Cisco Network Engineer

With offices in Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Ohio, Pepper Construction is a national general contracting and construction management firm that primarily serves the private sector. Pepper Construction provides clients the experience and resources of a national company, combined with the hands-on approach of a local company.

WHY PEPPER? At Pepper, we work hard, but we make sure to have a good time doing it. If you're ready to dive into an exciting role, apply today and be part of a team that values success, teamwork, and making a difference. We offer the following and more:

• Great benefits (medical, dental, vision) and 401(k) match-your future is in good hands!
• Vacation time, PTO, holidays, floating holidays and more!
• Student loan repayment program
• Opportunities to network and grow professionally
• A supportive team environment that celebrates success
• Engaging and fun company-wide events & volunteer opportunities
• Meaningful work bringing a positive impact to communities

This position will be based in Barrington, IL and is an on-site position (4-5 days a week) with the opportunity to travel to offices in the Midwest as needed.

We are seeking a skilled Network Engineer with proven experience in Cisco networking technologies and a strong background in network security. This role is responsible for the design, implementation, and maintenance of secure and efficient network infrastructure across the organization. The ideal candidate will have hands-on experience with Cisco hardware and software, and a deep understanding of security best practices.

Key Responsibilities:

• Deploy, configure, and manage Cisco routers, switches, firewalls, and wireless solutions.
• Implement and maintain network security protocols, including firewalls, VPNs, and access controls.
• Create standard architecture, process and implementation plan for job sites, managing job site requests.
• Monitor and optimize network performance, ensuring reliability and security.
• Identify and mitigate network vulnerabilities and threats.
• Collaborate with IT and security teams on infrastructure design and risk mitigation.
• Maintain documentation for configurations, procedures, and network diagrams.
• Support network-related incident response and troubleshooting.
• Assist in audits and compliance activities (e.g., ISO, NIST, HIPAA)
• Support the entire corporate and job site network and security configurations.

Required Skills & Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field (or equivalent work experience)
• 5 years of experience as a Network Engineer in Cisco-based environments
• Strong knowledge of Cisco technologies (routing, switching, wireless, and firewalls)
• Experience with network security tools and concepts (e.g., ACLs, VPN, IDS/IPS, segmentation)
• Hands-on experience with Cisco ASA, Firepower, or Meraki is highly desirable
• Familiarity with security standards and frameworks
• Excellent troubleshooting and analytical skills
• Proficient in VPN technologies, firewall rule sets, and intrusion prevention systems (IPS)
• Knowledge of network monitoring tools (e.g., SolarWinds, PRTG, Cisco DNA Center)

Certifications (Preferred):

• Cisco Certification (CCNA), (CCNP) or Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE)
• Cisco Certified CyberOps Associate or CCNP Security a plus.
• Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) or CompTIA Security+ a plus

Pepper Construction is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.

Please note: Pepper does not sponsor work visas.