Network Engineer

Swarthmore College is a highly selective liberal arts college located in the suburbs of Philadelphia, whose mission combines academic rigor with social responsibility. Swarthmore has a strong institutional commitment to inclusive excellence and nondiscrimination in its educational program and employment practices and encourages candidates who will further advance the goal of fostering a diverse and inclusive community. As one of the nation’s finest institutions of higher learning, Swarthmore College is global in outlook and draws students from around the nation and world. The 425?acre campus is a designated arboretum, complete with gardens, rolling lawns, a creek, wooded hills, and hiking trails in the Crum Woods.

Who We Are:

Information Technology Services (ITS) works in partnership with the campus community to provide leadership and assistance in information technology matters to achieve their goals and objectives. We are a highly service-oriented organization that provides robust, reliable, adaptable, and innovative technological resources through which the College community is empowered to accomplish the College’s mission and strategic plan.

The opportunity:

Reporting to the Director of Networking and Telecommunications, the Network Engineer performs complex engineering, including problem diagnostics and resolution, focused on the installation, configuration, and on-going evolution of campus networking to support Internet access, remote access, wireless networking, Voice over IP, and associated infrastructure. This position is approved for hybrid work, which requires being in the office at least three days per week.

Essential Responsibilities

• Install, configure, maintain, document, automate, and otherwise support network equipment, including but not limited to: switches, routers, UPS, diagnostic equipment, monitoring/security systems, wireless controllers/access points, VoIP, and other network servers
• Assure network stability, operability, and proper configuration of assigned technical systems and components
• Identify, diagnose, and resolve complex network configuration, connectivity, security, and access problems
• Configure and remediate problems with IoT devices including cameras, electronic door access, alarms, and other building automation systems
• Monitor network status, statistics, and system logs
• Maintain firewall access rules, VPN (site-to-site and client-based), and end-user network access control systems
• Protect the network from unauthorized access or malicious intent.
• Configure, maintain, and support connections to multiple Internet Service Providers, Internet2, cloud services, and consortium colleges
• Maintain campus copper wiring and fiber optic cabling plant, including terminate/test Ethernet cabling, document, and perform network cross-connects. Provide direction to wiring contractors regarding locations and standards to be followed when installing new cabling.

Who you are:

• Adventurous caretaker of network communications.
• Able to creatively apply technical knowledge to unique situations.
• Willing to crisscross campus to find a solution. Reliable in a crisis. Voracious reader of obscure documentation.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to present ideas to work teams and clients clearly.
• Ability to work cooperatively in a team environment and maintain timely communication with other IT work groups.
• Excellent technical problem-solving skills including the ability to identify, prioritize, and resolve multiple complex technical problems.
• High standards of professional ethics, including maintaining confidentiality and respecting privacy.
• Attention to detail and good judgement in avoiding unplanned service interruptions.

What you bring:

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree
• Minimum of 3-4 years enterprise-scale experience with all or nearly all of the following:
• Ethernet network switches (edge/distribution) and routers (core/border)
• Fast Ethernet, Gigabit ethernet, 10G, 25G, 40G, and 100GbE
• PoE, VLAN tags, port aggregation, and VRRP
• TCP/IP protocols, packet capture/analysis, DHCP, DNS, NTP, and IPAM
• 802.11a-ax, EAP-PEAP, WPA2, security certificates
• Routing protocols including OSPF and BGP
• Security systems including application aware NextGen firewalls
• VPN protocols including IPSEC, SSL VPN, site-to-site VPN
• IOT including phones, cameras, card access, and building automation
• Microsoft Windows 10/11, macOS, iOS, and Android client devices
• Network management and analysis systems, SNMP, Netflow, RADIUS, syslog, Splunk.

Preferred Qualifications

• Knowledge of and experience with the following is strongly preferred:
• DCI technologies, including VXLAN, EVPN, and MP-BGP, anycast
• Juniper, HPE Aruba, Palo Alto, and Cisco network equipment
• Zoom Workplace
• Solarwinds, Splunk, syslog
• VMware, Windows Servers, Unix.
• Work experience in Higher Education.

Physical Demands

• Position needs to traverse campus, ascend/descend building floors and transport/install equipment weighing up to 70 pounds.

Working Conditions

• Occasional travel and equipment transport to remote sites in center city Philadelphia using personal car.
• Share 24x7 on-call support for major network problems with the other members of the group.

What You Will Get:

You’ll work at one of the world's most renowned liberal arts Colleges, with incredible benefits, a stunning 420-acre campus, and a collaborative work environment. Join a team of passionate, creative people who work hard and have fun supporting the College students, faculty, and staff.

We want to hear from you if you are excited about this role! For full consideration, submit applications with an uploaded resume, including a cover letter, by August 15, 2025. Applications received after this date may be reviewed on a rolling basis until the job has been filled. A cover letter indicating how your qualifications and experience have prepared you for this position. If you have experience that meets any of the preferred qualifications, please include a detailed explanation of any such experience in your cover letter and how it meets the preferred qualification(s).

The market range for this position is $95,000-$119,000 per year, which represents the College’s good faith and reasonable estimate of the range at the time of posting. The salary offered is determined based on factors including, but not limited to, experience and education of the final selected candidate, departmental budget availability, internal salary equity considerations, and available market information.

PA Criminal Clearance Required

Swarthmore College requires a PA Criminal background check for all staff positions prior to the start of employment.

Education Verification Required by Position

An education verification is required for this position because a college degree is a required qualification for this position.

Preview our Benefits Flyer . We offer benefit plans starting at zero cost! Upon benefit eligibility, the College contributes 10% of an employee’s salary to their retirement account. Employees are 100% vested in their accounts on the date participation begins.

2025 Swarthmore Benefits Guidebook

Retirement Plans

Tuition Grant Program

Tuition Reimbursement Program

Paid Time Off (Staff)

Holiday Schedule

Swarthmore College actively seeks and welcomes applications from candidates with exceptional qualifications, particularly those with demonstrable commitments to a more inclusive society and world. Swarthmore College is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.