Senior Network Engineer/Consultant – Cisco ACI & Enterprise Networking

Company Description 3M DATA builds the technological foundation for many of the Middle East’s most ambitious and high-profile projects. The company combines expertise in Next-Gen Cloud Architecture, digital infrastructure, cybersecurity, and managed services to deliver integrated, future-ready solutions. With a strong focus on innovation and excellence, 3M DATA enables clients to achieve outcomes that push the limits of what is considered possible in digital technology. The organization is committed to supporting complex digital initiatives at the highest levels, making it a compelling environment for professionals seeking impactful work. Team members collaborate on forward-looking projects that shape the region’s digital future. Senior Network Engineer / Consultant – Cisco ACI & Enterprise Networking 📍 Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Are you the engineer who keeps critical networks running seamlessly, anticipates challenges before they arise, and ensures the highest levels of network performance, security, and reliability? Can you trace a packet end-to-end, from the Internet edge to an application workload, identify every routing and security control along the way, and explain exactly why traffic is permitted or denied? Do you combine deep technical expertise with a proactive security mindset and a passion for developing other engineers? If so, 3M DATA wants to hear from you! We are looking for an expert-level Senior Network Engineer/Consultant with 12+ years of enterprise networking experience, including extensive hands-on expertise in Cisco ACI, to strengthen our network engineering and infrastructure security capabilities. About the Role As a Senior Network Engineer / Consultant at 3M DATA, you will take ownership of complex enterprise networking and data center infrastructure, covering architecture, administration, security, troubleshooting, migrations, and lifecycle management. You will work across traditional enterprise networking and production multi-site Cisco ACI environments, providing advanced engineering expertise, technical leadership, and infrastructure security guidance. This is a hands-on senior engineering position for someone who can take ownership, solve complex technical challenges, drive improvements, and mentor the next generation of network engineers. Key Responsibilities Cisco ACI & Data Center Networking • Administer, configure, and maintain production multi-site Cisco ACI fabrics through the APIC cluster. • Manage the ACI policy model, including Tenants, Application Profiles, Bridge Domains, EPGs, Contracts, and micro-segmentation. • Design and implement L4–L7 service graphs for firewall and load balancer integration. • Design, configure, and troubleshoot L3Out connectivity with enterprise backbones, data center edges, and external routing domains. • Ensure secure, resilient, and optimized connectivity across data centers and sites. Network Security & End-to-End Traffic Engineering • Own end-to-end traffic flow design and security across north–south (Internet, WAN, DMZ, and external connectivity) and east–west (application, tenant, and inter-site) traffic. • Implement segmentation and Zero Trust principles using ACI contracts, micro-segmentation, firewalls, and Policy-Based Redirect (PBR). • Align firewall rules, ACLs, and ACI policies to ensure security and application performance. • Identify security weaknesses, assess architectural risks, and drive infrastructure hardening. • Troubleshoot complex traffic flows across ACI, firewalls, load balancers, and enterprise routing environments. • Continuously monitor Cisco and other vendor security advisories, CVEs, PSIRTs, and emerging threats. • Proactively assess vulnerabilities and drive remediation through patching, configuration hardening, policy adjustments, and compensating controls. • Communicate security risks, potential business impact, and recommended remediation actions to relevant stakeholders. Enterprise Routing & Switching • Provide Tier 3/4 engineering expertise and technical ownership of complex enterprise routing environments. • Design, configure, and troubleshoot BGP, OSPF, EIGRP, MPLS, VXLAN, and Data Center Interconnect (DCI). • Manage Cisco Nexus (NX-OS) and Catalyst (IOS/IOS-XE) infrastructure, including VLANs, LAG, vPC, and high-availability architectures. • Lead network migrations, modernization initiatives, and integration projects across traditional and software-defined networking environments. Infrastructure Lifecycle & Operations • Plan and execute production upgrades and patching across Cisco NX-OS, IOS-XE, and ACI platforms. • Lead maintenance activities and complex changes while minimizing service disruption and operational risk. • Own technical change management, network documentation, and root-cause analysis for major incidents. • Identify opportunities to improve network resilience, performance, security, and operational efficiency. • Recommend improvements to network architecture, security posture, and infrastructure roadmaps. Technical Leadership & Mentoring • Mentor junior and mid-level engineers through hands-on coaching, troubleshooting sessions, and architecture reviews. • Establish technical standards for configurations, documentation, and change management. • Act as the senior technical escalation point for complex networking and infrastructure security challenges. • Build the technical capability and confidence of the wider engineering team. What We're Looking For • 12+ years of hands-on enterprise network engineering experience, including significant production experience with Cisco ACI. • Strong infrastructure security expertise, particularly in east–west and north–south traffic flows, network segmentation, and secure data center architecture. • A proactive security mindset, with the ability to independently monitor emerging threats, assess exposure, and drive remediation. • Practical experience with enterprise firewalls such as Palo Alto, Fortinet, Cisco Firepower. • Deep understanding of Cisco ACI architecture, object models, contracts, service graphs, and L3Out connectivity. • Experience with multi-site Cisco ACI and Nexus Dashboard Orchestrator (NDO) is a strong advantage. • Expert-level routing and switching knowledge, including BGP, OSPF, EIGRP, MPLS, VXLAN, and vPC. • Strong working knowledge of Cisco NX-OS, IOS-XE, and IOS-XR. • Excellent TCP/IP fundamentals and advanced packet-level troubleshooting capabilities. • Proven experience executing complex production migrations, upgrades, and changes with minimal or zero downtime. • Demonstrated ability to lead technical teams, mentor engineers, and take ownership of critical infrastructure. • Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to explain complex technical risks in clear business terms. Nice to Have • CCIE Data Center, CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure, or CCIE Security certification (CCNP-level certifications also considered). • Experience with enterprise load balancing technologies. • Network automation experience using Python, Ansible, or the Cisco APIC REST API. • Previous

