Position Summary

Why work at Villanova?

Join a mission-driven organization. Since Villanova University's founding in 1842, we have been inspired by the values of truth, unity, and love, and are a community dedicated to service to others.
Villanova has been included among the nation's best colleges and universities. VU's inclusion again in U.S. News & World Report's 2025 "Best Colleges" rankings is another indication of the University's continued prominence and forward momentum.
Villanova's most precious asset is our people. As an employee, you will receive a holistic benefits package, generous paid time off, a competitive retirement savings plan, flexible work options, wellness programs including gym membership, professional development, tuition assistance, and more.

The Lead Network Engineer serves as the senior, hands-on technical leader for network engineering and design at Villanova University. This role is responsible for day-to-day network operations and for guiding the ongoing evolution of the University's network infrastructure to ensure reliability, scalability, and resiliency across distributed campus environments.

The Lead Network Engineer applies deep technical expertise to complex engineering initiatives while remaining directly engaged in hands-on design, implementation, and operational support. This role influences network design direction, balances immediate operational needs with long-term sustainability, and collaborates across IT domains to support current and future institutional requirements.

Villanova is a Catholic university sponsored by the Augustinian Order. The University is an equal opportunity employer and seeks candidates who understand, respect and can contribute to the University's mission and values.

Duties and Responsibilities

Network Engineering & Architecture

Establishes and evolves network design direction and engineering approaches for routing, switching, wireless, and connectivity services.
Leads major network engineering initiatives while remaining directly involved in hands-on design and implementation work.
Develops and refines network design patterns that balance current operational realities with forward-looking technical solutions.
Applies hands-on engineering experience and awareness of emerging technologies to evolve network design approaches in response to operational needs.
Leads complex solutioning efforts that address immediate technical challenges while supporting long-term network sustainability.
Designs and evolves network architectures that support current enterprise and campus operations while enabling future hybrid and cloud connectivity needs.

Operational Excellence & Lifecycle Management

Independently leads hands-on resolution of complex and high-impact network issues affecting service availability.
Guides lifecycle strategy, reliability improvements, and continuity planning to ensure consistent connectivity and service resilience across campuses.
Applies deep operational knowledge to reduce technical risk and strengthen reliability across network services.
Leads root-cause analysis and implements corrective actions for complex issues to improve long-term network resilience.
Leverages automation and AI-enabled operational tools to support monitoring, diagnostics, and routine network administration tasks, improving response time and operational consistency.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Network Enablement

Acts as a senior technical partner across IT domains to align network engineering efforts with institutional priorities and emerging needs.
Collaborates closely with peers to ensure network solutions support broader enterprise capabilities.
Partners across application, security, and infrastructure teams to align network engineering decisions while remaining directly engaged in technical work.

Perform other duties and assist with projects as assigned.