IT Networking Engineer

Who are we:

We’re a leading Northeast family-owned food, agricultural products, and agricultural services organization headquartered in Pennsylvania. We provide animal nutrition and feeds; specialty protein production, processing, and marketing; on-farm protein production services; and grain, fertilizer, and ingredient procurement.

We’re a stable company with strong core values, great benefits, competitive wage structure, and a safe and healthy work environment. With over 1600 team members, we're a growing company in an essential sector – agriculture!

Learn more here: https://www.thewengergroup.com

What your day looks like:

POSITION SUMMARY:

The IT Network Engineer is responsible for designing, implementing, maintaining, and optimizing the organization's network infrastructure across all locations. This role ensures all network-related systems' stability, security, and efficiency, including LAN, WAN, wireless, and cloud networking environments. The IT Network Engineer works closely with IT operations, cybersecurity, and business stakeholders to support day-to-day network performance, troubleshoot connectivity issues, and implement network improvements aligned with business needs. This role requires strong technical expertise in network protocols, hardware, and software and a proactive approach to network monitoring and security.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

• Configure, maintain and troubleshoot enterprise network components, including routers, switches, firewalls, wireless access points, and SD-WAN devices.
• Ensure stable network connectivity across all 30+ locations, including corporate offices, data centers, and remote sites.
• Monitor network traffic, latency, and availability using network monitoring tools.
• Ensure network redundancies are in place to maintain business continuity during outages.
• Identify and resolve performance bottlenecks, ensuring optimal user experience and minimal downtime.
• Implement and maintain firewalls, VPNs, and network access controls to protect against cyber threats.
• Collaborate with security teams to ensure compliance with IT security policies and regulatory standards.
• Collaborate with business leaders to understand network needs and deliver customized solutions.
• Work closely with IT infrastructure, applications, and cybersecurity teams to support business initiatives.
• Take over a self-driven, self-managed role in developing, transitioning, operating, and continuously improving IT infrastructure and networking. Follow through with changes persistently to achieve defined objectives.
• Diagnose and resolve network-related issues, escalating to senior engineers or vendors when necessary.
• Develop and implement disaster recovery plans for network infrastructure.
• Provide tier 2/3 support for network incidents and outages, ensuring quick resolution.
• Maintain network hardware, including routers, switches, firewalls, and wireless systems.
• Respond to network-related incidents and outages promptly.
• Perform root cause analysis for recurring network problems and propose solutions.
• Provide technical support to end users regarding network issues and resolution.
• Install and configure necessary network management, monitoring, and security software.
• Manage and update firmware/software for network devices and systems.
• Assist in IT infrastructure projects, including network expansions, upgrades, and cloud networking integrations.
• Maintain accurate network architecture documentation, configurations, and standard operating procedures.
• Follow ITIL and change management processes to ensure structured and secure network changes.
• Plan for future network capacity needs based on business forecasts.
• Implement network expansion plans as the organization grows and its traffic increases.
• Stay updated with the latest networking trends, technologies, and certifications.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE:

Basic Qualifications:

• ITIL Foundation certification (preferred)
• Industry or Vendor Certifications (e.g., Cisco, CompTIA, Microsoft)
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to engage with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Solid knowledge of Microsoft Windows Server technologies.
• Proven experience with high availability IT systems and ensuring network reliability.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Active Directory management and troubleshooting.
• Strong understanding of IT industry standards and best practices.

Personal Skills/Characteristics:

• Collaborative team player with the ability to work effectively with diverse groups, including staff, peers, and external stakeholders, to achieve business objectives.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities, with a proactive approach to overcoming challenges.
• Demonstrates initiative and the ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
• Strong sense of responsibility, able to manage complex issues with persistence and follow-through.
• Enthusiastic and self-driven, with a positive, encouraging attitude and a passion for continuous learning and improvement.
• Embraces change as an opportunity for growth and consistently seeks ways to drive improvements in processes and technologies.

In addition to our more traditional benefits, we also offer great perks and numerous resources for professional development and team building:

• Promotional opportunities
• Rewards and recognition programs
• Robust onboarding and training program
• Employee Discount Programs (Perks at Work)
• Employee referral program
• Encouraging and collaborative culture

What our benefits are:

• Paid Time Off, Floating Holiday, Volunteer Day, Parental Leave, etc.
• Carebridge Employee Assistance Program

For all full-time members:

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• Health Savings Account (HSA)
• Medical Flexible Spending Account
• Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account
• Life Insurance/Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance
• Short-Term & Long-Term Disability
• Pet Insurance

Each team member has the potential to earn a yearly bonus based on the achievement of company goals.

The Wenger Group provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type as protected by federal, state, or local laws. This applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.