Job Description L2 SD-WAN Engineer

Job Title: L2 SD-WAN Engineer
Location: Hyderabad
Experience: Minimum 57 years

Qualification:

B.E./B.Tech./MCA with minimum 5 years of relevant experience
OR BCA/B.Sc.-IT with minimum 7 years of relevant experience

Certifications Required:

OEM certification in at least one SD-WAN technology is preferred/mandatory, such as:

Cisco SD-WAN
Fortinet Secure SD-WAN
Versa SD-WAN

CCNA/CCNP, NSE/FCP, Versa Certified or equivalent networking/SD-WAN certification will be an added advantage.
CEH certified

Job Summary:

We are seeking a highly capable and experienced L2 SD-WAN Engineer to join the Network Operations team at the client location. The candidate will be responsible for the day-to-day operation, monitoring, troubleshooting, configuration, maintenance, and implementation of multi-vendor SD-WAN environments.

The role requires strong hands-on experience in SD-WAN technologies and enterprise networking, with the ability to work across different OEM platforms such as Cisco SD-WAN, Fortinet Secure SD-WAN, and Versa SD-WAN. The candidate will work closely with L1, L3, Network, Security, ISP, and OEM teams to ensure high availability, optimal performance, and secure connectivity across data centers, branch offices, cloud environments, and remote locations.

The candidate should have a good understanding of SD-WAN architecture, centralized orchestration, underlay and overlay networks, routing protocols, VPN/VRF, IPsec tunnels, application-aware routing, QoS, high availability, and Internet/MPLS connectivity.

Key Responsibilities:

Monitor and manage multi-vendor SD-WAN infrastructure, including Cisco, Fortinet, and Versa SD-WAN solutions.
Perform day-to-day operational support and troubleshooting of SD-WAN devices, controllers, orchestrators, and management platforms.
Monitor the health and availability of SD-WAN overlay and underlay networks, including WAN links, tunnels, controllers, and edge devices.
Troubleshoot SD-WAN connectivity issues involving MPLS, Internet, broadband, LTE/4G/5G, and other WAN transport technologies.
Troubleshoot and resolve issues related to IPsec tunnels, overlay connectivity, routing, VPN/VRF, BGP, OSPF, static routes, and route propagation.
Analyze SD-WAN alarms, events, logs, and performance metrics to identify and resolve network incidents.
Configure and troubleshoot application-aware routing, traffic steering, SLA-based path selection, QoS, and bandwidth utilization.
Perform configuration and policy changes through centralized SD-WAN management and orchestration platforms.
Implement SD-WAN policies, templates, profiles, routing configurations, security policies, and application-based traffic steering as per approved requirements.
Support deployment and implementation of new SD-WAN sites, branches, data centers, and cloud connectivity.
Participate in SD-WAN migration projects, including migration from traditional MPLS-based networks to SD-WAN solutions.
Perform SD-WAN edge device onboarding, provisioning, configuration, and validation activities.
Support integration of SD-WAN with existing network and security infrastructure, including firewalls, routers, switches, Internet gateways, and cloud platforms.
Perform health checks, configuration backups, software upgrades, firmware upgrades, and patch management for SD-WAN infrastructure.
Troubleshoot performance issues related to latency, packet loss, jitter, bandwidth utilization, and application performance.
Coordinate with ISPs and telecom service providers for resolution of WAN link-related incidents and performance issues.
Work with L1 and L3 teams to investigate, troubleshoot, and resolve complex SD-WAN incidents and service-impacting issues.
Participate in the incident, problem, and change management processes and ensure compliance with defined ITIL processes and SLAs.
Validate and implement approved SD-WAN change requests, including impact assessment, implementation planning, rollback planning, and post-change validation.
Support SD-WAN high-availability configurations, redundancy testing, failover testing, and DR drills.
Perform planned and emergency changes during maintenance windows and ensure proper post-change validation.
Support troubleshooting and implementation of SD-WAN security features, including IPsec encryption, segmentation, secure connectivity, and integration with next-generation firewalls.
Support network segmentation using VPN/VRF and SD-WAN segmentation policies based on business and security requirements.
Perform configuration-level remediation activities identified through vulnerability assessments, security audits, and compliance reviews.
Analyze and act upon OEM advisories, security vulnerabilities, bug notifications, and recommended software upgrades relevant to SD-WAN platforms.
Maintain updated network diagrams, configuration documents, implementation documents, SOPs, MOPs, and troubleshooting guides.
Create and maintain knowledge base articles for recurring SD-WAN incidents, known errors, and standard troubleshooting procedures.
Prepare operational reports covering SD-WAN availability, incidents, link performance, SLA compliance, capacity utilization, and recurring issues.
Generate reports and dashboards related to SD-WAN health, network performance, incidents, and service trends.
Demonstrate proficiency in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint for operational reporting, data analysis, and management presentations.
Coordinate with OEM support teams for complex technical issues and track cases through resolution.
Participate in technology refresh, capacity expansion, and SD-WAN optimization initiatives.
Continuously optimize SD-WAN configurations and policies to improve network availability, application performance, and bandwidth utilization.
Ensure compliance with defined security policies, operational procedures, change management processes, and SLA requirements.
Maintain awareness of the latest SD-WAN features, technologies, best practices, and product enhancements from Cisco, Fortinet, Versa, and other relevant OEMs.

Technical Skills / Desired Competencies:

Strong hands-on experience in enterprise networking and SD-WAN operations.
Good understanding of SD-WAN architecture, control plane, data plane, management plane, and orchestration components.
Hands-on experience with one or more of:

Cisco SD-WAN / Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN
Fortinet Secure SD-WAN / FortiGate
Versa SD-WAN

Strong knowledge of TCP/IP, IPv4/IPv6, VLAN, NAT, DNS, DHCP, ACL, IPsec, GRE, and routing concepts.
Good hands-on knowledge of BGP, OSPF, static routing, route redistribution, and routing policies.
Good understanding of MPLS, Internet, broadband, LTE/4G/5G and hybrid WAN connectivity.
Experience in troubleshooting IPsec tunnels, overlay/underlay connectivity, routing issues, packet loss, latency, jitter, and application performance.
Knowledge of QoS, application-aware routing, traffic engineering, and dynamic path selection.
Understanding of network security concepts, including firewalls, segmentation, secure tunnels, encryption, and security policies.
Experience with SD-WAN monitoring, centralized management, orchestration, and analytics platforms.
Ability to perform packet-level troubleshooting using tools such as Wireshark, ping, traceroute, and vendor-specific troubleshooting utilities.
Good analytical and troubleshooting skills with the ability to handle critical network incidents under SLA-driven operations.
Ability to work in a multi-vendor environment and adapt to different OEM technologies and operational processes.
Strong communication and coordination skills for working with L1/L3 teams, OEMs, ISPs, and client stakeholders.
Willingness to work in 247 operations / rotational shifts, including weekends and holidays, as required by business needs.
Strong documentation and reporting skills with proficiency in MS Excel, PowerPoint, and Visio or equivalent network diagramming tools.

Preferred Experience:

Experience in large enterprise or managed services environments.
Experience supporting geographically distributed branch networks.
Experience in SD-WAN implementation, migration, and rollout projects.
Experience in multi-vendor SD-WAN environments involving Cisco, Fortinet, and Versa.
Experience in managing critical incidents and participating in major incident management processes.
Experience in network automation, API-based configuration, or SD-WAN orchestration is an added advantage.
Experience working with ITIL-based Incident, Problem, Change, and Configuration Management processes.

Lead - Captive Operations