Senior Network Consultant at UnitedHealth Group

Optum is a global organization that delivers care, aided by technology to help millions of people live healthier lives. The work you do with our team will directly improve health outcomes by connecting people with the care, pharmacy benefits, data and resources they need to feel their best. Here, you will find a culture guided by inclusion, talented peers, comprehensive benefits and career development opportunities. Come make an impact on the communities we serve as you help us advance health optimization on a global scale. Join us to start Caring. Connecting. Growing together. We are seeking an experienced Senior Network Consultant (Technical Lead) to lead the design, implementation, support, and optimization of enterprise network services across global and hybrid environments This role combines deep technical expertise in Enterprise Networking, Routing & Switching, Network Security, Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFW), and Cloud Connectivity with technical leadership responsibilities. The successful candidate will provide technical direction, mentor engineers, lead complex infrastructure initiatives, and serve as the escalation point for critical network issues This is a hands-on Technical Lead role, requiring active participation in engineering, troubleshooting, project delivery, and infrastructure modernization while providing guidance and leadership across the network engineering team The ideal candidate is a strong technical leader who can balance operational priorities, stakeholder engagement, project delivery, and hands-on engineering responsibilities

Primary Responsibilities

Technical Leadership Provide technical leadership for network operations, engineering initiatives, and strategic infrastructure projects Mentor, coach, and support the technical development of network engineers Coordinate and prioritize engineering activities to meet operational and project objectives Review technical designs, implementation plans, and change requests for compliance with engineering standards and best practices Serve as the primary escalation point for complex incidents, major outages, and problem management activities Collaborate with management and stakeholders on resource planning, prioritization, workload balancing, and service delivery Support recruitment, onboarding, and professional development of engineering staff Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement Hands-On Engineering & Technical Delivery Maintain an active hands-on engineering role and participate directly in technical delivery activities Lead troubleshooting, implementation, migration, optimization, and remediation efforts Perform network configuration, deployment, upgrades, and maintenance activities as required Independently resolve complex technical issues across enterprise network environments Participate in maintenance windows, critical incidents, change implementations, and project deployments Lead root cause analysis and resolution for high-priority incidents Serve as both a technical decision-maker and delivery resource during periods of increased operational or project demand Balance leadership responsibilities with technical execution to ensure successful business outcomes Network Engineering & Operations Design, implement, support, and optimize enterprise LAN, WAN, Data Center, Wireless, and remote site network infrastructures Configure, maintain, and troubleshoot enterprise networking platforms Manage and support routing protocols including: BGP OSPF EIGRP Support switching technologies including: VLAN STP LACP VPC / MLAG VXLAN Ensure network availability, reliability, scalability, and performance across global environments Lead network lifecycle management activities including upgrades, migrations, refreshes, and modernization initiatives Support highly available and disaster recovery-enabled network environments Support hybrid network architectures spanning on-premises, cloud, and remote office environments Collaborate on cloud connectivity and network transformation initiatives Perform advanced troubleshooting, root cause analysis, and issue resolution Firewall & Network Security Manage and support enterprise security platforms including: Palo Alto Fortinet Check Point Cisco Firepower Implement and maintain security technologies and controls including: IPSec VPN SSL VPN Network Segmentation IDS/IPS Threat Prevention URL Filtering Secure Remote Access Partner with Security teams to strengthen security posture and remediate vulnerabilities Support Zero Trust, compliance, risk mitigation, and cybersecurity initiatives Participate in security assessments, audits, and remediation activities Documentation & Collaboration Maintain network documentation, technical standards, operational procedures, and support runbooks Develop and maintain network diagrams, architecture documents, and configuration standards Collaborate with Infrastructure, Cloud, Security, Application, and Project teams to deliver integrated technology solutions Participate in architecture reviews, design discussions, and technology evaluations Support roadmap planning, modernization efforts, and infrastructure transformation initiatives Provide regular technical updates and recommendations to leadership and stakeholders Perform Technical Lead responsibilities as required by the organization Represent Network Engineering in cross-functional projects, operational reviews, audits, and stakeholder meetings Support vendor engagement, escalation management, service governance, and operational planning activities Act as a trusted advisor for network-related projects and technical decisions Drive successful delivery of initiatives while maintaining operational stability and service quality Demonstrate end-to-end ownership from planning and implementation through operational support and continuous improvement Comply with the terms and conditions of the employment contract, company policies and procedures, and any and all directives (such as, but not limited to, transfer and/or re-assignment to different work locations, change in teams and/or work shifts, policies in regards to flexibility of work benefits and/or work environment, alternative work arrangements, and other decisions that may arise due to the changing business environment). The Company may adopt, vary or rescind these policies and directives in its absolute discretion and without any limitation (implied or otherwise) on its ability to do so

Required Qualifications

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or equivalent professional experience 8+ years of experience in Enterprise Network Engineering, Infrastructure Operations, or Network Consulting Proven experience leading technical teams, infrastructure projects, and operational initiatives Expe