NRTC is Member Driven and Technology Focused – providing solutions that help our 1,500 electric and telephone members bring all the advantages of today’s evolving technology to rural America. NRTC’s solutions are developed specifically to meet the needs of rural utilities and their customers, and include integrated broadband, managed services, smart grid, mobile and video solutions. We are a dynamic, growing cooperative with more than 750 employees operating out of seven office locations.   

JOB SUMMARY: 

This position reports to the Director of Network Architecture and Engineering and will be responsible for researching, designing and deploying IP technologies across a wide variety of network vendors and applications associated with integrated Fiber to the Premise and Wireless based broadband infrastructures. This position will work with various departments within Core Network, Access Network, OSP Planning & Engineering, VoIP Engineering, and other operations and support organizations in the planning, configuration, and implementation associated with our Member’s IP network(s).  

The Network Architect will be responsible for providing consultative technical expertise which includes the preparation and presentation of detailed designs and configuration blueprints for complex solutions in the areas of routing, switching, wireless and security. The architect would be expected to be hands-on and would be eventual escalation point in case of complex issues/outages. 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: 

Architecture & Design 

This position builds the required collateral to represent solutions including, but not limited to, HLDs (High Level Design), LLD (Low Level Designs), BOMs (Bill of Materials), Product Quotes (with pricing), LOEs (Level of Efforts), Client Proposals and SOWs (Statement of Work).  

• Client Facing Sales Support – Work with sales account team, interfacing directly with clients. Builds trusted advisor relationships, understanding client’s business challenges and proposing solutions 

• Develop High Level Designs and Architectures – Create and document architectures that address member business objectives 

• Partner Relationship Management – Develop healthy and trusted relationships with key partners 

• Intellectual Property Development – Contribute to the development of NRTC intellectual property and industry recognition (white papers, speaking engagements, etc.) 

• Develop RFPs/RFIs, oversee product evaluations, coordinate product and service selections, and ensure that pricing, terms, and conditions for supplier contracts meet IT standards while achieving optimal results for the business 

• Participate in requirements analysis, requirements management, functional analysis, performance analysis, system design, trade studies, systems integration and test (verification) in the development and evaluation of networks and information systems 

• Research and evaluate new hardware, software, and virtualized products and solutions to support our member's service provider Core, Edge, and Aggregation network layers focusing on cost-savings, scalability, and reliability. 

• Explore, investigate, test, and develop various SD-WAN methods, IoT, automation, internet network security, and other devices/products in residential, business, and enterprise customer settings 

• Ensure full stack integration is achievable and network design architectures support device/product needs including Cos/QoS and network traffic prioritization 

• Evaluate and develop new technologies, vendor products and equipment including development and execution of Proof-of-Concept testing procedures, lead Alpha and Beta testing by working with Engineering and Operations team members 

• Lead the charge in translating project requirements into standard or custom technical solutions for a service provider wide area network and cloud environments 

• Lead the design, build and test of Cloud Networking and Security services such as edge and core firewalls, proxies and load balancers, direct network connections with public cloud providers such as express route, direct connect, etc 

• Develop, support, and communicate network conceptual designs, engineering policies, standards, guidelines, and procedures with service provider as well as other stakeholders 

• Validate any implemented designs architected meet original design specifications 

• Use lab environment as required to provide early proof of concepts for design 

• Create Method of Procedures for configuring, testing or otherwise modifying network elements, solutions or architectures 

• Develop documentation for testing, troubleshooting or administrating network devices or network architectures 

• Develop test plans for evaluating new technologies or features 

• Develop VLAN model and standards and policy  

• Develop and enforce proper network segmentation standards and policy model which incorporates separation of voice and data  

• Design and maintain CoSQoS and packet prioritization standards and configuration based on business requirements  

Project Execution  

This position will also perform all aspects of technical deployment projects, including an implementation plan, methods of procedures, additional technical resource identification, and execution of work 

• Responsible for leading in the implementation of network designs that consistently deliver performance, reliability, and scalability within the established Service Level Agreements (SLAs) 

• Provide assistance as needed to the Engineering and Operations teams for implementation, troubleshooting, and repair of network installations and customer deployments 

