Principal Network Engineer - Cisco ACI, Security & Automation SME

Job Title: Principal Network Engineer – Cisco ACI, Automation & Security SME
Location & Type: Chicago, IL or Dallas, TX – Onsite 3 Days per Week, Direct-Hire
Compensation: $124,000 – $176,500 base + 8–15% bonus potential
Benefits: Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, PTO, paid holidays, 401(k) with match, professional development, collaborative culture, work-life balance

Final base compensation will be determined by the client based on experience, skills, and education, while maintaining internal equity within the team. (Target -$150,000 depending on experience level + bonus potential)

Summary
Chamberlain Advisors is partnering with a leading equity derivatives clearing organization to hire a Principal Network Engineer who thrives in complex, mission-critical environments. This is a hands-on, senior-level engineering role, not an abstract architecture position. You’ll own the design, automation, and support of the Cisco ACI fabric backbone and surrounding hybrid-cloud network infrastructure that underpins one of the most secure and regulated ecosystems in finance.

The ideal candidate is a self-starter who can dive deep into technical challenges, collaborate across teams, and deliver results with minimal direction. You’ll be expected to automate, innovate, and stabilize — writing code that replaces manual effort, builds resiliency, and enhances performance. Click Now to Apply

Ideal Candidate

• Self-Starter / Go-Getter who thrives in ambiguity, dives into problems without instruction.
• Automation Enthusiast passionate about coding to make networks faster, smarter, and more resilient.
• Hands-On Expert who solves problems in real environments over theoretical discussions.
• Contribution-Oriented focused on what you’ve personally built, fixed, and automated.
• Collaborative Mentor who enjoys sharing knowledge and elevating the technical bar of the team.
• Adaptable Technologist who keeps skills sharp in modern network and automation trends.

What You Will Be Accountable For

• Design, implement, and support Cisco ACI Fabric across the enterprise and data center.
• Engineer advanced routing solutions using BGP and SR-MPLS.
• Lead firewall architecture and administration with Checkpoint (on-prem and cloud).
• Architect and operate F5 LTM solutions; experience with GTM and WAF strongly desired.
• Engineer and secure AWS networking (VPC, Transit Gateway, Direct Connect, Route 53, Flow Logs).
• Develop and maintain automation pipelines using Python and/or TCL for real-world network scripting.
• Use Ansible, Jenkins, and GitHub for CI/CD integrations, automation, change control, and resilience.
• Troubleshoot Terraform code for cross-team collaboration.
• Support large-scale Disaster Recovery exercises and failovers, ensuring automation and tooling perform reliably during prolonged DR operations.
• Collaborate with a team of 14–16 engineers (junior to senior), contributing knowledge, mentoring peers, and strengthening shared best practices.
• Work directly with vendors and cross-functional teams to troubleshoot and optimize complex networking environments.

What Qualifications You Need

• BS or MS Computer Science, Information Systems, or equivalent professional experience.
• 7+ years in enterprise network engineering or architecture, including 3+ years in automation and cloud networking.
• Supplementary exposure to Palo Alto or similar firewalls is beneficial.
• Deep hands-on experience of Cisco ACI design, implementation, and support.
• Advanced routing expertise of BGP mandatory; SR-MPLS highly preferred.
• Checkpoint firewall expertise (required), Palo Alto exposure helpful.
• F5 LTM expertise required; GTM/WAF experience preferred.
• Proven AWS networking experience (depth over breadth).
• Strong Python scripting for automating real-world network operations.
• Familiarity with Ansible, Jenkins, GitHub, and Terraform (troubleshooting level).
• Direct DR/resiliency and understanding automation and debugging under pressure is essential.

Preferred Certifications

• Cisco: CCNP or CCIE (Enterprise, Data Center, or equivalent)
• Checkpoint: CCSA/CCSE
• AWS: Advanced Networking Specialty or Solutions Architect

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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