Senior Network Patch Management Engineer

Location: Jacksonville, FL, 32099, United States

Salary: USD 95 - 100 (Yearly)

Job Type: Full Time

Industry: Computer Software

Contact: Elankumaran VJob Title: Senior Network Patch Management Engineer

Location: Jacksonville, FL

Duration: FulltimeROLE SUMMARYThe L2 Senior Network Patch Management Engineer owns the firmware and software lifecycle across a multi-vendor network estate (LAN, WAN, data centre fabrics, firewalls, load balancers, and wireless). Responsibilities include risk assessment, automated patching workflows, vulnerability-led prioritisation, and cross-team co-ordination for zero-disruption maintenance. The role serves as an escalation point for L1 and leads continuous improvement of network patching practices.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES: Manage the firmware / software lifecycle for routers, switches, firewalls, load balancers, and wireless controllers across multi-vendor environments (Cisco, Juniper, Aruba, Palo Alto, F5, Fortinet).Assess vendor advisories (Cisco PSIRT, Juniper JSA, Palo Alto Security Advisories) and map CVEs to required upgrades; prioritise based on business impact and CVSS score. Develop and maintain device-specific patching runbooks including pre-check scripts, upgrade procedures, rollback steps, and post-validation checks. Automate network patch workflows using Ansible, Netmiko, NAPALM, or vendor APIs (Cisco NSO / DNA Centre).Lead maintenance window planning: impact analysis, rollback testing, stakeholder communication, and CAB submission. Oversee configuration backup integrity (RANCID / Oxidised / Cisco NSO) before every patching activity. Conduct structured rollback for failed upgrades; perform root cause analysis and document findings. Integrate network vulnerability data from Qualys / Tenable into the patch prioritisation workflow. Monitor network stability post-patching using NMS/IPAM tools (SolarWinds, NetBrain, Infoblox).Act as L2 escalation for L1 patch-related issues and routing/connectivity incidents. Produce patch compliance reports and present to network management and security teams. Drive patching SLA adherence: Critical vulnerabilities within 72 hours, High within 14 days. TECHNICAL SKILLS & KNOWLEDGEExpert-level CLI skills: Cisco IOS / IOS-XE / NX-OS, Juniper JunOS, Aruba AOS, Palo Alto PAN-OS.Deep understanding of network protocols: OSPF, BGP, EIGRP, MPLS, VRF, STP, HSRP/VRRP.Experience with automated patching toolchains: Ansible, Netmiko, NAPALM, Python (Paramiko).Vendor firmware lifecycle knowledge including feature releases, maintenance releases, and ED/MD trains (Cisco SMU, Juniper package management).Firewall firmware management: Palo Alto, Fortinet FortiOS, Cisco ASA/FTD upgrade procedures. Load balancer firmware: F5 BIG-IP or Citrix ADC upgrade methodology. Network management platforms: Cisco DNA Centre, SolarWinds NPM/NCM, NetBrain, Infoblox. Vulnerability management: parsing Cisco PSIRT, Juniper JSA, and NVD CVE data. ITSM integration: Service Now change management, CMDB for network asset tracking. SD-WAN patching exposure (Cisco Viptela, VMware VeloCloud) is advantageous. SOFT SKILLS & COMPETENCIESStrong risk assessment skills: balances urgency with network stability. Excellent planning skills for complex, multi-device maintenance windows. Clear communicator with NOC, application, and security teams. Methodical documentation – detailed runbooks, RCAs, and change records. Proactive – stays current with vendor EOL/EOS notices and security advisories. PREFERREDCERTIFICATIONSCisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP Enterprise or Security) Juniper Networks Certified Professional (JNCIP-ENT or JNCIP-SEC) Palo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Engineer (PCNSE) CompTIA Security+ or CySA+ITIL 4 Foundation or Managing Professional IndustryComputer Software DurationFulltimeSkillsNetwork, Patch