Jr. Network Engineer

Job#: 3056089

Job Description:

We are seeking a Junior Network Engineer with 2-4 years of hands-on experience supporting network and security infrastructure in an enterprise environment. This role will be responsible for the day-to-day administration, monitoring, troubleshooting, and maintenance of network technologies across data center, cloud, and office locations.

The ideal candidate will have practical experience with Palo Alto Networks firewalls, Panorama, Aruba networking, Aruba ClearPass, Web Application Firewalls (WAF), and enterprise load balancers. The position requires a strong foundation in networking fundamentals, a security-focused mindset, good troubleshooting skills, and the ability to work collaboratively with infrastructure, security, application, and service desk teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Support and maintain enterprise LAN, WAN, wireless, and data center network infrastructure.
• Configure, troubleshoot, and maintain Palo Alto Networks firewalls, including security policies, NAT rules, routing, VPN connectivity, and other day-to-day firewall administration.
• Use Panorama for centralized firewall administration, policy management, monitoring, and troubleshooting.
• Support Aruba switches and wireless infrastructure, including VLANs, trunking, access ports, wireless connectivity, and general network troubleshooting.
• Administer and troubleshoot Aruba ClearPass for network access control, device authentication, and wired/wireless access.
• Assist with the administration and support of Web Application Firewall (WAF) technologies, including troubleshooting application connectivity and working with security and application teams.
• Support enterprise load-balancing technologies, including troubleshooting virtual services, pools, health monitors, certificates, and application connectivity.
• Troubleshoot network connectivity, latency, packet loss, DNS, DHCP, routing, switching, firewall, VPN, and application access issues.
• Assist with network hardware installations, upgrades, configuration changes, and lifecycle replacements.
• Monitor network availability, capacity, and performance and proactively identify potential service issues.
• Participate in incident response and troubleshooting for network-related outages and service disruptions.
• Create and maintain network documentation, diagrams, standards, configurations, and operational procedures.
• Follow established change management, security, configuration management, and documentation processes.
• Assist senior engineers with infrastructure projects, network upgrades, security initiatives, cloud connectivity, and technology modernization efforts.
• Work with vendors and service providers to troubleshoot circuits, hardware, software, and other network-related issues.
• Participate in an on-call rotation and provide after-hours support for planned maintenance or critical incidents as required.

Required Qualifications

• 2-4 years of professional experience supporting network infrastructure in an enterprise environment.

• Hands-on experience with Palo Alto Networks firewalls.

• Experience working with Palo Alto Panorama.

• Experience supporting Aruba switching and/or wireless networking.

• Experience with or working knowledge of Aruba ClearPass.

• Experience supporting or troubleshooting Web Application Firewall (WAF) technologies.

• Working knowledge of enterprise load balancers and application delivery concepts.

• Solid understanding of networking fundamentals, including:

• TCP/IP

• IPv4 subnetting

• VLANs and trunking

• Spanning Tree

• DNS and DHCP

• NAT

• VPN technologies

• Static and dynamic routing

• Switching and routing fundamentals

• Network segmentation

• Understanding of firewall policies, access control, network security, and least-privilege principles.

• Ability to troubleshoot network issues using tools such as ping, traceroute, packet captures, logs, and network monitoring platforms.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

• Ability to document technical configurations and procedures clearly.

• Strong verbal and written communication skills.

• Ability to manage multiple priorities and work effectively in a team-oriented enterprise IT environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Kemp, or similar enterprise load-balancing technology.
• Experience with cloud networking concepts, particularly Microsoft Azure.
• Familiarity with Azure networking technologies such as VNets, VPN gateways, ExpressRoute, Network Security Groups, or Azure Firewall.
• Exposure to SASE, SD-WAN, Zero Trust, or modern network security architectures.
• Experience with monitoring and observability platforms.
• Familiarity with ITIL-based incident, problem, and change management processes.
• Experience working within formal change-control and security-governance environments.

Preferred Certifications

One or more of the following certifications would be beneficial but are not required:

• Palo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Engineer (PCNSE) or equivalent Palo Alto certification
• Aruba Certified Associate/Professional certification
• Cisco CCNA
• Relevant Microsoft Azure networking certification

Core Competencies

The successful candidate should demonstrate:

• Troubleshooting: Methodically investigates connectivity and performance issues and works toward root cause rather than simply addressing symptoms.
• Technical Growth: Demonstrates an interest in developing deeper expertise in network engineering, security, automation, and cloud networking.
• Ownership: Takes responsibility for assigned incidents, requests, changes, and project tasks through completion.
• Communication: Clearly communicates technical issues, impacts, status, and resolution to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Customer Service: Approaches network support with an understanding of how infrastructure availability and performance affect end users and business operations.
• Collaboration: Works effectively with infrastructure, security, application, cloud, and support teams.
• Operational Discipline: Follows change management, documentation, security, and configuration standards consistently.

Everforth Apex is a world-class IT services company that serves thousands of clients across the globe. When you join Everforth Apex, you become part of a team that values innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning. We offer quality career resources, training, certifications, development opportunities, and a comprehensive benefits package. Our commitment to excellence is reflected in many awards, including ClearlyRateds Best of Staffing in Talent Satisfaction in the United States and Great Place to Work in the United Kingdom and Mexico.

Everforth Apex uses a virtual recruiter as part of the application process. Click here for more details. By applying for this job, you agree to receive calls, AI-generated calls, text messages, or emails from Everforth Apex and its affiliates, and contracted partners. Frequency varies for text messages. Message and data rates may apply. Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages. You can reply STOP to cancel and HELP for help. You can access our privacy policy at https://www.apexsystems.com/privacy-policy

Everforth Apex Benefits Overview: Everforth Apex offers a range of supplemental benefits, including medical, dental, vision, life, disability, and other insurance plans that offer an optional layer of financial protection. We offer an ESPP (employee stock purchase program) and a 401K program which allows you to contribute typically within 30 days of starting, with a company match after 12 months of tenure. Everforth Apex also offers a HSA (Health Savings Account on the HDHP plan), a SupportLinc Employee Assistance Program (EAP) with up to 8 free counseling sessions, a corporate discount savings program and other discounts. In terms of professional development, Everforth Apex hosts an on-demand training program, provides access to certification prep and a library of technical and leadership courses/books/seminars once you have 6+ months of tenure, and certification discounts and other perks to associations that include CompTIA and IIBA. Everforth Apex has a dedicated customer service team for our Consultants that can address questions around benefits and other resources, as well as a certified Career Coach. You can access a full list of our benefits, programs, support teams and resources within our 'Welcome Packet' as well, which an Everforth Apex team member can provide.

Everforth Apex Systems is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate or allow discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, genetic information, registered domestic partner status, marital status, disability, status as a crime victim, protected veteran status, political affiliation, union membership, or any other characteristic protected by law. Everforth Apex will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable law.

If you require an accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act to participate in an interview with a virtual recruiter or to use our website for a search or application, please contact our Benefits Department at [email protected] or 804-523-8228. Please note that this contact information is strictly to be used for medical ADA accommodations and that no other inquiries will be answered.

UnitedHealthcare creates and publishes the Transparency in Coverage Machine-Readable Files on behalf of Everforth Apex Systems.

Employee Type:

Contract

Remote:

Yes

Location:

Richmond, VA, US

Job Type:

Date Posted:

October 15, 2026

Pay Range:

$40 - $50 per hour

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