Types of Jobs Available for Networking Academy Alumni

On our Talent Bridge Matching Engine we have a wide variety of job opportunities and internships. Below we have highlighted the most popular types of positions available to our Networking Academy students. These represent global opportunities from Cisco, our Cisco Channel Partners, and Distributors.

The top eight positions on our Matching Engine are:

• IT Help Desk Technician
• Junior/Associate Network Engineer
• Network Administrator
• Systems Engineer
• Cybersecurity Analyst
• Associate Sales Specialist
• Associate Account Manager
• Applications Engineer

To help you understand what each of these position titles represent we have created a general job description you would find for each, the typical responsibilities one would have in the position, and requirements to qualify. If you are aware of what employers are searching for, you can assess what you need to do to make sure you have the qualifications so you can secure an interview and ultimately a job offer.

You also have insight into the language and way skills are described, so you can better write your resume and LinkedIn profile. This information can help you as you pursue your education, because you can better understand which skills will help you pursue the career path of most interest. It will also help when you are searching for jobs, because it will provide you with information about types of jobs available for those with Cisco Networking Academy education.

IT Help Desk Technician

An entry level position.

Job Description: A person who diagnoses technical problems for customers or colleagues. While they aren’t usually responsible for fixing the problem, a help desk technician will be able to discover the issue, so that the customer or colleague can have the issue fixed by another person in the IT department. Candidates must be self-motivated with strong interpersonal skills and effective problem-solving skills.

Standard Responsibilities: Desktop support and end user setup; the Help Desk Technician will assist senior IT staff with daily tasks and duties in monitoring and maintaining the networking and computer systems of the company.

Common Requirements:

• Minimum of at least one passed exam/certification in Systems Administration/System Engineering from CompTIA, Microsoft, Cisco, or other industry recognized certification with a goal of continuing education
• Efficient and conscientious record keeper
• Proficient in Microsoft Windows, Office 365 and Help Desk Software
• The ability to communicate in a pleasant and efficient manner with people at all levels in the organization
• Methodical approach to problem solving using appropriate tools
• Detailed and organized individual
• Excellent time management and communication skills
• Ability to manage multiple projects independently and in team environment

Junior/Associate Network Engineer

Job Description: A member of the engineering team and requires strong communication skills, problem solving, and excellent customer service skills. Individual is responsible for providing support with the planning, designing, and implementing of consulting engagements. This job provides a good opportunity to learn from engineering talent and helps develop individual engineering skills.  

Standard Responsibilities:

• Ensure successful delivery of projects by adhering to best practices
• Communicate consistently and frequently with team members on current project status and assigned tasks
• Act as a key member of the team; Contributes to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed
• Resolve outstanding issues in projects, support tickets and accounts
• Install/Configure networking systems as directed
• Ensure adherence to the established methodologies, standards, tools, processes, policies, and procedures
• Verify results by testing of technologies implemented
• Maintain quality service by adhering to organization standards
• Maintain professional and technical knowledge by attending educational workshops; reviewing professional publications; establishing personal networks; benchmarking state-of-the-art practices; participating in professional societies.

Common Requirements:

• CCNA Certification
• Exposure to and basic fluency in:
  
  • Fundamental Networking
  • Core Route Switch (Basic Protocols)
  • Wireless Networks (Fundamental configuration and troubleshooting)
  • Basic Unix
  • IOS

Network Administrator

Job Description: This person plans growth and expansion of a company’s computer network. This role requires maintenance of current systems and keeping the IT support staff updated on the latest tools and processes. The ideal candidate for this position is certified to work with Cisco networking equipment, and is well-versed in Windows-based cloud computing solutions. Experience at the enterprise networking level and the ability to work well with legacy systems is a plus.

Standard Responsibilities:

• Work closely with departmental managers to determine future network needs and plan for network changes
• Develop methods and tools to be used to test and implement new LAN/WAN equipment
• Create projects that are designed to either add functionality required by the company or to address ongoing network failure issues
• Engage in regular network troubleshooting activities and resolve network connectivity issues
• Analyze the current network structure and submit quarterly comprehensive reports to executive team on how to make the network more efficient

Common Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in a computer-related field required (Master’s degree preferred)
• 2+ years’ successful network troubleshooting experience
• Must be able to complete complex projects with minimal to no supervision
• Proven experience managing a large and complex network
• Effective problem-solving skills
• Strong safety record and a history of establishing safe work practices

Systems Engineer

Job Description: In this position you will: implement, support, maintain, and manage IT services, including networking, IT security, email, and disaster recovery. Systems Engineers provide advanced technical support for desktop, server, and networking issues. They ensure all IT services are properly maintained and upgraded, including anti-virus, backups, imaging, and patching. Systems Engineers provide subject matter expertise for both hardware and software.

