Lead Network Engineer

Lead is a fintech building banking infrastructure for embedded financial products and services. We operate an FDIC-insured bank headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. Additionally, we have offices in San Francisco, Sunnyvale, and New York City, where our technical, product, design, and legal teams operate.

We are built for a constantly evolving financial landscape, where new ventures and technological advancements emerge daily. Guided by a team of entrepreneurs and technologists with decades of experience navigating intricate banking and payments regulations, Lead blends regulatory and technological expertise to help our fintech partners scale their operations with compliance and creativity.

Simply put, Lead offers the essential attributes that every fintech seeks in a partner bank. First, unparalleled technical expertise from a distinguished team of developers with an extensive understanding of the banking and payments systems. Second, oversight expertise, automated compliance systems, and bespoke program management to navigate the ever-shifting regulatory landscape. Finally, a commitment to transparency and operational rigor to ensure everyone’s money does what it’s supposed to do.

Role Description:

We are seeking a Lead Network Engineer to own the design, implementation, and day-to-day management of Lead Bank’s physical and cloud network infrastructure. In an FDIC-regulated environment where network availability directly underpins banking operations, Federal Reserve connectivity, and fintech partner services, this role carries significant responsibility and visibility.

As the leader of the Network Engineering team within the IT function, you will be the technical authority on all things networking—from on-premises switching and firewalls across multiple office locations and datacenters, to Zscaler zero trust architecture, to AWS cloud networking. You will drive the evolution of our network from a traditional on-prem model toward a modern, software-defined, Infrastructure-as-Code-driven architecture while ensuring uninterrupted service to a regulated financial institution.

You will report to the Head of IT and work closely with the security operations, cloud engineering, and support desk teams to deliver reliable, secure, and scalable network services across the organization.

In this role you will:

Network Architecture & Technical Leadership

• Design and continuously improve enterprise network architecture across all physical sites and AWS cloud environments.

• Define and enforce network standards for firewall management, segmentation, routing, switching, and zero trust access.

• Advise IT leadership, security, and engineering teams on network-related decisions.

• Mentor junior network engineers and drive knowledge transfer across the team.

• Drive Infrastructure as Code adoption for network devices using Terraform or equivalent.

Physical Network Operations

• Manage Cisco Catalyst switching across all sites, including VLAN design, STP, inter-VLAN routing, and port security.

• Administer Palo Alto firewalls, including security policies, NAT, threat prevention, and firmware lifecycle.

• Manage Cisco Meraki wireless infrastructure, including AP deployment and RF optimization.

• Lead datacenter network operations and support ongoing infrastructure migrations.

• Maintain and secure FedLine network connectivity in compliance with Federal Reserve requirements.

Cloud Network Engineering

• Own and manage all AWS cloud networking infrastructure, including VPCs, subnets, security groups, NACLs, Transit Gateway

• Manage Zscaler ZIA and ZPA deployments, including app segments, connector groups, and Transit Gateway integration.

Troubleshooting & Incident Response

• Serve as the escalation point for complex network issues across physical and cloud environments.

• Investigate and respond to network security alerts in collaboration with the security operations team.

• Lead root cause analysis and post-incident reviews, driving systemic improvements.

• Maintain network documentation, diagrams, and runbooks.

• Periodic travel to Branch offices and Datacenter sites, quarterly or as necessary

• Perform all other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• 7+ years of progressive experience in network engineering, with a strong focus on enterprise LAN/WAN, firewall management, and cloud networking.

• Proven success designing, deploying, and operating network infrastructure in a regulated or compliance-driven environment (banking, financial services, or healthcare preferred).

• Deep expertise in:

• Switching & Routing: Cisco Catalyst (IOS-XE), VLAN design, STP, OSPF/BGP, inter-VLAN routing

• Firewalls: Palo Alto (PAN-OS), security policies, NAT

• Zero Trust Networking: Zscaler ZIA and ZPA, app segments, connector deployment, access policies

• Cloud/Software Defined Networking: AWS VPC, Transit Gateway, security groups, NACLs, Direct Connect, site-to-site VPN

• Infrastructure as Code: Terraform (or equivalent) for network device and cloud resource management

• Automation & Scripting: Python, Bash, or similar scripting language for network automation tasks

• Strong understanding of network security best practices, including segmentation, least-privilege access, encryption in transit, and zero trust principles.

• Experience with datacenter network design, migrations, and colocation facility operations.

• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to translate complex network concepts for non-technical stakeholders.

• Demonstrated ability to drive technical initiatives independently and own systems end-to-end without direct supervision.

• Experience managing network infrastructure supporting dedicated financial connectivity such as FedLine or similar regulated network links is a plus.

• Relevant certifications are a plus: CCNP, PCNSE (Palo Alto), AWS Advanced Networking Specialty, or equivalent.

What we offer:

At Lead, we design our benefits to support company culture and principles, to foster an efficient and inspiring work environment, and to create the conditions for our team to give their best in both work and life

• Competitive compensation based on experience, geographic location, and role

• Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, 401k Matching, and other wellness benefits, including FSA, HSA and HRA

• Paid parental leave

• Flexible vacation policy, including PTO and paid holidays

• A fun and challenging team environment in a dynamic industry with ample opportunities for career growth

*Lead Bank is proud to have an inclusive culture committed to ensuring equal employment opportunity in all employment decisions regardless of race, color, gender, national origin, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, military status, veteran status or any other legally protected status.

*Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.