Senior Network and Security Specialist

UT MAIN CAMPUS, United States

The University of Texas at Austin

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Job Posting Title:

Senior Network and Security Specialist

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Hiring Department:

Department of Computer Science

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Position Open To:

All Applicants

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Weekly Scheduled Hours:

40

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FLSA Status:

Exempt

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Earliest Start Date:

Immediately

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Position Duration:

Expected to Continue

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Location:

UT MAIN CAMPUS

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Job Details:

General Notes

This position will support the university’s Department of Computer Science (UTCS), which boasts a top ten ranking from US News and more than 6,500 students across all programs. This places UT among the most significant intellectual hubs for computer science research and education anywhere in the world. UTCS has a close relationship with Austin’s thriving tech culture and works at the forefront of fields such as artificial intelligence, robotics, quantum computing, and cybersecurity. UTCS is seeking a Senior Network and Security Specialist who can lead the department’s network and security initiatives, ensuring a robust and innovative technological environment that supports cutting-edge research, empowers world-class education, and safeguards critical data across all departmental activities.

Purpose

The Senior Network & Security Specialist is responsible for designing, implementing, and maintaining a secure, high-performance network environment within a top-ten computer science research department. This role involves troubleshooting complex issues, enforcing security policies, providing user support, and collaborating with faculty, staff, and the university-wide IT community to drive innovation and support the department’s mission.

Responsibilities

Network Infrastructure Management

  • Plan, design, install, and maintain the department’s network infrastructure.

  • Specify and procure hardware for both standard operations and specialized research projects.

  • Manage and configure network-attached devices—including sensors, video cameras, VoIP phones, and PoE locks—to ensure secure access and functionality.

  • Oversee network cabling layout and labeling, adhering to best practices for organization and documentation.

  • Evaluate new technologies and recommend enhancements.

Incident Response & Security Management

  • Provide end-to-end network incident resolution, proactively addressing vulnerabilities, performance bottlenecks, and policy compliance.

  • Develop, implement, and enforce security policies across multiple operating systems.

  • Manage firewalls, patches, and other security tools; conduct regular assessments, audits, and reporting to maintain compliance.

  • Ensure high availability and proactively address emerging threats.

User Support & Documentation

  • Provide technical assistance to faculty, staff, and students; deliver training on security best practices.

  • Communicate policy changes and ensure alignment with departmental goals.

  • Create and maintain comprehensive documentation—such as network diagrams and standard operating procedures.

  • Mentor team members to foster consistent and effective operations.

Collaboration & Professional Development

  • Represent the department on IT committees and collaborate on university-wide initiatives and policy development.

  • Stay informed on emerging networking and security trends; attend workshops and conferences.

  • Recommend proactive enhancements that support research, innovation, and the department’s educational mission.

Other Related Duties as Assigned

Required Qualifications

  • High school diploma or GED; at least five (5) years of experience in network administration, security engineering, or a closely related field

  • Demonstrated experience designing, configuring, and maintaining enterprise-level network infrastructure (e.g., switches, routers, firewalls)

  • Experience with network security tools (e.g., firewalls, IDS/IPS, patch management) and best practices for incident response

  • Familiarity with performance monitoring and troubleshooting in a multi-platform environment (macOS, Windows, Linux)

  • Working knowledge of host-based computer security and basic network protocols (TCP/IP, VLANs, VPN, DHCP, DNS)

  • Excellent organizational, problem-solving, written, and oral communication skills

  • Ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a collaborative IT team; professional demeanor and punctuality

  • Ability to multitask and adapt to changing priorities while under pressure; commitment to continuously learning new tools and technologies relevant to networking and security

Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree or higher in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field; at least seven (7) years of experience in network administration, security engineering, or a related role

  • Current industry certifications such as Cisco CCNA/CCNP, CompTIA Security+, CISSP, or equivalent

  • Experience with network automation or configuration management tools (e.g., Ansible, Puppet, Chef); familiarity with Python scripting for automating tasks

  • Background in supporting research-focused or high-performance computing environments; experience integrating specialized, research-related network devices (e.g., high-bandwidth or low-latency equipment)

  • Familiarity with institutional policies, standards (e.g., NIST), or regulatory compliance processes; experience contributing to or developing university-wide or organizational IT policies

  • Experience with the ISORA process used by UT for risk assessment

Salary Range

$90,000+ depending on qualifications

Working Conditions

  • Primarily operates in an office setting with regular work in server rooms or data center environments.

  • May require limited on-call or after-hours availability to address critical network or security incidents.

  • Ability to lift up to 50 lbs for equipment or hardware installations.

Required Materials

  • Resume/CV

  • 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor

  • Letter of interest

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded.  Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above.

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Employment Eligibility:

Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.

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Retirement Plan Eligibility:

The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

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Background Checks:

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

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Equal Opportunity Employer:

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

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Pay Transparency:

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.

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Employment Eligibility Verification:

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form.  You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States.  Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment.  Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

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E-Verify:

The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university’s company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:

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Compliance:

Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031.

The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.

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Job stats:  2  1  0
Category: NetSec Jobs

Tags: Ansible Artificial Intelligence Audits Automation C CCNP CISSP Compliance CompTIA Computer Science DNS Firewalls IDS Incident response IPS Linux MacOS Monitoring Network security NIST Puppet Python Risk assessment Scripting TCP/IP VPN Vulnerabilities Windows

Perks/benefits: Career development Conferences Startup environment Transparency

Region: North America
Country: United States

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