Role Summary
We are looking for a Senior Network Consulting Engineer (NCE) with strong specialization in Cisco Data Center technologies, with a primary focus on Cisco ACI, to support a large enterprise customer environment.
This is a hands-on, customer-facing role focused on advanced operations, complex troubleshooting, lifecycle management, upgrades, and brownfield migrations in critical production environments. The NCE acts as a technical focal point between the customer, internal teams, and vendor support.
Key Responsibilities:
Cisco ACI Operations & Troubleshooting
* Act as a subject matter expert in Cisco ACI within enterprise production environments.
* Perform advanced troubleshooting of complex network issues affecting availability, performance, and traffic flows.
* Diagnose and resolve issues related to:
* ACI fabric (Spine/Leaf)
* Control plane and policy model
* EPGs, VRFs, Bridge Domains, external connectivity
* Engage with vendor support teams as required to drive resolution of complex incidents.
Lifecycle Management, Upgrades & Migrations
* Plan and execute software and hardware lifecycle activities for Cisco ACI environments.
* Perform pre-checks, interface mapping, image preparation, and post-change validations.
* Support and execute brownfield migrations from legacy data center environments to ACI.
* Participate in planned maintenance windows, including activities outside regular business hours when required.
Integration with Platforms and Enterprise Environments
* Support integration of Cisco ACI with:
* Virtualization platforms (VMware VDS, VMM Domains, VDI)
* Firewalls and external network domains
* Enterprise and legacy workloads
* Troubleshoot connectivity between virtual machines, tenants, and external networks.
* Collaborate with architecture and operations teams on technical decisions and solution design.
Documentation & Consulting Activities
* Produce and review technical documentation, including:
* High-Level Design (HLD)
* Low-Level Design (LLD)
* Migration and implementation plans
* Test and validation procedures
* Participate in regular technical meetings with the customer, including architecture reviews and service governance sessions.
* Deliver technical presentations, workshops, and knowledge-sharing sessions as required.
* Act as a trusted technical advisor for Data Center and ACI-related topics.
Required Technical Skills (Core)
* Strong hands-on experience with Cisco ACI, including: APIC, Policy model, tenants, EPGs, contracts, Fabric and endpoint troubleshooting, Software upgrades and lifecycle management.
* Cisco Nexus 9000 Series (Spine and Leaf architectures).
* Solid experience operating and troubleshooting large-scale enterprise data center environments.
* Practical experience integrating ACI with VMware virtualization platforms.
* Strong understanding of Layer 2 and Layer 3 networking in data center contexts.
* Experience working in customer-facing roles, with strong communication skills.
Nice to Have
* Experience with ACI Multi-Site / Nexus Dashboard Orchestrator (NDO).
* Exposure to automation tools (e.g., Ansible) applied to network environments.
* Familiarity with regulated or mission-critical enterprise environments.
* General understanding of cloud computing concepts.
* Additional Cisco certifications.
Certifications
* CCNP Data Center or CCNP Enterprise – preferred
* CCIE (Routing & Switching or Data Center) – highly desirable
Experience & Profile
* Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field is required.
* 8+ years of experience in networking and/or data center environments.
* Proven ability to work under pressure in high-availability, mission-critical environments.
* Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
* Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively in cross-functional teams.
* Experience mentoring junior engineers is a plus.
Why Join Us
* Work in complex, large-scale enterprise data center environments.
* Perform a true specialist role focused on Cisco ACI, not a generalist position.
* High technical exposure and real operational impact.
* Opportunity to grow within advanced services and consulting engagements.