Networking is everywhere in our products, from robot level Ethernet switch ICs and radios to complete warehouse wireless networks to site to site solutions. As the Network Engineer, you will be responsible for all of it. You will gain a deep understanding of how devices communicate with one another at all levels of our products and use your expertise to drive our product development to ensure our customer installations are successful. In this role you will get to work with a wide array of different devices and technologies. Some of these will be standard IT networking equipment and others will be dedicated industrial equipment that is purpose-built to enable automation specific needs such as human safety system communication. You will be a part of Alert’s Electrical Engineering Team and will work closely with design engineers, IT, and site deployment teams. You will be Alert’s go-to networking expert.

It’s important that the Network Engineer have significant previous experience in architecture, documentation, implementation, troubleshooting, and monitoring of industrial wired and wireless networks for similar types of applications to Alert’s. Familiarity with past and emerging standards such as WiFi 6, vendor-specific protocol solutions, and module-level offerings is critical to the Network Engineers success.

What Will You Love?

• Being a part of an organization that is innovative in both its products and the design of the organization
• Working in a culture that is built on the fundamental importance of individual contribution and team synergy where everyone pulls together to get the job done and then celebrates in shared success
• Collaborating within a talented, high-energy, supportive, and enthusiastic company developing a world-class product that will directly improve people’s lives
• Belonging to an organization that values you as an integral part of itself with more than just a generous benefits package and daily catered lunches

What Will You Do?

• Act as the company-wide computer networking expert and be responsible for the successful implementation of networking (wireless and wired) solutions for Alert’s automation systems
• Architect, design, document, test, and troubleshoot computer networks used in Alert’s industrial automation products
• Enable successful wireless and wired network installations at customer sites by performing WiFi site surveys and simulation, WiFi antenna selection and placement, tuning component configurations, managing RF spectrum/channel use, implementing monitoring and data collection solutions, and providing debugging support
• Collaborate cross-functionally to develop product requirements, participate in design reviews, provide internal training, and drive issue resolution
• Drive networking component selection at the system and component levels to meet product requirements for both general networking and human safety system networking while considering reliability, serviceability, and cost
• Work closely with Alert’s Information Technology Team to ensure successful customer site rollout and support by developing networking statistics reporting, monitoring, and alerting that integrates with Alert’s IT infrastructure
• Own the technical relationships with Alert’s third-party networking equipment suppliers
• Stay apprised of the latest networking technology, protocol, and product advancements and evaluate them against Alert’s product needs

Requirements

• At least a bachelor’s degree in computer networking, information technology, electrical/computer engineering, or computer science, or the equivalent in relevant work experience
• At least 10 years of directly related work experience
• A proven track record of implementing high reliability computer networks for large-scale industrial (preferably related to automation) applications
• Experience with industrial safety systems implemented over wireless networks that use PROFINET and PROFIsafe and a deep understanding of how they work
• Knowledge of RF signal theory concepts as they relate to wireless communication such as attenuation, co-channel interference, electromagnetic interference, shadowing, and reflections
• Strong channel management knowledge, understanding and experience working with DFS channels
• Expertise with advanced networking technologies such as, NAT, Port Forwarding, LLDP, SNMP, 802.1x, VLAN, 802.1q, 802.1p, 801.11a – 802.11ac, WiFi 6, and various network topologies such as ring and daisy-chain
• Demonstrate a strong ability to debug complex network issues and reach root cause by using industry standard tools such as tcpdump or Wireshark along with formal methodologies such as FMEAs, 8D, fishbones, 5 why analysis, etc.
• Understanding of security principals, protocols, and best practices is required, a strong background in security is a big plus
• Previous experience with Siemens networking equipment is highly preferable
• Some familiarity with network automation using Ansible, Python, and/or Bash
• Strong written and verbal communication, problem-solving, and logical thinking skills

TEAMING AND PERSONAL

• Constructively support or lead project teams as the circumstances require or as assignment by team leads
• Work successfully in a collaborative team environment
• Constructively influence team decisions and product design requirements
• Self-motivating and capable of working without direction or supervision to achieve team goals
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills and be able to communicate across all levels of the organization
• Possess the additional skills of business acumen, basic team facilitation, assignment flexibility, independent thinking and responsibility for execution

VALUES

All members of Alert Innovation practice the following values as part of their daily responsibilities and model these values as she/he leads or supports their teams.

• The Golden Rule: Extraordinarily powerful in its simplicity and depth: “Treat others as you would want to be treated”
• The Power of Person: The contribution of every single person in a company is important, and the performance of the entire company can only be maximized when every person strives to achieve his/her full potential and to contribute to the best of his/her ability
• The Power of Team: The Power of Person becomes amplified exponentially when a group of people working effectively as a team create “performance synergy”, whereby the capacity to perform as a team is much greater than the sum of the individual members’ capacities
• The Power of Truth: We strive to see the world as it is, not as we want or imagine it to be, because only then can we make it better. This core value manifests itself through questioning, probing, testing, measuring, validating, verifying, proving, listening with an open mind, and making fact-based decisions. It also fosters transparency and honesty with others, as well as self-examination and self-honesty

Benefits

Alert Innovation offers a highly competitive salary for each job family and level within the Boston-area market in which we are based. As part of our Power of Truth value we practice salary transparency, so you know you are being compensated fairly relative to other team members performing similar roles in our organization.

Every employee is granted stock options which vest over four years. We have 31 issued or pending patents on our groundbreaking technology. A leading retail equity analyst at Jefferies recently published that “we view Alert Innovation’s fulfillment technology as the most diverse and comprehensive. In addition, its developing the Novastore concept could be a winning long-term format.”

We offer full time employees a generous benefits package starting with your date of hire.

PAID TIME OFF

• No fixed limits on the number of workdays that you can take off for personal reasons, including vacations. You take what you need keeping in mind the demands of your team’s workload.

• 9 Paid Holidays.

MEDICAL/DENTAL/VISION

• Blue Cross Blue Shield HMO and PPO options.
• Health Reimbursement plan where Alert Innovation reimburses you for deductible related expenses ($1,000 for individuals, $2,500 for families).
• Dental insurance thru Delta Dental of MA.
• Vision Plan thru VSP.
• Flexible Spending Account to enable you to pay health care and dependent care costs on a pre-tax basis.

INSURANCE

• Group Term Life Insurance at no cost to you, equal to three times your annual salary.
• Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance at no cost to you, equal to three times your annual salary.
• Short Term Disability Income Protection at no cost to you, equal to 70% of your weekly salary for up to 13 weeks.
• Long Term Disability Income Protection at no cost to you, equal to 66.67% of your monthly earnings.

RETIREMENT

• 401k Plan administered by Fidelity to enable you to save using pre-tax dollars.

PERSONAL/CAREER DEVELOPMENT

• 100% of cost of training for your current or near-term work needs including conferences and technical events.
• 50% reimbursement of tuition for programs aligned with career development goals including MBA and master’s from top schools (online via Coursera).
• 50% reimbursement of Nano Degrees (online via Udacity).
• Earn a Bachelor’s or Associates college degree from a fully accredited undergraduate program for only $5,000/year through our College For America benefit with Southern New Hampshire University.

OTHER

• Employee Assistance Program to assist with emotional health, parenting, eldercare, nutrition, legal and financial consultation needs.

The above list is only a summary of some of our benefits and is not meant to be a comprehensive explanation.

Alert Innovation is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.