Senior Network Optimization Engineer / Denver, CO
Chris Johnson
15 years designing and optimizing large-scale backbone and carrier networks. Currently at Uniti Group, focused on cost optimization, network consolidation, and infrastructure modernization. BGP, MPLS, DWDM, and WAN at carrier scale.
$2M+
Annual savings delivered
15 yrs
Industry experience
120+
Network nodes managed
01 / Impact
Results that matter
$261K
MRC Eliminated
7 site exits and 3 consolidations in 2025. 57 circuits decommissioned, 634 groomed, zero customer handoffs lost.
0 min
Planned Downtime
Node insert completed ahead of a planned relocation, protecting broadband service to an entire city during the move.
-83%
Config Time Reduced
Built a router config template tool that cut per-config time from ~2 hours to 20 minutes. Adopted by the full engineering team.
02 / Skills
Technical expertise
| Networking | BGP, OSPF, MPLS, QoS, DWDM, Carrier WAN |
| Cloud | Azure, AWS, Hybrid Cloud Architecture, Cloud WAN |
| Certifications | CCNA, CCNP Enterprise (in progress), AWS Solutions Architect Associate, AWS Cloud Practitioner, Microsoft Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900), CompTIA A+ |
03 / Projects
Key engagements
Problem
Uniti's network footprint included sites generating unnecessary monthly recurring costs. Safely exiting them required coordinating circuit grooming across dozens of facilities without disrupting active customer handoffs.
Action
Planned and executed 7 site exits and 3 site consolidations. Decommissioned 57 circuits and groomed 634 circuits to alternate paths, validating every customer handoff before cutover.
Impact
$261,000 in monthly recurring costs eliminated across all 10 projects with zero customer-impacting events.
Problem
A site consolidation in Albuquerque required relocating a Cyan Z77 node that was the sole feed for broadband service to Truth or Consequences, NM. Taking it offline risked an outage of unknown duration if the node didn't come back up cleanly.
Action
Identified the risk ahead of the move and performed a node insert, placing a second Z77 between the feeder and Truth or Consequences. Groomed all broadband traffic to the inserted node before the relocation began.
Impact
Zero service impact to the city during the move. Consolidation completed on schedule with all customers unaffected.
Android · Kotlin · Jetpack Compose · NFC
Problem
Standard app timers are too easy to dismiss. The impulsive bypass is the whole problem, so the barrier needed to be physical, not digital.
Action
Built a native Android app in Kotlin with Jetpack Compose that locks distracting apps and requires scanning a physical NFC tag or QR code to end a session.
Impact
Published to Android. Demonstrates end-to-end software development: Kotlin, Compose, NFC hardware integration, and CI/CD via GitHub.