12+ years of hands-on enterprise network engineering experience, including significant production experience with Cisco ACI. Strong infrastructure security expertise, particularly in east–west and north–south traffic flows, network segmentation, and secure data center architecture. A proactive security mindset, with the ability to independently monitor emerging threats, assess exposure, and drive remediation. Practical experience with enterprise firewalls such as Palo Alto, Fortinet, Cisco Firepower. Deep understanding of Cisco ACI architecture, object models, contracts, service graphs, and L3Out connectivity. Experience with multi-site Cisco ACI and Nexus Dashboard Orchestrator (NDO) is a strong advantage. Expert-level routing and switching knowledge, including BGP, OSPF, EIGRP, MPLS, VXLAN, and vPC. Strong working knowledge of Cisco NX-OS, IOS-XE, and IOS-XR. Excellent TCP/IP fundamentals and advanced packet-level troubleshooting capabilities. Proven experience executing complex production migrations, upgrades, and changes with minimal or zero downtime. Demonstrated ability to lead technical teams, mentor engineers, and take ownership of critical infrastructure. Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to explain complex technical risks in clear business terms.

Administer, configure, and maintain production multi-site Cisco ACI fabrics through the APIC cluster. Manage the ACI policy model, including Tenants, Application Profiles, Bridge Domains, EPGs, Contracts, and micro-segmentation. Design and implement L4–L7 service graphs for firewall and load balancer integration. Design, configure, and troubleshoot L3Out connectivity with enterprise backbones, data center edges, and external routing domains. Ensure secure, resilient, and optimized connectivity across data centers and sites. Own end-to-end traffic flow design and security across north–south and east–west traffic. Implement segmentation and Zero Trust principles using ACI contracts, micro-segmentation, firewalls, and Policy-Based Redirect (PBR). Align firewall rules, ACLs, and ACI policies to ensure security and application performance. Identify security weaknesses, assess architectural risks, and drive infrastructure hardening. Troubleshoot complex traffic flows across ACI, firewalls, load balancers, and enterprise routing environments. Continuously monitor Cisco and other vendor security advisories, CVEs, PSIRTs, and emerging threats. Proactively assess vulnerabilities and drive remediation through patching, configuration hardening, policy adjustments, and compensating controls. Communicate security risks, potential business impact, and recommended remediation actions to relevant stakeholders. Provide Tier 3/4 engineering expertise and technical ownership of complex enterprise routing environments. Design, configure, and troubleshoot BGP, OSPF, EIGRP, MPLS, VXLAN, and Data Center Interconnect (DCI). Manage Cisco Nexus (NX-OS) and Catalyst (IOS/IOS-XE) infrastructure, including VLANs, LAG, vPC, and high-availability architectures. Lead network migrations, modernization initiatives, and integration projects across traditional and software-defined networking environments. Plan and execute production upgrades and patching across Cisco NX-OS, IOS-XE, and ACI platforms. Lead maintenance activities and complex changes while minimizing service disruption and operational risk. Own technical change management, network documentation, and root-cause analysis for major incidents. Identify opportunities to improve network resilience, performance, security, and operational efficiency. Recommend improvements to network architecture, security posture, and infrastructure roadmaps. Mentor junior and mid-level engineers through hands-on coaching, troubleshooting sessions, and architecture reviews. Establish technical standards for configurations, documentation, and change management. Act as the senior technical escalation point for complex networking and infrastructure security challenges. Build the technical capability and confidence of the wider engineering team.