The Manager of Network Engineering leads and manages a team of network engineers responsible for planning, designing, implementing, and supporting Pepperdine University’s data network. As part of the Information Technology Systems & Networking group, this role ensures the reliability, security, and performance of the University’s network infrastructure. In alignment with Pepperdine’s mission, the Manager supports a technology environment that advances teaching, learning, and community engagement, enabling faculty, staff, and students to thrive in a purpose-driven academic setting.
Duties
- Leadership and Administration:
- Provides strong leadership to the Network Engineering team; sets departmental goals and objectives, reviews the goals and objectives of the other Systems & Networking teams, and aligns teams and projects with the strategic goals of Systems & Networking, Information Technology (IT), and the University; Delegates tasks with appropriate guidance or mentorship.
- Empowers staff to take ownership of duties, projects, and problems; to work collaboratively in flexible teams with strong camaraderie; to provide excellent, compassionate customer service; to gather and analyze metrics for team and area success; to work with high integrity to maintain the trust of the University community; to manage time, information, and resources responsibly for excellent stewardship and productivity.
- Routinely reviews established standards, practices, procedures, and processes within the unit and recommends and/or implements continual improvement initiatives; manages contracts and renewals, negotiating for the best possible prices and terms.
- Holds teams, individuals, and external vendors accountable for following procedures/practices and representing the University well through word and deed; motivates and develops assigned staff by evaluating performance, identifying technical training opportunities, and providing developmental work assignments.
- Reviews and submits regular, timely, and complete paperwork and processes, such as status reports, bi-weekly or monthly timesheets, financial activities, assessments for mid-year and annual reviews, and other routine IT and University practices; keeps personal and shared workspaces clean and organized.
- Network, Data, Systems, and Resource Management:
- Develops, implements, and maintains policies, procedures, and training plans for network systems administration and appropriate use in conjunction with other team members; serves as the primary point-of-contact for network engineering services, network scope expansion, and contact management to ensure customer needs are met.
- Ensures daily work orders, support requests, and tasks are performed by self and the team on a timely basis; maintains accurate, effective, and complete documentation and inventory of the University's network systems; assists team and others as needed in the day-to-day analysis and support for all University networking solutions.
- Researches the latest innovations in communication and networking solutions that may improve services and meet the current and future needs of Pepperdine University.
- Planning and Project Management:
- Works with the Director of Systems & Networking to establish a vision and roadmap for Network Engineering and the University's network infrastructure and partners with key stakeholders to gather feedback and build a consensus on future projects, upgrades, and/or changes.
- Oversees multiple and complex projects; estimates time and resources required for tasks and projects; manages or coordinates project assignments, application/service upgrades, operational support, documentation updates, communication plans, and post-implementation monitoring.
- Takes ownership of assigned projects and plays a proactive role towards the goal of project completion from start to finish; reports status of current projects on a regular basis to supervisor, leadership, and stakeholders; uses project management software to track, monitor, and measure all projects.
- Communication and Relationships:
- Promotes professionalism across the division to ensure that each staff member represents Pepperdine and IT in a professional manner when collaborating with internal and external stakeholders; conducts outreach to University stakeholders to determine needs and build strong, positive, and collaborative relationships.
- Develops and maintains strong partnerships with University departments and leadership, as well as with external vendors and service providers, to improve IT outcomes and to assure current and future operational and strategic success; works with high integrity to maintain the trust of the University community.
- Collaboration:
- Provides backup support and assistance to other team members; collaborates with co-workers and University colleagues on departmental, division-wide, and institutional projects; shares process information and makes informal recommendations on how to improve processes and overall job execution within the team/department.
- Professional Development:
- Attends training sessions, vendor presentations, user group meetings, conferences, and seminars; engages regularly in individual professional development related activities to remain current with industry technology trends and work processes.
- Committees and Beyond Job Duties:
- Volunteers to undertake tasks that stretch the employee's capabilities; serves on various committees within the Information Technology division; participates in external University committees; performs other related duties as assigned.
- University Mission:
- Understands and supports the Christian mission of the University; upholds the University mission through team, location, atmosphere, and work performed.
The above information has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job.
Skills and Qualifications
Required
- Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Computer Science, or a related field.
- Minimum of 5–7 years of experience directly managing a team of network engineers in a university or enterprise environment.
- An experienced project manager with a proven history managing a team responsible for a distributed network with 1,000+ nodes.
- Thorough working knowledge of all network infrastructure components, including switching, routing, VPN, wireless, and VoIP systems.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to lead teams effectively and collaborate in a fast-paced, rapidly changing environment.
- Demonstrated ability to identify, analyze, and troubleshoot complex technical problems, determine root cause, and lead resolution efforts across internal teams and third-party vendors.
- Strong understanding of network architecture, design, and implementation, including oversight of process development and system improvements.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities, projects, and operational demands while ensuring high levels of performance and service delivery. Extensive experience with enterprise-class networking technologies, including switches, routers, VPN, wireless systems, and monitoring/alerting tools.
- Minimum of 7 or more years of experience supporting and overseeing network architecture, design, and implementation.
- Experience with Cisco VoIP solutions (Call Manager, Presence, Unity).
- Experience with network monitoring tools such as SolarWinds or similar NMS.
- Experience installing, monitoring, and maintaining the health of a Cisco network.
- Advanced networking knowledge, including TCP/IP, L2 switching, EIGRP, BGP, OSPF, L4–L7 networking, and VPN technologies.
Preferred
- Minimum of 7 or more years of experience managing technical teams, including experience leading complex network or infrastructure initiatives.
- Cisco CCNP/CCIE certification.
In-depth knowledge of Cisco wireless technologies: switch, router, VPN, and wireless solutions, ITSM solutions.
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This is a Regular, Exempt, 40 hour per week position.
Expected Pay Range: $135,000 - $150,000 per year
The above pay range reflects what Pepperdine University reasonably expects to pay for this position at time of posting. Actual compensation may vary based on relevant factors such as work experience, market conditions, education/training, and skill level. In addition to base pay, Pepperdine offers a robust and highly competitive benefits package.
Pepperdine is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of any status or condition protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. Pepperdine is committed to providing a work environment free from all forms of unlawful discrimination and harassment. Engaging in unlawful discrimination or harassment will result in appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal from the University.
Pepperdine is religiously affiliated with the Churches of Christ. It is the purpose of Pepperdine to pursue the very highest employment and academic standards within a context that celebrates and extends the spiritual and ethical ideals of the Christian faith. While students, faculty, and staff represent many religious backgrounds, Pepperdine is permitted under applicable law and reserves the right to seek, hire, and promote persons who support the goals and mission of the institution, including the right to prefer co-religionists who support Pepperdine's Christian mission.
Qualified individuals should be able to show respect for workplace differences, and have the ability to work effectively with individuals from different backgrounds.
Offers of employment are contingent upon successful completion of a criminal, education, and employment screening. The University conducts such screenings in compliance with applicable laws and with the objectives of evaluating risk and supporting a safe environment for students, faculty, staff, and guests; safeguarding key University assets including people, property, information, and the University’s reputation; and providing comprehensive job-related information to University leaders to enable them to make prudent hiring decisions. Individuals will be required to disclose any criminal convictions on a designated form after receiving a conditional offer of employment; failure to disclose accurate information may result in withdrawal of the offer or termination of employment. Qualified individuals with criminal histories will be considered for employment in compliance with applicable laws, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance.
