"An Equal Opportunity Employer” It is the policy of North American Stamping Group to provide employment, training, promotion, and other conditions of Employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age or status as a qualified individual with a disability or other status protected by law.
GENERAL SUMMARY
The Network Administrator is responsible for the administration, security, performance, and availability of NASG network infrastructure across assigned facilities. This position installs, configures, monitors, maintains, and troubleshoots wired and wireless networks, firewalls, switches, routers, and remote connectivity solutions. The Network Administrator serves as the primary network resource below the Director of IT and owns assigned network infrastructure projects through planning, implementation, and documentation. The Network Administrator works with IT personnel, plant operations, vendors, and other departments to maintain reliable connectivity for business applications and manufacturing operations, reduce unplanned downtime, and support IT standards and continuous improvement initiatives.
ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS
Network Administration and Infrastructure
- Install, configure, maintain, and troubleshoot LAN, WAN, wireless, and site-to-site network infrastructure across assigned NASG locations.
- Administer switches, routers, firewalls, wireless access points, network segmentation/VLANs, DNS, DHCP, IP addressing, and related network services.
- Monitor network availability, capacity, latency, utilization, and equipment health; identify and correct performance or reliability issues.
- Establish and maintain network monitoring and alerting so outages and device failures are detected automatically rather than reported by users.
- Maintain network diagrams, device inventories, configurations, licensing, support agreements, and documented standards.
- Plan and execute approved network changes, firmware updates, equipment replacements, and infrastructure upgrades with appropriate change controls.
Network Security and Business Continuity
- Administer network security controls, including firewall rules, VPN access, secure remote connectivity, and appropriate network access restrictions.
- Design and execute network segmentation between operational technology and corporate networks in coordination with plant leadership and IT leadership.
- Partner with IT leadership to implement security updates, vulnerability remediation, access reviews, and network hardening in accordance with company policy.
- Support network configuration backups, recovery procedures, redundancy, and disaster recovery testing.
- Maintain network documentation and evidence required to support customer and third-party audit requirements, including compliance standards relevant to IT, manufacturing, and automotive suppliers, as well as security assessment tools.
- Investigate and escalate suspected network security incidents; document findings and coordinate remediation with authorized personnel or vendors.
Manufacturing and Multi-Site Support
- Support reliable connectivity for manufacturing systems and equipment, including production reporting, ERP/MES connections, shop-floor workstations, printers, scanners, and network-connected production devices.
- Coordinate with manufacturing, engineering, and equipment vendors when troubleshooting plant-floor network or industrial equipment connectivity.
- Schedule infrastructure maintenance and changes to minimize disruption to production, shipping, and other critical operations.
- Support assigned facilities remotely and on-site as needed, including troubleshooting connectivity between locations.
- Follow plant safety requirements and applicable access/change controls when working near production equipment; coordinate changes to operational technology networks with responsible personnel.
Incident Management and Technical Support
- Respond to network-related incidents and service requests, prioritize business-critical outages, and restore service promptly.
- Record, track, update, and close assigned work in the IT ticketing system (Jira), maintaining clear troubleshooting and resolution notes.
- Perform root-cause analysis of recurring connectivity problems and recommend corrective or preventive actions.
- Serve as the second-level network escalation point for IT team members and end-users, resolving switching, routing, wireless, firewall, and VPN issues that cannot be closed at first level; assist with related server, workstation, telephony, and connectivity issues as required.
- Provide after-hours network support, including response to critical outages.
- Coordinate with internet service providers, telecommunications carriers, hardware manufacturers, and external technical support partners.
Projects, Documentation, and Continuous Improvement
- Plan, implement, test, and document network infrastructure projects, facility expansions, equipment installations, and technology refreshes.
- Evaluate network hardware, software, and service requirements; obtain quotes and provide purchasing recommendations for approval.
- Develop and maintain technical procedures, network maps, troubleshooting guides, configuration records, and change logs.
- Provide status updates, outage communications, and technical recommendations to the Director of IT and affected departments.
- Identify opportunities to improve network reliability, security, standardization, and cost effectiveness.
QUALIFICATIONS
Education
- Associate's or bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Networking, or a related field preferred; equivalent relevant experience may be considered.
- Relevant certifications such as CompTIA Network+, Cisco CCNA, or comparable vendor-specific networking certifications preferred.
Work Experience
- Three or more years of hands-on experience administering and troubleshooting business network infrastructure.
- Demonstrated experience configuring and supporting managed switches, firewalls, VLANs, and VPN connectivity in a multi-site environment.
- Experience supporting multiple locations, manufacturing operations, or industrial network connectivity preferred.
- Experience coordinating with vendors and supporting network infrastructure upgrades and incident response preferred.
Technical
- Working knowledge of TCP/IP, subnetting, VLANs, routing, switching, DNS, DHCP, VPNs, wireless networking, and firewall administration.
- Experience with network monitoring, troubleshooting tools, configuration backups, and technical documentation.
- Familiarity with Windows Server, Active Directory, Microsoft 365, and related enterprise services.
- Understanding of cybersecurity principles, access controls, network segmentation, and backup/recovery practices.
- Strong analytical troubleshooting skills, clear communication, attention to detail, and ability to prioritize urgent production-impacting issues.
Physical
- Ability to lift, carry, and install IT/network equipment as needed, with appropriate assistance or equipment.
- Ability to work at heights of up to 40 feet and to safely operate aerial work platforms (e.g., scissor or boom lifts) to install and maintain network equipment; training and certification will be provided.
- Ability to work at a desk and computer for prolonged periods and access network closets and production areas.
- Ability to wear required Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in manufacturing areas.
Language
- Ability to communicate effectively in English, verbally and in writing.
- Working proficiency in Spanish is strongly preferred to support NASG's Mexico facilities and Spanish-language service requests.
WORK ENVIRONMENT
- Work is performed in office, server/network equipment areas, and manufacturing facilities, including areas with variable temperatures and noise.
- On-site support at assigned NASG facilities is expected. Travel between NASG locations in the United States, Canada, and Mexico may be required; the ability to travel internationally, including valid documentation for border crossing, is required.
- After-hours support for planned maintenance, cutovers, or critical outages may be required.
North American Stamping Group is a drug-free and smoke-free workplace.
