Job Description

Employment Type: Salaried
Work Arrangement:  Hybrid 

Position Summary:

The purpose of the Network Systems Engineer, Sr. position is to design, implement, and maintain Ventura Foods’ complex network infrastructure, ensuring high availability, security, and optimal performance across multiple locations. This role requires advanced expertise in network architecture, security protocols, and access controls to support the organization’s business operations effectively. The Sr. Engineer will collaborate closely with cross-functional IT teams, providing guidance on network resilience strategies, troubleshooting critical issues, and executing strategic projects, including IT/OT integration, SD-WAN, and Zero Trust initiatives. Through proactive network monitoring, performance tuning, and security enforcement, this role supports Ventura Foods' commitment to robust, secure, and scalable network solutions that drive business continuity and growth.

Major Duties and Responsibilities:

• Network Design & Implementation : Develop and deploy LAN, WAN, SD-WAN, and SASE solutions to ensure connectivity across Ventura Foods locations. Implement Zero Trust Architecture and Cisco ISE for secure access and continuous verification.
• Maintenance & Optimization : Monitor, maintain, and optimize network systems using SolarWinds and Infoblox. Review and upgrade Cisco Catalyst, Nexus switches, and Palo Alto firewalls to align with best practices.
• Troubleshooting & Support : Act as an escalation point for complex network issues, ensuring quick diagnostics and resolutions to minimize downtime. Collaborate with teams for efficient problem-solving.
• Documentation & Reporting : Maintain detailed network documentation, including configurations, SOPs, and DR plans. Generate reports on network performance, security posture, and project updates for stakeholders.
• Project Management & Collaboration : Lead projects like IT/OT integration, SD-WAN deployment, and cloud connectivity. Collaborate with IT teams (Security, Compliance, DevOps) to ensure project alignment with strategic goals.
• Technology Evaluation & Improvement : Research and recommend new networking technologies to enhance performance and security. Implement process optimizations for increased resilience.
• Security & Compliance : Manage security measures on network devices, ensuring policy and regulation compliance. Conduct regular vulnerability assessments and risk analyses.
• Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity : Develop and execute DR strategies to enable rapid restoration during disruptions. Conduct failover simulations and scenario planning to validate business continuity.
• Vendor & Stakeholder Management : Coordinate with network hardware and services vendors. Act as a key contact for stakeholders, providing insights to meet operational needs.

Education and Experience:

• 7+ years prior experience as listed in Primary Technical Skills
• Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or related field

Knowledge and Skills:

Personal Skills

• Strategic Vision : Strong ability to plan and execute network resilience strategies, including Zero Trust and adaptive security.
• Collaboration : Effective communicator with strong teamwork skills to ensure smooth project execution.

Professional Skills

• BC/DR Expertise : Experienced in developing and testing BC/DR plans with regular failover simulations.
• ITSM Standards & Documentation : Proficient in ITIL practices for incident, problem, and change management. Strong documentation skills for SOPs, DR plans, and compliance.
• Resilience Planning : Conducts regular DR and continuity tests using automated tools to support robust recovery

Technical Skills

• Network Security : Proficient in Cisco ISE, Zero Trust Architecture, and Palo Alto firewalls.
• Cloud & Hybrid Networking : Experienced in SD-WAN (e.g., VeloCloud) and secure cloud connectivity with Azure and AWS.
• Monitoring & Management : Skilled in Infoblox (DNS, DHCP, IPAM) and SolarWinds Orion for proactive network monitoring.
• Wireless Networking : Hands-on experience with Ruckus SmartZone for Wi-Fi management.
• Routing & Switching : Expertise in Cisco Catalyst and Nexus switches, and Layer 3 routing protocols like OSPF and BGP.

Key Vendor Solutions

• Palo Alto Networks : Configuring firewalls for threat prevention and using GlobalProtect VPN. Proficient in Cortex XDR for threat detection.
• SD-WAN & SASE : Deployed SD-WAN for optimized connectivity and familiar with SASE for unified security.
• Infoblox DDI : Expert in managing DNS, DHCP, and IP configurations, including DNS security.
• ServiceNow ITSM : Proficiency in incident and change management.
• SolarWinds Orion : Expertise in alerts and reporting for proactive monitoring.

Why Join Us:
Ventura Foods innovates and manufactures food solutions for foodservice and retail businesses. We make exclusive products for the world's most iconic restaurants and retailers, we provide ready-to-go product solutions for professional kitchens, and we make consumer brands everyone knows and loves. When you work for Ventura Foods, you get a strong foundation of training, a manager who cares about you and celebrates your success, a safe environment, and challenging work. As part of our team, your future is limited only by how much you’re willing to push yourself to get there. We invest in your growth because you invest in ours.

Ventura Foods offers career growth opportunities as well as competitive compensation and benefits:​

• Medical, Prescription, Dental, & Vision – coverage beginning on your 1st day for eligible employees​
• Profit Sharing and 401(k) matching (after eligible criteria is met)​
• Paid Vacation, Sick Time, and Holidays​
• Employee Appreciation Events​ and Employee Assistance Programs
• Salary Base Range of $127,062.00 - $166,769.40*

*The “base salary range” provided above is a good faith estimate of what we expect to pay for this position in the specified markets. Ventura Foods reserves the right to pay outside of the given range based on a variety of factors including but not limited to: candidate skills and experience, complexity of the job, budgetary factors, and location/geography. Ventura Foods conducts regular reviews of compensation ranges and therefore reserves the right to alter this range at any given time.

Diversity & Inclusion:
Our commitment to a diverse and inclusive environment in which all employees are treated with respect is evident in our company culture and values. We believe that fostering an environment of inclusion and a focus on diversity across our organization is vital to attracting top talent, driving innovation, and meeting the high expectations of our customers in a rapidly evolving global marketplace.

Ventura Foods is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.

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