Standard Responsibilities:

• Hardware and network installation, configuration, maintenance, issues resolution, and upgrade activities
• Assessing client’s network environments, formalizing options, presenting solutions, and driving service delivery that includes system deployments, server migrations, exchange upgrades, systems integration, server consolidation, and virtualization projects
• Working independently to successfully complete assigned tasks and projects on time and within budget for multiple clients simultaneously
• Evaluating and incorporating industry trends, standards, and new technologies that drive effective change
• Providing technical leadership to the company and assisting junior team members in resolving client issues and developing technical skills
• Assisting in provisioning and preparing client purchases including installation and setup of servers, workstations, network devices, and software
• Effectively communicating task and milestone completion to management in a timely manner,
• Performing ongoing network monitoring and preventative maintenance activities across multiple client environments

Common Requirements:

• Certifications: MCSE Certification is a requirement. CCENT, CCNA, MCITP and MCITP are a plus
• Applicable 2-year or 4-year degree or equivalent years of technical experience
• 3-5 years of experience in a Network Administrator, Network Engineer, or Systems Engineer role
• Knowledge: Strong understanding of Windows and Cisco systems, servers, switches, routers, hubs, firewalls, LAN, WAN, TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP UDP
• Install and upgrade hardware, systems, and software for Microsoft Windows based networks,
• Install, configure, and maintain network services, equipment and devices
• Administer Servers
• Manage system back-up and restore protocols (i.e., Symantec BackupExec)
• Plan and support network and computing infrastructure
• Perform troubleshooting analysis of network, servers, workstations and associated systems,
• Monitor system performance and complete appropriate performance tuning and preventative maintenance activities
• Manage user accounts, permissions, email, anti-virus, anti-spam
• Accurately complete time and expense reports in a timely manner
• Submit relevant status reports in a timely manner
• Comply with all company policies and procedures
• Participate in the implementation and support of IT-related policies
• Assist with the preparation and presentation of client scope of work, quotes, proposals, and workplans

Cybersecurity Analyst

Job Description: The Security Operation Center team synthesizes multi-source security alerting, intrusion investigations, cyber intelligence, and business information into actionable analysis. The team provides this time-sensitive analysis to empower fellow CSOC operators defending the network and to empower leadership to make informed decisions confronting cyber threats. The associate in this role acts as a Cyber Security Operation Center aggregator, collecting and compiling internal information to communicate “So what does this mean to the company?” They accomplish this by understanding realized cyber threats and intrusions, conducting retrospective analysis, contextualizing threat information, and providing written and verbal analysis.

Standard Responsibilities:

• Support day-to-day cybersecurity threat detection and incident response operations
• Deconstruct multi-source reporting into actionable information to present to CSOC analysts through written reports, verbal technical briefings, and education enhancing the first line of defense
• Communicate deep technical security threat & operations awareness across the Cyber division, to include the CISO and CIO
• Maintain two-way relationships with partner teams
• Conduct time-sensitive analysis during cyber investigations, contextualizing identified impact (exfiltration, operational impact) and informing leadership to actively respond to emerging risk
• Conduct retrospective trend analysis of threat actor activity (IOCs, TTPs) across cyber investigations, understanding the “big picture” and informing leadership on trends
• Through time-sensitive and retrospective analysis, identify potentially targeted activity allowing leadership to monitor
• Setup processes and capabilities for CSOC to retrieve and utilize sector-wide data (IOC’s, TTP’s, reports, etc.)
• Develop, follow, and maintain standard operating procedures for repeatable analysis
• Identify and enhance processes where automation has the potential to improve efficiency
• Coordinate with various Information Security Officer teams to understand line-of-business specific threat and impact information
• Maintain a repository of analysis
• Attend conferences and briefings to stay current on threats against both COF and the Financial Services sector
• Provide support to operational & cybersecurity strategy development

Common Requirements:

• High School Diploma, GED or Equivalent Certification
• At least 2 years of experience as an analyst conducting log analysis in a Security Operations Center or supporting an Incident Response Team
• Prefer at least 2 years of experience analyzing and tracking APT groups
• Prefer at least 2 years of experience with cyber threat intelligence analysis, identifying and sharing IOCs and TTPs
• Prefer at least 2 years of experience synthesizing reporting
• Prefer at least 2 years of experience utilizing the MITRE ATT&CK framework or Diamond Model or Cyber Kill Chain
• At least 1 of the following industry certifications (CCNA Cybersecurity, CEH, GCIA, GCIH, GISP, Security+, AWS Cloud Practitioner, AWS Solutions Architect)

Preferred Requirements:

• Bachelor's Degree in fields such as Cybersecurity, Intelligence, Computer Science, Information Systems or Engineering
• 2+ years of experience in cloud environments (AWS, Google, Azure)
• 2+ years of experience conducting fusion intelligence analysis
• 2+ years of experience communicating in writing and verbally, under pressure in a 24/7 environment
• 2+ years’ experience scripting with Python, PowerShell, or similar technologies
• One or more of the following industry certifications; AWS Certified Security, GCFE, GCFA, GNFA, GREM
• Very strong communication and collaboration skills with the ability to manage responsibilities across multiple areas and projects

Associate Sales Specialist

Job Description:  In this position you will play a crucial role in facilitating the success of the field sales teams in selling the full suite of collaboration and networking products, software, solutions, and services with measurable sales objectives for the region you support. You will be the subject matter expert in the area of Cisco products and services. Your role is to help drive current and future revenue and build a pipeline working both on tactical and strategic level on accounts in your sales territory.

Standard Responsibilities:

• Knowledge of selling Cisco solutions
• Knowledge of the Cisco Collaboration Portfolio including Cisco Unified Communications Manager, Telepresence, WebEx Teams, Jabber and WebEx conferencing
• Knowledge of Cisco networking products including switching, routing, wireless and security appliances
• Ability to present technology to business decision makers in non-technical terms
• Ability to think outside the box and overcome objections

Common Requirements:

• Ability to successfully complete Cisco’s “Selling Business Outcomes” course and passed the required exam
• Knowledge and desire to learn about selling or designing Cisco solutions
• A Cisco CCENT or CCNA certification or comparable experience

Associate Account Manager

Job Description: In addition to the traditional customer interactions, you will be expected to develop relationships with our current manufacturers, distributors, and partner companies; you will also identify new opportunities for partnerships that align with our business.

Standard Responsibilities:

• Work with marketing to hunt for new customers experiencing problems which we are is uniquely positioned to solve
• Utilize sales process and a consultative sales mindset to listen to customers and align solutions to concrete business problems
• Communicate the value of our products and services with customers
• Work hand-in-hand with sales engineers to develop relevant solutions for customers
• Escalate relationships to the executive-level

Common Requirements:

• Knowledge of company product lines, preferably inclusive of collaboration, and a desire to learn how to sell solutions
• Strong listening skills
• Ability to solicit new opportunities and customers, and the ability to close
• The ability to learn and explain products, services, and associated value to customers
• At least 1-2 years of sales experience preferably in the information technology market with a history of meeting and exceeding sales quotas
• A track record of building relationships in mid-range businesses

Applications Engineer

Job Description: This individual will build and develop software. They assess customer and business needs, and design and test software solutions. Applications Engineers also improve software architecture by engineering hardware components to further their performance.

Standard Responsibilities:

• Design and build software solutions from consumer applications to systems that control devices and networks
• Gather information from customers or business stakeholders to meet needs
• Design all components of programs and determining how they will work together
• Create diagrams and models to guide programmers
• Ensure software works properly after maintenance and testing
• Collaborate with designers, programmers and developers
• Strategize and build releases for future upgrades and maintenance

Common Requirements:

• Applications Engineers should have a bachelor’s degree in computer science, software engineering or a related field
• Though not required, the candidate may have also completed an internship in a related company to further software development skills
• Recommended to possess a strong background in computer programming, expertise on current tools, and computer languages
• Communication skills and the ability to understand client needs and translate needs into software design
• Conceptual thinking to ensure all parts of an application function together and as intended
• Interpersonal and supervisory skills to ensure team members understand requirements and can deliver effectively
• Problem-solving skills to address issues that arise during design and testing
• Strategic thinking to develop solutions and new functionality for upgrades and enhancements