• Program and configure a full stack of network equipment including routers, switches, firewall, load balancers, wireless, and timing equipment 

• Configure and install software, servers, routers and other network devices 

• Monitor network performance and integrity: Develop improvements to network performance, capacity and scalability 

• Effectively manage vendor partner relationships to ensure high performance and cost appropriate service delivery for local site technology services 

• Spearhead first-time installations by accurately, thoroughly, and efficiently detailing requirements to stakeholders 

• Coordinates with Project Managers on daily responsibilities including any high priority projects maintain deadlines and high levels of communication 

• Visit jobsites as necessary ensure project quality and keeping up with progress with the different life cycle of the projects 

• Provides oversight to projects and related tasks that meet cost, schedule, and resource constraints. 

• Manages scope, budget and release schedule while focusing on regular and timely delivery of value 

• Manages the contractual commitments, scopes of work, budgets, and timelines of multiple projects simultaneously ensuring end-products meet product specifications, requirements, and align with financial and schedule baselines 

• Directs and monitors team identifying resource needs, performing quality review, and escalating functional, quality, and timeline issues appropriately. Facilitates issue resolution 

• Tracks key project milestones, adjusting project plans and/or resources as indicated 

• Ensures that program implementation (designs, development, testing plans, change orders, etc.) are documented 

• Designs, organizes, prioritizes, and schedules work assignments.  

• Trains and shares information with other departments to ensure cross functional transfer of knowledge company wide 

• Participates in job walks and surveys to help evaluate environments for optimal wireless telecommunication operation 

• Provide detailed network drawings and diagrams and relation as-built documentation. 

• Review and approve documentation and configurations for wireless access points, antennas, cabling, and controllers 

• Issues change requests to service suppliers while adhering to service lifecycle and technology roadmaps. 

• Provides multi-tier incident support and troubleshooting during projects 

• Conducts configuration testing, debugging and troubleshooting 

• Completes timely post-installation documentation, perform inspections and recommend corrective action in a written, well-documented manner 

  Tier III Operational Support  

This position will also provide Tier III operational support to NRTC Managed Services.  

• Assure proper monitoring, runbooks and maintenance procedures are established including providing guidance to any managed services providers who perform these functions on behalf of our members.  

• Act as an escalation point, providing 3rd level incident support for customers 

• Analyze, evaluate, and communicate network capacity and performance data with the objective of driving improvements to customer’s network 

• Work with Network Planning to manage growth and capacity plans by monitoring network performance and communicating specific capacity needs, when they arise 

• Other duties as assigned 

SKILLS AND ABILITIES: 

• Experience creating financial models, business cases, and presentations based on complex network designs 

• Deep knowledge and demonstrated expertise in many of the following protocols and technologies: Ethernet, TCP/IP, OSPF/IS-IS, BGP, MPLS (LDP/RSVP), High Availability (VRRP/HSRP/GLBP), Multicast (PIM/IGMP), QoS, HTTP, SSL, VOIP 

• Strong technical, analytical, and organizational skills associated with planning, design and implementation of complicated service provider architectures and applications 

• Strong written and interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate complex topics in both written and verbal form 

• Strong background in Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) based Ethernet Service Architectures and technologies such as ELINE, ELAN, E-ACCESS 

• Experience with Optical Networking technologies such as CDA or CD/C Flex-Grid ROADM, DCI, CFP2-DCO, QSFP-DD, Coherent Optics, 16-64 QAM 

• Expert knowledge with routing technologies such BGP, MPLS, VPLS, Segment Routing, EVPN, ISIS-SR, OSPF-SR, BGP-LU, etc 

• Familiarity with YAML, Python, Perl, or other such scripting languages 

• Familiarity with Access Networking technologies such as, GPON, XGS-PON 

• Familiarity with 4G/5G network architectures 

• Familiarity with SD-WAN and NFV technologies 

• Current industry certifications: CCIE certification highly preferred, CCDP, CCNP, CISSP, ITILv3, etc. 

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: 

• A Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or equivalent experience 

• A minimum of 8 years industry experience at a Service Provider or similar environment.