Unified Communications (UC) / Network Engineer III

At Red River Managed Services, we provide a welcoming and positive workplace where everyone feels valued and able to do their best work, fostering a one-team mentality.  Our employees work together to foster wise decision-making that relies on data, experience, and collaboration. We seek self-motivated individuals who are open to an environment based on this teamwork and shared success.

Our team works directly with our clients to create innovative solutions, challenge the status quo, and deliver first in class solutions. Our client-centric culture works to anticipate needs with an urgency to resolve issues and build long-term client relationships.

We aim to expand our growing workforce with passionate individuals who are resilient in the face of uncertainty and possess a creative spirit, all while keeping the needs of our clients top of mind to foster individual and organizational success. Interested candidates must possess a desire for growth through continuous learning and feedback.

Ideal candidates will possess the following skills and come prepared to discuss how they have experienced each of these areas in previous roles:

• Collaboration — You bring a collaborative spirit to all interactions with others; you work to ensure everyone around you is welcomed and positioned to do their best work; you view every Red River colleague as a member of one team.
• Creativity— You welcome new ideas and listen with the intent to understand; you are passionate and persistent in pursuit of innovative solutions; you value “brainstorming” as an expression.
• Empathy — You take the time to understand both the needs of your clients and your team members; you anticipate client needs and address issues effectively; you work to make each client feel valued and understood; you foster loyalty and a long-term relationship.
• Integrity  — You willingly receive and give feedback; you are open about what’s working and what needs to improve; you admit mistakes openly and share learnings widely.
• Judgment — You are intentional when making decisions, with an aim toward long-term solutions rather than quick fixes; you rely on data, training, and collaboration with others to inform your decisions.
• Purpose— You exhibit courage in searching for the truth; you are willing to risk personal failure to help, or challenge the status quo, in the pursuit of excellence.
• Resilience — You thrive in rapidly changing circumstances; you adapt to change; you know when to include or escalate to others; you embrace a hard challenge.
• Selflessness — You are considerate when searching for new and different ideas; you seek what’s best for the team and organization; you discern how your actions could affect others; you seek to make those around you successful.

The Unified Communications (UC) / Network Engineer III is a senior-level escalation engineer within the Red River Service Desk at our HQ location in Chantilly, VA. This role serves as the primary Tier III escalation point for complex Unified Communications and network-related incidents across managed customer environments. 
 
The Unified Communication (UC) / Network Engineer III operates within a ticket-driven Managed Services model and is responsible for resolving high-impact incidents, mentoring Tier II engineers, and providing best-practice guidance across hybrid collaboration and enterprise network environments. While this position does not own architectural design or Root Cause Analysis (RCA) leadership, the Unified Communications (UC) / Network Engineer III provides critical technical analysis and findings to support those processes. 
 
This role requires deep expertise across Microsoft Teams, Cisco Webex (Dedicated Instance, Multi-Tenant, UCMC-G), On-Prem Cisco UC platforms, enterprise routing and switching, multi-vendor firewalls, NAC solutions, and cloud networking. 

Advanced Unified Communications & Collaboration Support 

• Serve as Tier III escalation point for complex UC and collaboration-related incidents. 

• Troubleshoot Microsoft Teams Phone (Direct Routing, Operator Connect). 

• Support Cisco Webex Dedicated Instance (DI), Multi-Tenant (MT), and UCMC-G environments. 

• Support Cisco CUCM, CUC, UCCX, and Expressway / MRA. 

• Perform advanced SIP troubleshooting including CDR review, call flow tracing, and packet captures. 

• Troubleshoot dial plans, SIP trunks, PRI circuits, toll-free routing, and carrier interoperability. 

• Support hybrid Microsoft and Cisco collaboration integrations. 

• Escalate and manage vendor cases with Cisco, Microsoft, and telecommunications carriers. 

• Provide best-practice recommendations when consulted on configuration changes or optimization efforts. 

Advanced Network Troubleshooting & Escalation 

• Serve as Tier III escalation point for complex network incidents. 

• Troubleshoot enterprise routing and switching (core, distribution, access layers). 

• Support OSPF, BGP, EIGRP, VLAN segmentation, STP, EtherChannel, and redundancy models. 

• Diagnose Layer 2 and Layer 3 production issues. 

• Support multi-vendor firewalls including Palo Alto, Fortinet, Cisco ASA/Firepower, and Meraki, and SonicWall. 

• Provide working knowledge and operational support for Palo Alto (ION) Prisma Access and Prisma SD-WAN, including policy enforcement, connectivity troubleshooting, and escalation support. 

• Troubleshoot NAT, security rulebases, VPNs, SD-WAN, and IPSEC configurations. 

• Support WAN technologies including Metro-E, MPLS, P2P, broadband, and SD-WAN. 

• Investigate latency, jitter, packet loss, asymmetric routing, and MTU issues. 

• Support wireless LAN technologies (controller-based and cloud-managed). 

• Support NAC solutions including Cisco ISE, FortiNAC, and Aruba ClearPass. 

• Troubleshoot 802.1X authentication and posture compliance policies. 

• Provide escalation expertise in Azure and AWS networking, including hybrid connectivity. 

Operational Excellence & Incident Support 

• Own high-priority incidents through full lifecycle technical resolution. 

• Provide detailed technical findings to support RCA efforts led by the Service Delivery Manager. 

• Gather logs, packet captures, and environmental data for incident documentation. 

• Ensure adherence to change management and service management best practices. 

• Participate in after-hours and escalation support as required. 

Leadership & Mentorship 

• Act as escalation authority for Tier II Network / UC Engineers. 

• Provide technical mentorship in advanced troubleshooting scenarios. 

• Contribute to knowledge base documentation and standardization efforts. 

• Assist in onboarding and training new engineers. 

Monitoring & Documentation 

• Utilize monitoring tools to identify performance issues. 

• Maintain accurate documentation, diagrams, and configuration records. 

• Analyze service metrics and support SLA compliance. 

Minimum Experience and Required Qualifications 

• 5–7 years of Unified Communications and Network Engineering experience. 

• Hands-on experience with Microsoft Teams Phone System and Cisco Webex platforms. 

• Experience with Cisco CUCM, CUC, UCCX, and SIP troubleshooting. 

• Strong routing and switching knowledge. 

• Experience supporting multi-vendor firewall platforms. 

• Experience with NAC solutions (Cisco ISE, FortiNAC, ClearPass). 

• Familiarity with Azure and AWS networking fundamentals. 

• Advanced troubleshooting including packet captures and log analysis. 

• Experience in a Managed Services or ticket-driven environment. 

• Ability to work weekends and/or off hours as necessary. 

Education and Certifications (Preferred) 

• Bachelor’s degree desired. 

• CCNP Collaboration, CCNP Enterprise or CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure. 

• Microsoft Teams Administrator (MS-700). 

• Microsoft Teams Voice Engineer certification (MS-721 preferred). 

• Cisco Collaboration / Webex certifications. 

• Palo Alto or Fortinet firewall certifications.