About the Role :

We are seeking a Senior Software Engineer with advanced networking expertise, ideally at CCIE/JNCIE-equivalent level, to design, implement, and optimize SD-WAN solutions. This role requires deep technical proficiency in real-time, large-scale networking, combined with hands-on experience in network automation, testing, and troubleshooting.

The ideal candidate will possess strong experience in Cisco SD-WAN (vManage, vEdge, cEdge) environments, comprehensive understanding of IPv4/IPv6 routing, and solid scripting skills in Python for automation. This role will involve both engineering and operational responsibilities, including network design, configuration, debugging, and automation of SD-WAN services.

Key Responsibilities :

- Design, configure, and implement Cisco SD-WAN (Viptela) solutions, including vManage, vBond, and vSmart components.

- Perform end-to-end network configuration for both IPv4 and IPv6 using CLI and vManage GUI.

- Architect redundant, scalable, and secure WAN topologies for enterprise-grade customers.

- Evaluate and recommend SD-WAN policies, traffic engineering strategies, and security frameworks.

- Perform advanced troubleshooting of SD-WAN network incidents, including control plane, data plane, and management plane issues.

- Debug complex real-time networking environments using diagnostic tools and packet captures (e.g., Wireshark, tcpdump).

- Analyze network performance, identify bottlenecks, and recommend optimizations.

- Work on incident management and RCA (Root Cause Analysis) for critical issues.

- Support post-deployment maintenance and operations, ensuring high network availability.

- Configure and troubleshoot major routing protocols : OSPF, EIGRP, BGP (for IPv4 and IPv6).

- Implement and manage VPNs (IPSec, TLS, DTLS) and tunneling protocols (GRE, DMVPN).

- Configure and support network services and protocols such as : TCP/IP, VRRP, MPLS, BFD, DHCP, QoS, NAT, ZBFW, and Multicast.

- Manage and maintain network devices across platforms like ISR/ASR routers, vEdge, cEdge, and Catalyst switches.

- Develop automation scripts and network configuration tools using Python (and optionally Ansible or REST APIs).

- Integrate automated testing workflows for SD-WAN using Python, Postman, or custom-built frameworks.

- Participate in manual and automated SD-WAN testing, ensuring high availability, performance, and compliance.

- Design and maintain network simulation/test environments to validate configurations and feature enhancements.

- Deploy and manage virtualized network environments using VMware, KVM, or Cisco Cloud platforms.

- Implement and troubleshoot security technologies, including firewall policies, IPSec encryption, and ZBFW configurations.

- Support VPN, SSL/TLS configurations, and ensure compliance with organizational security standards.

- Maintain knowledge of Linux-based systems for network services, log analysis, and scripting automation.

- Collaborate with cross-functional teams including QA, DevOps, and Product Engineering for SD-WAN releases and updates.

- Participate in design reviews, network audits, and performance tuning sessions.

- Provide mentorship to junior network engineers and act as a technical escalation point for complex issues.

- Document architecture designs, configuration templates, and troubleshooting runbooks.

Required Technical Skills :

- Deep understanding of network protocols : OSPF, EIGRP, BGP, MPLS, VRRP, BFD, NAT, GRE, DHCP, QoS, and IPSEC.

- Experience with Cisco SD-WAN platforms vEdge, cEdge, vSmart, vManage, ISR/ASR routers, and Catalyst family.

- Hands-on experience with IPv4 and IPv6 dual-stack configurations.

- Solid knowledge of VPN technologies (IPSec, TLS, DTLS) and ZBFW (Zone-Based Firewall).

- Proficiency in Python scripting for automation, data analysis, and network testing.

- Experience with network automation tools (REST APIs, Ansible, NETCONF/YANG preferred).

- Familiarity with CI/CD concepts for network testing and deployment automation.

- Strong knowledge of Linux OS for troubleshooting and automation.

- Familiarity with virtualization environments (VMware, KVM, VirtualBox).

- Tools : Wireshark, tcpdump, Postman, Git, Jenkins (or similar).

- Experience in manual and automated SD-WAN testing (functional, performance, and integration).

- Ability to perform deep-dive packet-level debugging and protocol tracing.