Principal Network Engineer - Cisco ACI, Security & Automation

Job Title: Principal Network Engineer – Cisco ACI, Security & Automation
Location & Type: Chicago, IL -Onsite 3 Days per Week, Direct Hire
Compensation:$150,000 – $176,500 base + bonus potential (8–15%)
Benefits:Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, PTO, paid holidays, 401(k) with match, professional development, collaborative culture, work-life balance

Summary
Chamberlain Advisors is seeking a hands-onPrincipal Network Engineer to join our team at a leading equity derivatives clearing organization. This role is mission-critical: you will design, implement, and support the Cisco ACI fabric backbone, secure hybrid-cloud networking environments, and drive large-scale automation initiatives that power one of the most highly regulated infrastructures in the financial sector.

This is not a pure “diagram-and-strategy” architect role, it requires deep technical expertise, problem-solving in live environments, and the ability to write and debug real-world automation code that saves time, improves resiliency, and ensures business continuity.
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Ideal Candidate

• Leadership by example – elevates peers and proposes scalable, forward-thinking solutions.
• Polished communicator – able to articulate technical solutions and influence architectural decisions.
• Adaptability – comfortable with rapid learning of new tools and compliance frameworks.
• Forward-thinking – focuses on iterative improvement (“make it right” after “make it work”).

What You Will Be Accountable For

• Lead the design, implementation, and support of Cisco ACI Fabric, routing (BGP, OSPF), and advanced configurations (SR-MPLS a plus).
• Oversee lifecycle operations for high-performance, highly available enterprise networks.
• Provide expert-level administration and design of Checkpoint firewalls (on-prem and cloud).
• Support and complement with Palo Alto or other firewalls as needed.
• Own F5 LTM load balancer deployments; experience with GTM and WAF preferred.
• Engineer and secure AWS networking solutions (VPC, Transit Gateway, Direct Connect, Route 53, Flow Logs).
• Leverage automation for cloud-scale resiliency and integration.
• Write, debug, and deploy Python scripts to automate network operations, QA checks, and failover processes.
• Troubleshoot and support Terraform code (authoring experience a plus).
• Apply Ansible, Jenkins, GitHub, and related tools to streamline networking workflows.
• Contribute to large-scale data center failovers and DR events, ensuring automation and troubleshooting processes can support extended DR operations (30+ days).
• Act as a subject matter expert within a team of 14–16 engineers.
• Mentor junior engineers, share knowledge, and strengthen team-wide best practices.
• Work with vendors, carriers, and cross-functional teams to resolve complex challenges.

What Qualifications You Need

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• 7+ years in network engineering/architecture roles, with at least 3+ years in automation and cloud networking.
• Industry certifications strongly preferred:
• Cisco (CCNP/CCIE Enterprise, Data Center, or equivalent).
• Checkpoint certification is highly desirable.
• AWS certifications (Advanced Networking Specialty, Solutions Architect, or Security).
• Hands-on Cisco ACI expertise (design, implementation, support).
• Advanced routing (BGP required; SR-MPLS strongly desired).
• Strong Checkpoint firewall expertise; Palo Alto or similar helpful.
• F5 LTM required, GTM/WAF experience a plus.
• AWS networking expertise with demonstrable depth.
• Strong Python scripting for automation in real-world networking environments.
• Experience with TCL scripting a plus.
• Familiarity with Ansible, Terraform, Jenkins, and GitHub.

About our Client
Our client is one of the world's largest equity derivatives clearing organizations and is a foundation for secure markets. This client operates under the jurisdiction of both the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and now provides central counterparty clearing and settlement services to 19 exchanges and trading platforms for options, financial futures, security futures, and securities lending transactions.

Why Work with Chamberlain?
Chamberlain Advisors is a veteran-owned business that provides human capital solutions through contract, contract-to-hire, direct-hire, and retained-search opportunities. Chamberlain candidates benefit from our unique hiring and interviewing process which has been designed to increase the likelihood that they will be successful in their job searches. This is achieved through our 5-step recruitment process, ensuring top-of-the-line candidate experience. Find out what makes us different; apply to Chamberlain today.

Equal Opportunity Employer
Chamberlain Advisors provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, Chamberlain Advisors complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

Chamberlain Advisors expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status. Improper interference with the ability of Chamberlain Advisors' employees to perform their job duties may result in discipline up to and including discharge.

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