Staff Network Engineer

Overview

Join an amazing team that is consistently recognized for our achievements and culture, including our most recent Forbes award of being one of America's Best Midsize Employers for 2026!

Position Summary:

The Staff Network Engineer is the senior individual contributor within Network Engineering responsible for advanced design, integration and escalation support across on-premises and multi-cloud network environments. This role bridges tactical solution engineering and broader architectural direction: it leads complex cross-domain implementations (data center, campus, cloud connectivity, security services, automation) and assures scalable, secure, high-performance network services for employees, partners and customers in a 24x7 mission-critical environment. The Staff Network Engineer executes and optimizes approved architectural patterns and drives multi-cloud integration, advanced automation and cross-technology troubleshooting.

Geo-Salary Information

An in-person interview may be required during the hiring process

State specific pay scales for this role are as follows:

$101,167 to $204,439 (CA, NJ, NY, WA, HI, AK, MD, CT, RI, MA)

$91,970 to $185,853 (NV, OR, AZ, CO, WY, TX, ND, MN, MO, IL, WI, FL, GA, MI, OH, VA, PA, DE, VT, NH, ME)

$82,773 to $167,268 (UT, ID, MT, NM, SD, NE, KS, OK, IA, AR, LA, MS, AL, TN, KY, IN, SC, NC, WV)

In CA: Typical hiring range is $137,523 to $191,004

The expected base salary for this position will vary depending on a number of factors, including relevant experience, skills and location.

Responsibilities

Deliver High Quality Solutions

• Engineer and optimize complex hybrid (on-prem / multi-cloud) network topologies (VPC/VNet design, transit / hub architectures, SD-WAN overlays, segmentation) for performance, resiliency and cost efficiency.
• Develop and refine reusable network automation playbooks and infrastructure-as-code templates (e.g., Terraform, Ansible, GitHub Actions workflows) to standardize provisioning and reduce manual changes.
• Lead advanced troubleshooting and post-incident engineering reviews for high severity, multi-layer issues (routing, security policies, load balancing, cloud gateways).
• Evaluate emerging networking features (cloud edge services, private connectivity options, observability enhancements) and pilot solutions under established architectural guidance.

Deliver IT Initiatives

• Serve as technical lead for medium to large network and cloud connectivity projects (migrations, expansions, modernization) ensuring delivery on scope, schedule, budget and quality standards.
• Produce and maintain detailed engineering artifacts (high / low-level designs, diagrams, test plans, implementation & rollback procedures, automation scripts).
• Coordinate interdependencies with Security, Platform, Storage, Application and Telecom teams to ensure cohesive solution delivery.
• Provide technical input to lifecycle refresh planning and capacity modeling aligned with approved roadmaps.

Manage Network Services Resources and Expenses

• Provide senior technical mentoring to Network Engineers, guiding design reviews, configuration validations and knowledge transfer on cloud and automation patterns.
• Supply detailed utilization and efficiency metrics (bandwidth, session counts, policy objects, cloud egress costs) to support optimization and budgeting.
• Help enforce standards for configuration baselines, documentation quality, inventory accuracy and license utilization.

Provide Excellent User Experience

• Engineer solutions emphasizing reliability, low latency, predictable performance and simplified operational support.
• Ensure knowledge base / run-book content and self-service artifacts (automation triggers, standardized change templates) are current and consumable.
• Contribute to high severity incident communications, translating technical status into clear business impact and action steps.
• Partner with stakeholders to validate new services (pilot testing, user acceptance, performance benchmarks) and incorporate feedback.

Qualifications

Education

Minimum:

• BS Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Telecommunications, Electrical Engineering or related field, or equivalent work experience.

Preferred:

• One or more advanced professional certifications in core networking / cloud platforms (Cisco CCNP/CCIE, AWS Advanced Networking Specialty, Azure Network Engineer Associate, Palo Alto Networks PCNSE, Arista ACE). Ongoing progress toward additional certifications expected.

Experience

Minimum:

• 8+ years progressive network engineering experience in medium-large enterprise environments.
• 3+ years designing and operating cloud provider networks (AWS VPC, Azure, hybrid connectivity, private endpoints, cloud firewalls, etc).
• Demonstrated leadership of complex multi-site / multi-cloud implementation or migration efforts.
• Hands-on automation experience (infrastructure-as-code, configuration management, scripting, GitHub Actions workflow orchestration) driving operational efficiency.
• Advanced troubleshooting across routing, switching, network security, load balancing, DNS, and connectivity to cloud / SaaS services.

Preferred:

• 5 or more years of expertise with Load balancing technologies such as F5
• 5 or more years of expertise with Firewalls such as Palo Alto Networks
• 5 or more years of expertise with datacenter switching fabric such as Arista Networks
• Exposure to leveraging AI for programming, automation, and troubleshooting

Skills & Abilities

• Expert knowledge of Layer 2/3 protocols (spanning tree variants, HSRP/VRRP, OSPF, EIGRP, BGP) and advanced routing policies (traffic engineering, communities, route filtering).
• Strong proficiency with network security technologies (next-gen firewalls, IPS/IDS, segmentation, VPN, zero trust access) and encryption / certificate management basics.
• Deep familiarity with cloud networking constructs (transit gateways, virtual network peering, private link / endpoints, cloud load balancers, DNS, firewall policies) and hybrid integration patterns.
• Skilled in network automation (Terraform modules, Ansible playbooks, GitHub Actions workflows, Python scripting for API / telemetry integration) with version control discipline.
• Advanced use of telemetry, flow analytics, packet capture, synthetic monitoring and observability platforms to drive data-informed decisions.
• Ability to perform detailed capacity and performance modeling (bandwidth forecasts, connection limits, latency baselines) and translate findings to planning actions.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills; able to tailor technical concepts to diverse audiences.
• Proven mentorship, collaborative and leadership behaviors without formal people management authority.
• Ability to prioritize and execute tasks in a high-pressure environment and make sound decisions in emergency situations.
• Highly self-motivated and directed with keen attention to detail; able to manage multiple complex workloads.
• Ability to work on demand to provide 24x7 mission critical support.
• Proven analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Commitment to Mercury’s Leadership and Core Values of People, Service Excellence, Trustworthiness, Process Simplicity and Product Value.

About the Company

Why choose a career at Mercury?

At Mercury, we have been guided by our purpose to help people reduce risk and overcome unexpected events for more than 60 years. We are one team with a common goal to help others. Everyone needs insurance and we can’t imagine a world without it.

Our team will encourage you to grow, make time to have fun, and work together to make great things happen. We embrace the strengths and values of each team member. We believe in having diverse perspectives where everyone is included, to serve customers from all walks of life.

We care about our people, and we mean it. We reward our talented professionals with a competitive salary, bonus potential, and a variety of benefits to help our team members reach their health, retirement, and professional goals.

Learn more about us here: https://www.mercuryinsurance.com/about/careers

Perks and Benefits

We offer many great benefits, including:

• Competitive compensation
• Flexibility to work from anywhere in the United States for most positions
• Paid time off (vacation time, sick time, 9 paid Company holidays, volunteer hours)
• Incentive bonus programs (potential for holiday bonus, referral bonus, and performance-based bonus)
• Medical, dental, vision, life, and pet insurance
• 401 (k) retirement savings plan with company match
• Engaging work environment
• Promotional opportunities
• Education assistance
• Professional and personal development opportunities
• Company recognition program
• Health and wellbeing resources, including free mental wellbeing therapy/coaching sessions, child and eldercare resources, and more

Mercury Insurance is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

Pay Range