John MacDonald — Network Architect
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Los Angeles, CA | 509-205-1673 | john at this domain
NETWORK DESIGN & DEPLOYMENT — TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE — LEADERSHIP & COMMUNICATION
Summary of Qualifications
Award-winning & innovative network architect with 25 years of experience in dynamic team management, engineering, software improvement, and development experience who designs creative solutions to deep problems. Curious & motivated self-starter who maintains a pulse on industry trends, seeks to optimize internal processes, and drives both the development and enhancement of technologies to enable business unit capability needs. Proactive & collaborative thought partner able to effectively lead cross-functional teams to achieve goals, present data and recommendations to executives, and foster trusting relationships between all stakeholders.
Key Career Achievement
Earned Disney Inventor Award from Walt Disney Studios in October 2021 for developing algorithms and writing front-end code for applying machine learning to experimental datasets to improve file transfer times
Professional Experience
Walt Disney Studios | Burbank, CA
STAFF NETWORK ENGINEER — October 2019 - Present
Championed escalation support by participating in on-call rotation with Network Reliability and Implementation team. Integrated automation tools from previous position into current team’s Ansible Tower infrastructure.
- Architected the Motion Pictures Production Avid Editorial in the Cloud project in collaboration with Avid and Microsoft – ExpressRoutes, VNET Peerings, and IPSec mesh, techniques for network throughput and performance modeling of the design solutions (patent pending)
- Slashed 30 engineer hours per show by developing Ansible Tower automation for three multi-tenant sites, allowing team to meet challenging deadlines and support 7x increase in content production for 2021
- Resolved continual outages caused by G.ARP issue Dell EMC Isilon network stack, which previously created interoperability issues with Juniper EVPN RPD that cost three months of deliveries
SENIOR NETWORK ENGINEER — January 2019 – October 2019
Delivered 15+ reliable and secure networks for film production sites on time. Evaluated new software and hardware technologies for network automation as well as logging and monitoring platforms.
- Deployed ~30 IPSec tunnels between Azure, AWS, Palo Alto, and Meraki devices with BGP routing
- Developed network and subnet design web-based automation software in Python capable of using flexible starting parameters to produce deliverables, such as subnets, VLAN numbers, and device IP assignments to engineering via IPAM API integration and executives via Excel reporting
- Built Mac and Windows GUI software with Python 2.7 and 3.x compatibility to automate production workflows for VFX and camera shot ingest, saving hundreds of labor hours
- Mentored and trained two engineers on networking, automation, and coding best practices
Sohonet | Marina Del Ray, CA
NETWORK ENGINEER — March 2017 – January 2019
Managed domestic networking requests to design and implement customer both MPLS and BGP solutions at Internet Exchanges; partnered with large-scale companies, including Apple, Google, and Amazon.
- Assembled MPLS solutions for L3VPN, VLL/EoMPLS/VPWS/pseudowire, and VPLS/l2vpns to match global and Metro Ethernet service provider needs
- Executed and maintained CWDM/DWDM, wavelength physical infrastructure, and logical circuits across four continents and dozens of POPs
- Deployed firewalls and SSLVPNs between Palo Alto, Juniper SRX, Netscreen SSG, and Fortinet FortiGate
- Spearheaded testing interoperability of Juniper and Brocade devices for core and aggregation use
Website Management Systems | Las Vegas, NV
NETWORK ANALYST April 2016 – March 2017
Optimized network routing by deploying OSPF to reduce labor hours previously involved in static routing. Negotiated contracts with internet service providers, resulting in lower costs.
- Decreased telephone costs by 50% by switching from traditional PRI-based phone system to VoIP
- Boosted network reliability to 99.99% in utilizing fully redundant Cisco architecture; improved voice-call quality through QoS with LLQ with DSCP tagging from Cisco-compatible phones and catalyst switches
Photographer | Hyak Photography | Kennewick, WA — 2010 – 2016
Directed independent contractors, including photographers, image editors, hair/makeup/wardrobe stylists, and assistants. Managed AWS infrastructure and full-stack development to deliver terabytes of pictures to clients and editors. Earned 2014 Silver Award of Excellence from Wedding & Portrait Photographers International.
Manager | Sheep’s Clothing | Kennewick, WA — 2010 – 2016
Oversaw vendor management and procurement by building relationships with sales representatives and manufacturers. Supervised 10-person team of retail employees during operations. Achieved tenfold increase in revenue over six years.
Led 6-person team of network, systems, and support engineers while working in a mostly remote environment. Increased volunteer support for NGOs by deploying Wi-Fi between campuses and dorms in Tanzania, East Africa. Maximized employee capabilities and reduced costs by deploying VoIP phone system to allow call center employees to work from home.
Areas of Expertise
KEY SKILLS
Network Architecture | Technology Engineering & Deployment | Development Experience | Cloud Network Solutions | Project Management | Process Improvements | Troubleshooting | Customer Service
LEADERSHIP
Cross-Functional Collaboration | Relationship Building | Team Management & Mentorship | Presentations
TECHNICAL
EVPN/VxLAN | Global BGP & MPLS Architecture | Data Center | Infrastructure Automation | Python | Switches: Cisco (Nexus, Catalyst, ASR , Juniper (MX & QFX), & Arista DCS
Certification
- Cisco Certified Specialist – Enterprise Design (CCDP) | Cisco — Received 2020
- Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert CCIE) Service Provider - Written | Cisco - Received 2020 [pending practical… passed on a lunch bet in March 2020 just in time for all of the testing centers to close]
- Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) Routing & Switching | Cisco — Received 2018
- Juniper Networks Certified Design Associate (JNCDA) | Juniper — Received 2020
- Certified Meraki Network Operator (CMNO) | Cisco — Received 2019
EDUCATION
Columbia Basin College; Pasco, WA
Associates of Arts and Sciences — 2006