Network Engineering & Simulation Expert — Hephaestus

$70–90/hr

rate as listed

Workload: ~15h/week
Engagement: Project-based
Location: Worldwide
Field: STEM and Coding

Build and validate executable networking tasks for AI systems across enterprise, data-center, cloud, and service-provider scenarios. The work combines reproducible labs, device configuration, failure diagnosis, automated verification, and review of AI-generated network artifacts.

The work

You will design realistic tasks involving routing, switching, network services, segmentation, access policies, redundancy, and performance. Day-to-day outputs can include containerlab, GNS3, EVE-NG, Mininet, ns-3, FRRouting, or equivalent topologies; configurations for BGP, OSPF, VLANs, IPv4/IPv6, DNS, DHCP, NAT, VPNs, and firewalls; traffic or failure scenarios; packet captures; and reference solutions that another engineer can reproduce.

What the screening emphasizes

Expect the screen to test direct ownership of production networks, protocol reasoning under follow-up, and the ability to distinguish plausible configuration from verified behavior. Strong candidates can explain how they test reachability, route selection, policy enforcement, isolation, convergence, failover, latency, throughput, and packet loss using both live behavior and configuration inspection. The qualification asks for the ability to write and debug Python, shell, Ansible, or comparable automation. CCNP, CCIE, JNCIP, and network test automation experience are listed as pluses, not requirements.

Practical details

The artifacts must be packaged with topology files, dependencies, scripts, captures, and results so another engineer can reproduce the outcome. The listing does not specify whether the engagement is fully remote, how asynchronous collaboration is organized, or the expected weekly hours, so confirm those points during screening.

Pay band: $70–90/hr

What they look for

Professional ownership of enterprise, data-center, cloud, or service-provider networks
Hands-on routing, switching, network-policy, and troubleshooting expertise
Network lab, simulation, or emulation experience
Protocol and service configuration across technologies such as BGP, OSPF, VLANs, IPv4/IPv6, DNS, DHCP, NAT, VPNs, or firewalls
Python, shell, Ansible, or comparable network automation
Traffic analysis and measurable verification using tools such as Wireshark, tcpdump, or iperf

Included with this listing

Interview prep — 10 questions

Matched to what this platform's screening actually measures. Answer each out loud in 60–90 seconds: claim → concrete example → implication.

What it tests: This tests whether the candidate has verifiable production ownership rather than lab-only familiarity or adjacent infrastructure experience.
A strong answer: A strong answer identifies the environment and approximate scale, names the protocols and platforms involved, and distinguishes personal decisions from team responsibilities. It includes one operational change or incident whose outcome can be explained under follow-up.
Where people lose it: Candidates lose points by saying they managed a large network without defining topology, device count, traffic role, protocol design, or their own authority.

Summary, eligibility guidance and screening preparation are prepared by Sidequest from the platform's posting. Check the source listing before applying.

STEM AND CODING on Sidequest

What stem and coding AI work pays

Rates by specialty, the platforms hiring, and every open role in this field.