Systems Engineer 2 or 3

WHO WE ARE

The Regional Administration Division is accepting applications for a Systems Engineer 2 OR Systems Engineer 3 .

We are the Metropolitan Council, the regional government for the seven-county Twin Cities metropolitan area. We plan 20 years ahead for the future of the metropolitan area and provide regional parks and trails, transportation, wastewater, and housing services.

More information about us on our website.

We are committed to hiring and supporting a diverse workforce that reflects the communities we serve.

Information Services is the central IT department supporting all divisions of the Metropolitan Council. Our 140 team members provide technology, practices, and innovative solutions that enable the core services of the Council.

How your work would contribute to our organization and the Twin Cities region :

The Systems Engineer 2 (Network Engineer) serves as a mid-level contributor within the network engineering career ladder. This role provides advanced support and maintenance for the Council enterprise network infrastructure with a specialization in wireless, connectivity, or VPN environments. Engineers at this level are capable of owning support for a specific network segment (e.g., Wi-Fi, VPN, or facility access control), performing installations, responding to escalated issues, and participating in cross-functional infrastructure projects.

The Systems Engineer 2 (Network Engineer) acts as a primary responder for medium complexity issues, handles preventative maintenance for network environments, and performs change implementations under general supervision. This role represents a natural progression from foundational systems support into more autonomous work, with emerging leadership in technical domains and peer collaboration.

The Systems Engineer 3 (Senior Network Engineer) serves as a senior-level technical resource responsible for advanced network systems engineering across multiple platforms and departments. This role provides expert support and leadership in diagnosing, resolving, and preventing network issues that impact service delivery. It also plays a central role in coordinating team workloads, mentoring Systems Engineers 1 and 2, and overseeing infrastructure enhancements across the enterprise network.

As a cross-functional contributor, the Systems Engineer 3 (Senior Network Engineer) provides guidance across multiple departments and transit services (e.g., BRT, LRT, MTS, and Regional Administration), ensuring scalable, secure, and high-performance network environments. The role bridges the operational and strategic layers of the infrastructure team and represents a trusted technical lead for high-visibility projects and issues.

What you would do in this job

Systems Engineer 2 (Network Engineer)

• Serve as the subject matter expert for a specific area of the network (e.g., wireless, remote access, site-specific configurations).
• Install, configure, and maintain network hardware such as switches, firewalls, wireless access points, and copper / fiber cabling.
• Perform proactive maintenance to prevent outages in assigned network segment.
• Investigate and resolve moderately complex tickets involving connectivity, device outages, or configuration discrepancies.
• Support VPN access, site-to-site tunnels, and policy enforcement for remote users.
• Assist with configuration and basic troubleshooting of firewall technologies (e.g., Checkpoint, Palo Alto).
• Maintain documentation related to IP assignments, VLAN configurations, and device inventories.
• Contribute to project teams on network expansion, wireless surveys, or infrastructure upgrades.
• Use network monitoring and performance tools to identify degradation or outages.
• Escalate advanced problems to Systems Engineers 3 or 4 with full diagnostic notes.
• Participate in change control reviews, including impact assessments and rollback planning.
• Support implementation of cloud-delivered SD-WAN and wireless services as directed.

Systems Engineer 3 (Senior Network Engineer)

What education and experience are required for this job (minimum qualifications)

Any of the following combinations in completed education (degree with major coursework in computer science, network technology, network engineering, systems administration, systems engineering and design, systems security or a related technical field) and experience (with supporting a focused enterprise network infrastructure such as wireless or VPN environments, SCADA, systems integration / troubleshooting, enterprise networking, IT systems support, or related vital safety sensitive systems such as rail signal, aircraft, nuclear energy or petrochemical maintenance).

Systems Engineer 2 (Network Engineer) :

Systems Engineer 3 (Senior Network Engineer) :

What additional skills and experience would be helpful in this job (desired qualifications) :

Systems Engineer 2 (Network Engineer) :

Systems Engineer 3 (Senior Network Engineer) :

What knowledge, skills and abilities you should have within the first six months on the job :

Systems Engineer 2 (Network Engineer) :

Systems Engineer 3 (Senior Network Engineer) :

What you can expect from us :

More about why you should join us!

Additional information

Systems Engineer 2 :

Union / Grade : AFSCME / Grade H

FLSA Status : Exempt

Safety Sensitive : No

Full Salary Range : $41.34 - $67.08 hourly / $85,987 - $139,526 annually

Systems Engineer 3 :

Union / Grade : AFSCME / Grade I

FLSA Status : Exempt

Safety Sensitive : No

Full Salary Range : $44.72 - $72.53 hourly / $93,018 - $150,862 annually

Work your work environment would be :

You would perform your work in a standard office setting. Work may sometimes require travel between your primary work site and other sites.

What steps the recruitment process involves :

Once you have successfully completed the steps above, then :

If you are new to the Metropolitan Council, you must pass a drug test (safety sensitive positions only), and a background check which verifies education, employment, and criminal history. A driving record check and / or physical may be conducted if applicable to the job. If you have a criminal conviction, you do not automatically fail. The Metropolitan Council considers felony, gross misdemeanor and misdemeanor convictions on a case-by-case basis, based on whether they are related to the job and whether the candidate has demonstrated adequate rehabilitation.

If you are already an employee of the Metropolitan Council, you must pass a drug test (if moving from a non-safety sensitive position to a safety sensitive position) and criminal background check if the job you're applying for is safety sensitive, is a supervisory or management job, is in the Finance, Information Services, Audit, or Human Resources departments, or has access to financial records, files / databases, cash, vouchers or transit fare cards. A driving record check and / or physical may be conducted if applicable to the position.

IMPORTANT : If you make false statements or withhold information, you may be barred from job consideration.

The Metropolitan Council is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action, and veteran-friendly employer. The Council is committed to a workforce that reflects the diversity of the region and strongly encourages persons of color, members of the LGBTQ community, individuals with disabilities, women, and veterans to apply. If you have a disability that requires accommodation during the selection process, please email .