IT Network Engineer IT Network and Telecommunications Senior

Description

GENERAL SERVICE

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT

IT Network Engineer – IT Network and Telecommunications Senior/Specialist

$92,760 to $124,752 Annually (this includes the 3% COLA effective July 1, 2025)

Recruitment Closes: 7/2/2025

The Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) seeks to fill an IT Network Engineer – IT Network and Telecommunications Senior/Specialist position. This full-time permanent position is based in Olympia, Washington. This position may be eligible for teleworking up to 3 days per week after the initial onboarding period. Telework is a combination of in-building and assigned-site days. We encourage interested candidates to visit the OSPI website to gain insight into our agency.

About OSPI and our initiatives

OSPI is the primary agency charged with overseeing public K–12 education in Washington state. Working with the state's 295 public school districts and 7 state-tribal education compact schools, OSPI allocates funding and provides tools, resources, and technical assistance so every student in Washington is provided a high-quality public education.

At OSPI, we recognize that our employees are the key to the success of the agency. We are committed to our work but value the balance with our personal lives. We demonstrate our commitment to employees by providing an environment that stimulates professional growth and values them for their expertise. OSPI is a great place to work and has several initiatives to help create a great working environment, including:

We support a healthy work/life balance by offering flexible/alternative work schedules and mobile and telework options. (Depending on job duties and work location.)

We have a tuition assistance policy and support employees seeking tuition waiver through participating higher education organizations.

We have an Infant at Work Program that is based on long-term values of newborns and infant-parent bonding. Eligible employees who are new parents or legal guardians can bring their infant (six weeks to six months) when returning to work. (Depending on job duties and work location.)

We value and are actively involved in promoting diversity, equity and inclusion within OSPI by way of cross-divisional, collaborative committee. The focus of the committee includes employee engagement and education; reinforcing OSPI values; and maximizing the value of diversity and identifying strategies for inclusion.

Vision, Mission, and Values

Vision: All students prepared for post-secondary pathways, careers, and civic engagement.

Mission: Transform K-12 education to a system that is centered on closing opportunity gaps and is characterized by high expectations for all students and educators. We achieve this by developing equity-based policies and supports that empower educators, families, and communities.

Values: Ensuring Equity, Collaboration and Service, Achieving Excellence through Continuous Improvement, Focus on the Whole Child

Equity

Each student, family, and community possess strengths and cultural knowledge that benefits their peers, educators, and schools. Ensuring educational equity:

Goes beyond equality; it requires education leaders to examine the ways current policies and practices result in disparate outcomes for our students of color, students living in poverty, students receiving special education and English Learner services, students who identify as LGBTQ+, and highly mobile student populations.

Requires education leaders to develop an understanding of historical contexts; engage students, families, and community representatives as partners in decision-making; and actively dismantle systemic barriers, replacing them with policies and practices that ensure all students have access to the instruction and support they need to succeed in our schools.

Position Overview

OSPI is seeking an innovative and collaborative IT Network Engineer - IT Network and Telecommunications Senior/Specialist to join our Network Operations team. This senior-level role is critical to maintaining and evolving our enterprise network infrastructure and private cloud environment. The ideal candidate will be a strategic thinker and hands-on problem solver who thrives in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment. This position is based in Olympia, WA, and is integral to supporting the educational mission of OSPI by maintaining a robust and reliable IT environment.

Key Responsibilities

Network Infrastructure & Security

Design, deploy, and maintain enterprise network infrastructure, including LAN, WAN, VPN, firewalls, switches, and wireless networks.

Configure and manage Cisco Meraki network devices to optimize security and performance.

Implement network segmentation, VLANs, and routing protocols to enhance security and efficiency.

Conduct regular security assessments, including firewall policy reviews, intrusion detection/prevention, and zero-trust networking.

System Performance & Reliability

Ensure high availability of OSPI’s network infrastructure, applications, and cloud environments.

Proactively monitor and optimize network performance, troubleshooting latency, bottlenecks, and connectivity issues.

Maintain disaster recovery and redundancy planning, ensuring business continuity.

Cloud & Hybrid Networking

Support hybrid cloud integration, including Azure Virtual Networks, VPN gateways, and SD-WAN.

Implement best practices for secure cloud networking, leveraging tools like Microsoft Defender for Cloud and identity-based security models.

Collaboration & Technical Leadership

Partner with internal OSPI teams, school districts, and state agencies to provide secure, scalable, and user-friendly network solutions.

