Senior Network Engineer – F2F – Local to CT

Senior Network Engineer – Broadcast & Media Networking
Client: ESPN
Location: Bristol, CT — 100% Onsite, 5 Days/Week
Position: Contract
Work Authorization: U.S. Citizens & Green Card Holders Only
Interview: Second-round interview will be conducted onsite
Important Candidate Requirement
The ideal candidate must have experience working in a media, broadcast, or live-production environment. This is not a traditional enterprise Network Engineer position.
Candidates should have hands-on experience supporting live events, real-time media networks, or broadcast production environments.
Position Overview
We are seeking a highly skilled Senior Cisco Network Engineer to support and maintain high-performance IP networks powering live production and broadcast operations.
The role requires strong expertise in Cisco routing and switching, multicast networking, and low-latency IP infrastructure within real-time production environments. Experience supporting multicast and broadcast/media networks is highly preferred.
Exposure to SMPTE ST 2110 is a plus but is not required.
Key Responsibilities
• Design, configure, maintain, and troubleshoot Cisco routing and switching infrastructure, including Nexus, Catalyst, and ASR platforms.
• Configure and support BGP, OSPF, VLANs, STP, HSRP/VRRP in production environments.
• Configure and troubleshoot multicast networking, including IGMP, PIM-SM, and SSM.
• Support low-latency IP networks used for live broadcast and media production workflows.
• Troubleshoot packet loss, jitter, latency, and routing instability, particularly during live events.
• Partner closely with Broadcast Engineering, Production, and other technical teams.
• Participate in network changes, maintenance activities, and live cutovers.
• Provide rapid troubleshooting and resolution in mission-critical production environments.
Required Qualifications
• 5+ years of hands-on Cisco routing and switching experience.
• Strong expertise with BGP and OSPF.
• Hands-on experience configuring and troubleshooting multicast — IGMP and PIM.
• Experience with Cisco Nexus and/or Catalyst platforms.
• Strong network troubleshooting skills in production or mission-critical environments.
• Experience supporting live events or real-time production environments.
• Ability to work onsite 5 days/week in Bristol, CT.
• Must be a U.S. Citizen or Green Card holder.
Preferred Qualifications
• Previous experience in a broadcast, media, television, sports, or live-production environment.
• Exposure to SMPTE ST 2110.
• Experience with spine-leaf network architectures.
• Familiarity with QoS tuning and optimization for video/media traffic.
• Experience supporting high-availability, low-latency networks during live events.
Ideal Candidate Profile
Cisco Network Engineer + Broadcast/Media Networking + Multicast + Live Events
Priority should be given to candidates who have supported live broadcast or media production networks rather than candidates whose background is limited to standard enterprise IT networking.