Network Engineering Manager

Maryville, TN

Full time

JR135808

Manager, Network Engineering

Position Summary

The Manager, Network Engineering is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations and delivery of network engineering services supporting Clayton’s enterprise network. This role leads network engineers, coordinates team priorities, and partners with network architecture and technology leadership to implement reliable, scalable, and secure network solutions aligned with established technology standards and business objectives.

The ideal candidate is a collaborative, execution-oriented leader with strong operational expertise in network engineering and a commitment to team development. They will translate network strategy into actionable plans, oversee project delivery, and drive continuous improvement while maintaining operational excellence. Success in this role depends on building strong partnerships across Enterprise Technology Operations, Security, and other Technology teams to deliver integrated, reliable, and secure solutions that support Clayton’s growth and resilience.

Primary Responsibilities

• Team Development: Provide direct leadership, mentorship, and coaching to network engineers, establishing clear expectations and fostering professional growth, accountability, and high performance.
• Operational Excellence: Manage daily network operations, maintenance, and issue resolution to maintain high availability, performance, and compliance with internal and regulatory standards.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner effectively with Security, Infrastructure, Cloud, and Application teams to deliver end-to-end technology solutions.
• Team Capacity Management: Partner with the Portfolio team and technology leadership to coordinate project intake, prioritize work, assign resources, and manage delivery across network initiatives, including tracking budget expenditures, team capacity, metrics, and reporting.
• Continuous Improvement: Implement automation, standardization, and process improvements that increase network efficiency, service consistency, and reliability.
• Influence & Communication: Communicate operational performance, project progress, risks, and resource needs to leadership and stakeholders; build alignment across teams through clear, timely communication.
• Innovation & Foresight: Stay informed on industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices; recommend practical improvements and support delivery of Clayton’s network modernization roadmap.
• Planning & Execution: Translate enterprise network strategy into team objectives and actionable delivery plans, partnering with technology leadership and network architecture to align execution with Clayton’s technology and business goals.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, a related field, or equivalent experience.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in network engineering, including 5+ years in a leadership role within a large, complex enterprise environment.
• Proven success leading distributed network teams across multiple domains (LAN/WAN, Wi-Fi, VoIP, SD-WAN, Cloud Networking, etc.).
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex cross-functional initiatives without direct authority.
• Strong organizational and stakeholder management skills; adept at coordinating priorities with leadership and peers.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills with the ability to communicate complex technical concepts to business stakeholders.
• Deep technical understanding of enterprise networking technologies, including routing, switching, firewalls, VPNs, unified communications, and network performance monitoring.
• Experience developing and enforcing network policies, procedures, and standards in alignment with cybersecurity and compliance requirements.
• High integrity, discretion, and sound judgment when handling sensitive information.
• Comfortable operating in dynamic environments, balancing project delivery, team development, and immediate operational needs.

Skills & Competencies

Leadership & Management

• Proven ability to lead and develop high-performing, distributed technical teams.
• Skilled at translating strategic direction into team priorities, operational plans, and timely execution.
• Strong mentoring and coaching mindset; invests in people growth and capability building.
• Experienced in managing through ambiguity and influencing without direct authority.

Technical Expertise

• Advanced knowledge of enterprise networking:Core Routing & Switching (Cisco, Aruba, etc.)Wireless Infrastructure (Aruba, Meraki, or equivalent)SD-WAN / Cloud Networking (Azure/AWS integrations, Prisma SD-WAN, or equivalent)Network Security (Firewalls, VPN, NAC, segmentation, Zero Trust)Voice & Unified Communications (Cisco UC, Teams Voice, etc.)Network Monitoring & Observability (SolarWinds, Datadog, Splunk, or similar)
• Understanding of automation and Infrastructure-as-Code (Python, Terraform, etc.) for network configuration and provisioning.
• Working knowledge of cloud networking architecture and hybrid connectivity (ExpressRoute, Direct Connect, VPN/Transit gateways).

Strategic & Analytical Thinking

• Ability to translate business objectives and network architecture direction into scalable, secure, and resilient network solutions and implementation plans.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a data-driven approach to decisions.
• Skilled at risk assessment, prioritization, and capacity planning for enterprise-scale environments.

Communication & Collaboration

• Exceptional communicator who can simplify complex topics for non-technical audiences.
• Comfortable presenting operational updates, project recommendations, and risks to leadership to support informed decisions.
• Builds trusted partnerships across Infrastructure, Cloud, Security, and Application teams.

Business Acumen

• Understands the relationship between network performance, user experience, and business outcomes.
• Experience managing budgets, vendor relationships, and technology contracts.
• Pragmatic, outcome-oriented mindset focused on measurable business value.

Why Clayton?

Clayton is a leading single-family, values-driven home builder dedicated to attainable housing, sustainable practices and creating a world-class experience for customers and team members. Quarterly profit share bonus program. Onsite gym with variety of classes, wellness, professional and personal development programs and much more! Clayton is committed to creating an inclusive workplace. Clayton is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, disability, age, or other legally protected status.

Business Unit - B00023

Technology

The Clayton story began in 1956 with a simple but powerful mission – helping more hardworking families across America achieve homeownership. Clayton is committed to Opening Doors to a Better Life. We are a leading single family, values driven home builder dedicated to attainable housing, sustainable practices, and creating a world class experience for customers and team members.

Our company portfolio includes a broad offering of attainable housing, and as a vertically integrated home builder, we are uniquely positioned to serve customers through every stage of the homeownership journey building, selling, financing, and insuring homes.

Our success is in our team members – join our team and see how you can help us build a better tomorrow.

As a shared service, Home Team team members support many functions across the Clayton enterprise. The Home Team includes wellbeing, internal audit, accounting/finance, marketing, legal, campus operations, and more. We believe our strength is our people. That's why we invest in opportunities for our team members to personally and professionally grow.

As a leader in modern and attainable housing, Clayton is committed to delivering forward-looking technology solutions. With a dedicated team of over 500 technology professionals, we continue to evolve and innovate, ensuring we remain at the forefront of our industry. Our collaborative and innovative culture encourages team members to grow to their full potential. Our focus on team member experience, development and engagement is paramount, offering career pathing and leadership development opportunities to foster growth and success within our organization.

Clayton Home Building Group has more than 12,000 team members across the United States, and built more than 59,000 homes last year. Home Building Group makes the dream of homeownership a reality every single day, delivering quality-built homes at an attainable price. We are dedicated to a world-class team member experience, environmentally responsible building practices and helping provide attainable housing for all. This business unit is comprised of Clayton Manufacturing, Clayton Supply, and Clayton Properties Group.

With 2,900+ team members and 400+ Retail locations nationwide, our home consultants create a world-class home buying experience by assisting customers in identifying a floor plan, selecting options, and coordinating the construction process. Clayton Retail sells more than 25,000 homes annually, as we strive to help customers achieve homeownership across America.