Senior Network Engineer

Purpose of Job

• The Senior Engineer is responsible for the technical ownership of specific elements of the organisation’s Network global platforms, providing subject matter expertise and acting as the point of escalation for any significant technical system issues.
• The Senior Engineer leads and actively participates in the delivery of IT projects for the organisation, including technical resource management and task planning. Furthermore, they support the Network Solution Architects in defining the expected standards, policies and documentation with which to administer and maintain the platforms operationally.
• The role requires strong cross-team and cross-region collaboration and the on-going maintenance of the vendor relationships, at a technical level, on behalf of PD-ITSD.
• The Senior Engineer is a key resource within the Network and Datacentre team and is responsible for the implementation and lifecycle management of a business-critical infrastructure comprised of a large Cisco, Check Point, Palo Alto, F5 and Network Monitoring enterprise estate.

Background

• The Senior Engineer is a key resource within PD-ITSD with technical ownership of key IT systems deployed across EMEA and North America. The role requires a strong and broad technical skillset, exemplary communication skills, project management discipline and the capacity to fluidly and efficiently balance operational support and strategic project delivery requirements. The senior nature of the role necessitates technical mentorship of junior staff and knowledge transfer to other related IT teams.
• The primary focus of the Senior Engineer is to maintain operations of existing systems whilst developing, building and deploying new IT systems and initiatives for the benefit of the organisation. The Senior Engineer is responsible for ensuring the ongoing stability and performance of the LAN, MAN and WAN networks within SMBC. The organisation has invested in software defined networking and the Senior Engineer is expected to be proficient in the support and configuration of these solutions.
• Through close partnership with the Network Solution Architecture function the Senior Engineer realises the conceptual designs provided and then builds and operationally introduces the new technology platform/solution for the organisation. They oversee the handover to operational support colleagues and ensure that documentation is current and accurate.
• The Senior Engineer will work in a discrete, focussed team dedicated to a specific technology area but will foster core relationships with other IT teams in both EMEA and North America.

Facts / Scale

• The Senior Engineer is part of a global IT team with ~30 members. The Network team in London comprises 6 people at present.
• Typically leads 3+ IT projects/deployments annually.
• Provides technical escalation for IT systems situated throughout 6 enterprise class datacentres and multiple branch sites across EMEA and North America. 5000+ client endpoints. 3000+ Servers.
• No direct reports

Accountabilities & Responsibilities

• Technical ownership and support of the organisation’s Network estate.
• Assisting the Network Solution Architecture Team with ensuring that the design of the Network environment is such that it is resilient and highly available.
• Proactively monitor and enhance the Network and Datacentre environment by ensuring alerts generated by the system are managed and progressed.
• Ensuring that the Network environment is enrolled in the appropriate capacity management reporting systems in order to provide accurate system utilisation data.
• Evaluate emerging security threats and action / implement patching schedules to protect the organisation’s systems against threats accordingly.
• Assisting the Architecture and Engineer Team with managing the environment's hardware and software life cycles, ensuring that the organisation’s systems do not become affected by end-of-life or end-of-support milestones.
• Working with the organisation's architecture team to recommend and scope tactical and strategic enhancements to the organisation's IT environment, engaging 3rd party suppliers where appropriate.
• Work closely with counterparts to develop global Network standards.
• Ensuring all technical documentation is maintained to an appropriate level and reflects the as installed environment.
• Integrate automated processes where relevant and appropriate.
• Managing and developing collaborative relationships with other groups within the IT division, locally and globally
• Act as the point of escalation for out-of-hours issues in the area of expertise.
• Mentor junior members of the team.
• Undertaking other reasonable tasks at the discretion of the Network and Datacentre Lead and head of the section
• Preparedness to work unsociable hours and weekends and be contactable when away from the office.
• Undertake visits to Datacentre locations in order to support underlying technologies.
• Participate in the on call rota for Network Support.
• Ongoing development of technical skills pertinent to role.
• Adhere to the policies and procedures of the organisation.

Knowledge, Skills, Experience & Qualifications

Knowledge

• Detailed understanding of TCP/IP Networking
• Extensive knowledge of IP routing (Static and dynamic) especially BGP routing
• Excellent knowledge of L2 technologies (STP, LACP, LLDP, etc.)
• Detailed knowledge of IPv4 and IPv6 addressing.
• A very good understanding of network security concepts and how these can be applied to network infrastructure.
• Detailed knowledge of firewall operation, configuration and deployment
• Detailed knowledge of network infrastructure protocols (DNS, DHCP, etc.)
• Any knowledge of cloud connectivity would be an advantage.
• Good knowledge of software defined networking concepts.
• Excellent communication skills especially the ability to communicate with non-IT staff within the bank.
• In addition to the above, clear evidence of a passion for technology.
• A willingness and track record of learning new technologies.

Skills

• Extensive experience of the configuration of network equipment (preferably Cisco).
• Extensive experience of troubleshooting issues on large network environments.
• Configuration and management of complex Firewall environments.
• A record of working on large Network related projects including planning and deployment.
• Experience of working with Architecture teams to transition network designs into production deployments. Ensuring that operational support procedures are in place.
• Experience of managing network related Vendors
• A track record of mentoring more junior staff, both onshore and offshore

Experience and Qualifications

• Extensive experience of working with Cisco networking technologies and solutions
• Cisco Certifications, CCNA, CCNP, CCIE
• Experience of configuring and supporting Cisco ACI.
• Experience of configuring and supporting Cisco SD-Access.
• Experience of Checkpoint Firewalls. Checkpoint certifications, CCSA
• Experience of Palo Alto Firewalls
• A good understanding of F5 Load Balancers or experience with other Load Balancing solutions.
• Infoblox experience
• Experience of working with Forescout or an alternative Network Access Control product
• ITIL Foundation
• Experience of working with IT Security teams to deliver Security related projects.
• Team Leadership (ie mentoring junior staff) and/or Project Management (as an example managing the Network stream of a project) would be beneficial.

Personal Characteristics

• An individual with excellent written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills who can communicate effectively with end users, peers across the IT function and direct management.
• A dependable self-starter who can take appropriate action with minimal direction.
• An individual who can leverage project management methodologies and effectively manage multiple projects and tasks.
• A customer focused individual, who is flexible and eager to take ownership of issues and projects.
• An individual who demonstrates a consistent and meticulous attention to detail.
• An individual who demonstrates an effective professional presence and impact.
• An individual who can work under pressure to resolve issues and maintain a positive outlook.
• An individual who can work collaboratively with multiple support teams on emerging issues.