Network Administrator I, BRS

Position Summary:

Big River Steel is seeking a highly skilled Network Administrator to design, implement, operate, and continuously improve our enterprise networking environment. This role is hands-on and mission-critical, supporting data center, office IT, and process control (OT) networks that underpin modern steel manufacturing.

This position places a strong emphasis on Cisco-based networking technologies, including Cisco ISE, DNA Center, TACACS+, Nexus, Catalyst, and enterprise routing architectures, with a security-first mindset. The Network Administrator will work closely with cybersecurity, infrastructure, OT, application, and support teams to ensure the network is resilient, scalable, and aligned with business and manufacturing objectives.

In addition to core enterprise networking, this role supports Big River Steels big data and industrial modernization strategy, delivering reliable LAN and WAN services that enable analytics, automation, and operational insight across the organization.

This role demands deep technical expertise, strong collaboration skills, and the discipline to operate in a fast-moving industrial environment where uptime matters.

Key Responsibilities:

Network Design, Engineering, and Operations

Design, implement, and support complex enterprise network architectures across data center, campus, WAN, wireless, and process control environments

Engineer and maintain Cisco-based infrastructure including Nexus, Catalyst, ASR, ISE, DNA Center, and Meraki

Design and support high-availability switching architectures, including 802.1AX (LACP), port-channeling, and redundant network paths

Design, implement, and support dynamic routing protocols, including BGP and OSPF, for campus, data center, and WAN environments

Support LAN, WAN, SD-WAN, and wireless networks, ensuring high availability, performance, and fault tolerance

Design and maintain secure access control solutions using Cisco ISE and TACACS+

Provide Tier 3 support for next-generation firewalls and advanced network security incidents

Serve as escalation point for complex connectivity, performance, and security issues

Security and Network Services:

Implement and support network segmentation, access control, and zero-trust-aligned designs

Support VPN technologies, remote access, and secure partner connectivity

Collaborate closely with cybersecurity and OT teams to ensure compliance with industrial security requirements

Support secure client, server, application, cloud, and OT communications across local and wide-area networks

Data Center and Industrial Networking:

Support data center networking including Cisco Nexus, VRF, VLANs, routing, VPNs, and network virtualization

Implement 802.1AX (LACP) for server, storage, firewall, and industrial system connectivity

Design and support OSPF-based internal routing and BGP-based external and WAN routing, including route filtering, summarization, and policy control

Work alongside server and virtualization teams supporting VMware vSphere

Support industrial and process control networking with an understanding of availability, latency, and safety constraints

Monitoring, Automation, and Process Improvement:

Collect, analyze, and leverage network performance and telemetry data for troubleshooting and optimization

Develop and document repeatable, scalable processes for common network operations

Improve operational efficiency through standardization, automation, and improved tooling

Maintain accurate and up-to-date technical documentation, diagrams, and standards

Collaboration and Operations:

Work effectively with infrastructure, cybersecurity, OT, application, and support teams

Coordinate project activities, including planning, scheduling, change management, and reporting

Participate in a rotating on-call schedule and provide after-hours support as required

Act as a self-directed problem solver, owning issues from identification through resolution

Required Skills and Experience:

Technical Expertise:

Strong understanding of TCP/IP networking, including subnetting, routing, and advanced troubleshooting

Strong understanding of Layer 2 and Layer 3 networking, including VLANs, STP, 802.1AX (LACP), BGP, and OSPF

Hands-on experience designing and operating resilient switching and routing environments using redundancy and dynamic routing protocols

Experience with:

o Cisco Nexus, Catalyst, ASR, ASA, ISE, DNA Center, Meraki

o BGP and OSPF in enterprise, data center, or WAN environments

o Routing protocols, MPLS, NAT, DNS, SD-WAN, VPN technologies

o Network security, QoS, wireless, and network monitoring tools

Experience designing and implementing LAN/WAN/Wi-Fi solutions in large enterprise or industrial environments

Proven ability to engineer, deploy, and support enterprise-grade networking solutions at scale

Experience with Cisco, Palo Alto Networks, and F5 enterprise platforms

Professional Skills:

Strong written and verbal communication skills

Ability to work effectively in cross-functional teams

Self-starter with strong ownership mentality and attention to detail

Adaptable to organizational change and evolving technical requirements

Comfortable working independently in high-impact environments

Nice-to-Have Skills:

Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls

GlobalProtect VPN

BeyondTrust or SecureLink experience

Industrial or OT network security experience

Education and Certifications:

Bachelors degree in Computer Science, MIS, or equivalent combination of education and experience

Preferred certifications:

o CCNP or equivalent

o CISSP or other industry-recognized certifications

Experience Requirements:

710 years of progressive experience in enterprise or industrial networking roles

Demonstrated experience supporting complex, mission-critical network environments

Compensation and Benefits:

Big River Steel offers a comprehensive total rewards package including:

Competitive base salary

401(k) with company match

Medical, dental, disability, and wellness programs

Strong work-life and family support programs