Assist in incident response and cybersecurity investigations.

Document network configurations, policies, and best practices to ensure compliance with state and federal regulations.

What We’re Looking For

A highly skilled network engineer with a strong background in enterprise networking, cloud integration, and infrastructure design.

A creative problem solver who can develop innovative solutions to improve efficiency and resilience.

A team player who values collaboration, knowledge sharing, and supporting the growth of others.

A strategic thinker who can translate business needs into technical solutions and contribute to long-term planning.

Minimum Qualifications:

This position requires at least nine years of experience through education, training or hands-on experience in a professional setting.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Information Technology, or a closely related field. AND

Experience: At least five years of recent professional experience in consulting, analyzing, designing, programming, installing, and/or maintaining IT infrastructure.

Alternatively - An associate degree in Computer Science, IT or closely related field; AND completion of seven (7) years recent professional experience in consulting, analyzing, designing, programming, installing and/or maintaining computer software applications, hardware, telecommunications, or network infrastructure equipment, directing projects, providing customer or technical support in information technology.

OR

Nine (9) years recent professional experience in consulting, analyzing, designing, programming, installing and/or maintaining computer software applications, hardware, telecommunications, or network infrastructure equipment, directing projects, providing customer or technical support in information technology.

Technical Skills: Proficiency in VMware, Azure, Microsoft Windows OS, Microsoft Office products, firewall deployment and configurations, IDS/IPS systems, cloud deployment and management, wireless connectivity, and network connectivity (CCNA preferred).

Leadership: At least three years of experience leading or supervising a team of IT professionals.

In addition to those qualifications that are required, our ideal applicant will also have some or all of the following desirable skills:

Advanced Security Certifications: Certifications such as CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) or CISM (Certified Information Security Manager) to demonstrate expertise in managing and securing IT infrastructure.

Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity: Proven experience in developing and implementing disaster recovery and business continuity plans to ensure the resilience of IT systems.

Cloud Computing Expertise: Advanced knowledge and experience with cloud platforms beyond Azure, such as AWS or Google Cloud, to provide a broader range of solutions.

Compliance and Regulatory Knowledge: Familiarity with relevant regulations and standards (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA, NIST) to ensure the agency's IT infrastructure complies with legal and regulatory requirements.

Vendor Management Experience: Strong skills in managing vendor relationships, including negotiating contracts and ensuring service level agreements (SLAs) are met.

Solution Skills: Excellent problem-solving abilities, critical thinking, and the capacity to work under pressure. Strong interpersonal skills to effectively collaborate with various stakeholders.

Desired Qualifications:

HP Simplivity: Experience deploying and troubleshooting Simplivity hosts.

Professionalism and Communication: Strong ability to communicate clearly and effectively, both verbally and in writing, tailored to different audiences.

Independence: Capability to complete tasks with minimal oversight, demonstrating self-motivation and initiative.

Compensation

The annual compensation for the position is $92,760 to $124,752 per year and depends upon experience, educational background and qualifications. Geographic differentials may be applied based on work location of successful candidate. Washington State offers a generous benefit package including health, dental and life insurance, retirement and an optional deferred compensation program. Please visit Health Care Authority for information regarding health benefits and the Department of Retirement Systems for retirement plan information. This is a general service position. This position is represented by a bargaining unit.

Application Process

Those interested in this position must apply through Careers.wa.gov. Applications must include the following documents in MS Word and PDF format only:

A letter of interest specifically addressing the qualifications listed in this announcement;

A current résumé, and;

A list of three or more professional references.

Please address any questions to:Sal Salazar, Human Resources

Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction

600 Washington Street Southeast

Olympia, Washington 98504-7200

:

Persons needing accommodation in the application process or this announcement in an alternative format may contact the Human Resources Office at or, or e-mail .

New Jobs Alert Service

OSPI offers a subscription service, which regularly notifies subscribers of new OSPI employment opportunities on careers.wa.gov. Subscribers are notified via text or email alert. If you are interested in this service, then please subscribe at this location.

OSPI is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from job seekers who will contribute to our diversity. OSPI provides equal access to all programs and services without discrimination based on sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, honorably discharged veteran or military status, sexual orientation including gender expression or identity, the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability. If you would like, please include your name and gender pronouns in your application, to ensure we address you appropriately throughout the application process. Persons needing accommodation in the application process or this announcement in an alternative format may contact the human resource consultant listed in “Application Process.”

Duties