About Hood Container Corporation
Hood Container Corporation is a family-owned, mill-to-market company specializing in containerboard and kraft paper, corrugated boxes, high-graphic displays, and contract packaging. Over the last eight years, Hood Container has grown to become one of the top ten paper and packaging companies in the United States, operating multiple manufacturing plants and converting facilities across our geographic footprint.
Position Summary
The Senior Network Engineer is responsible for designing, building, and maintaining a secure, scalable network infrastructure that supports Hood Container's manufacturing operations and business objectives across all company locations. This is a hands-on technical role that combines network architecture and daily operations with a strong security focus. You will own the reliability and performance of our network from the front office to the plant floor, lead infrastructure projects such as SD-WAN deployments and network segmentation and serve as the subject-matter expert for routing, switching, wireless, and security. Reporting to the Manager of IT Security, you will collaborate with cross-functional teams, including plant operations, IT, and cybersecurity, to ensure our infrastructure meets operational needs, security standards, and compliance requirements.
Key Responsibilities
Network Design and Implementation
- Design and implement secure network solutions, including RADIUS, SASE, VPNs, intrusion detection/prevention systems (IDS/IPS), and secure access points across all Hood Container locations.
- Lead the design, configuration, and deployment of SD-WAN solutions across multiple manufacturing sites, assessing current infrastructure and recommending solutions that meet both business and technical requirements.
- Develop, maintain, and enforce network security policies and procedures. Configure and manage network security devices to protect against unauthorized access, data leaks, and cyber-attacks.
- Optimize network configurations to ensure high availability, redundancy, and performance appropriate for manufacturing environments where downtime directly impacts production.
Monitoring, Maintenance, and Incident Response
- Collaborate with the Security Team to monitor network performance and security using EDR, NDR, and SIEM tools. Proactively identify issues before they impact production or business operations.
- Maintain patching and update schedules for all network devices to mitigate vulnerabilities across the environment.
- Conduct vulnerability assessments and penetration testing to identify and remediate security risks.
- Investigate and respond to security incidents, breaches, and cyber threats. Develop and maintain incident response plans, and work closely with the cybersecurity team to prevent recurrence.
Multi-Site Operations and IT/OT Support
- Support network infrastructure across multiple manufacturing plants, ensuring consistent standards, configurations, and security posture at every site.
- Travel to plant locations as needed (up to 35%) for deployments, troubleshooting, and infrastructure assessments.
- Collaborate with plant operations and OT teams to support plant-floor network connectivity, ensuring appropriate segmentation between IT and operational technology (OT) environments.
- Serve as a technical resource and business partner for plant managers and stakeholders, translating network and security needs into solutions that support manufacturing operations.
Collaboration, Training, and Documentation
- Collaborate with IT and cybersecurity teams to continuously improve the organization's overall network security posture.
- Provide mentoring and technical guidance to junior network engineers and IT staff on network security best practices.
- Maintain comprehensive, up-to-date documentation of network configurations, topology, security policies, and procedures.
- Generate regular reports on network security status, incidents, and remediation efforts. Stay current with emerging network security trends, threats, and technologies.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
- 5-7+ years of experience in network engineering with a demonstrated focus on network security.
- Strong knowledge of network protocols, routing, and switching (TCP/IP, BGP, OSPF).
- Experience with firewall management (e.g., Palo Alto Networks, Meraki).
- Proficiency with VPNs, SASE, IDS/IPS, NDR, EDR, and SIEM systems.
- Expert knowledge of wireless networking standards (802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax) and security protocols (WPA2, WPA3).
- Strong understanding of SD-WAN architecture, including edge devices, controllers, and orchestrators.
- Proficiency in network security principles and practices, particularly as they relate to SD-WAN environments.
- Familiarity with network monitoring tools (e.g., SolarWinds, Wireshark).
- Strong understanding of encryption technologies, authentication methods, and network access control.
- Excellent communication skills with the ability to explain technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders including plant managers and operations staff.
- Ability to work independently, manage multiple priorities, and travel to plant locations as required.
Preferred Qualifications
- Certifications such as CCNP Enterprise, CCNP Security, Palo Alto PCNSE, or CCIE. Azure Network Engineer Associate or equivalent cloud networking certification is a plus.
- Experience with cloud network security (e.g., Azure, AWS, GCP).
- Prior experience in manufacturing, industrial, or multi-site environments.
- Familiarity with IT/OT convergence concepts and network segmentation for industrial control systems.
- Experience supporting network infrastructure across geographically distributed locations.
Work Environment
This is a full-time remote position. The role involves travel to manufacturing plant locations (up to 35%), including occasional visits to production floor environments. Some after-hours or weekend work may be necessary for maintenance windows, deployments, or emergency response.
Here's why you'll love working at Hood Container:
- Competitive pay & benefits: We offer a competitive base salary, an annual bonus program, and a comprehensive benefits package to keep you healthy and happy. Check out more detailed information on our benefits via www.hoodcontainer.com/benefits
- Continuous learning: We invest in paid training and development to help you grow your skills and advance your career.
- Caring & Empowering Company Culture: Supportive & collaborative team dedicated to seeing you unbox your potential to help make a difference & make customers happy.
- Growing Company in a Sustainable Industry: Consider a Future in Corrugated Packaging
Our goal is to have a diverse and representative workforce, at all job levels, of the citizens and customers we serve. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills.
Hood Container Corporation is a family-owned, Mill to Market company, specializing in containerboard and kraft paper, corrugated boxes, high graphic displays, and contract packaging. Our commitment to customer happiness, employee well-being, environmental stewardship, and operational excellence drives our business. Over the last decade, Hood Container Corporation has grown to become one of the top ten Paper and Packaging Companies in the United States.
To learn more about Hood Container Corporation, visit www.hoodcontainer.com or check us out on social media!
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Hood Container Capabilities: Overview Video