by promoting, planning, and driving the deployment of new processes to eliminate wasteful, repetitive tasks that can be automated.
• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to other network engineers and participate in the training and development of team members.
• Create and maintain detailed documentation including network diagrams, configurations, policies, procedures, and runbooks.
• Staying current, evaluate & recommend the latest network technologies, security threats, and industry best practices. This involves continuous learning and professional development to ensure that the network infrastructure supports business growth and transformation.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including application engineers, operations, and security, to ensure the integrity, security, and scalability of our cloud-based infrastructure
• Act as a senior escalation point for complex network incidents, performing deep-dive diagnostics and root cause analysis
• Deploy and configure enterprise network infrastructure including switches, routers, firewalls, load balancers, ADCs, VPNs, NAC, WLCs, ZeroTrust, SD-WAN, and hybrid cloud solutions.
• Consults on issues and requests from internal customers that require the implementation of on-prem and cloud networking infrastructure solutions.
• Ensure optimal performance, resilience, and high availability of enterprise network infrastructure across regions.
• Evaluate and integrate emerging technologies such as SASE, ZTNA, SDN, and AI-driven networking (AIOps).

The experience we're looking to add to our team:

• Batchelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related technical discipline, or equivalent experience.
• 10+ years' experience in deploying and maintaining both on-prem and cloud network infrastructure.
• Proven experience managing a global enterprise networks spanning data centers, branches, and cloud environments for a multinational company
• Expert knowledge of networking protocols and technologies such as TCP/IP, DNS, BGP, OSPF, VLAN, VPN, IPSEC, QoS, WAN, LAN, WLAN, packet capture & analysis etc.
• Knowledge & experience of SDWAN technologies, preferably Fortinet.
• Deep understanding of network security concepts and best practices and extensive experience in next-generation firewall (NGFW), preferably Fortinet & Palo Alto.
• Solid working experience with leading network solutions from Fortinet, Juniper, Cisco, F5, Palo Alto, Alkira NaaS, and HPE Aruba.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to clearly articulate complex technical issues to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

• Have a good understanding of the following:

• Linux

• Python / Ansible / Terraform
• Git / GitHub / GitLab
• Infrastructure as Code
• CI/CD Pipelines

Desired Certifications

• Fortinet Certified Professional.
• Juniper JNCIP-DC Certification or equivalent.
• CCNP or CCIE Enterprise or Security.
• F5 Certified BIG-IP Administrator or higher certification.

What you'll receive for the great work you provide:

• Health Insurance
• Paid Time Off

NK99

• Site

Flex is an Equal Opportunity Employer and employment selection decisions are based on merit, qualifications, and abilities. We celebrate diversity and do not discriminate based on: age, race, religion, color, sex, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, disability, pregnancy status, or any other status protected by law. We're happy to provide reasonable accommodations to those with a disability for assistance in the application process. Please email and we'll discuss your specific situation and next steps (NOTE: this email does not accept or consider resumes or applications. This is only for disability assistance. To be considered for a position at Flex, you must complete the application process first).