Job Description:
Reporting to the ITS Routing & Switching Service team lead, the Network Specialist is seen as a technical expert in core networking infrastructure and technology.
This is a highly technical and hands-on role, with a focus on design, deployment, management and daily operation of the core networking and connectivity infrastructure. The role further requires troubleshooting complex operational issues as well as delivering first class support to internal business units.
You should possess in-depth knowledge of core networking concepts and technologies, working in a high impact, mission critical environment where service matters and exceeding expectations is the norm.
Key responsibilities
The Network Specialist’s primary areas of responsibility include designing, deploying, maintaining core network and connectivity infrastructure. Ensuring defined standards in place, manage the technical lifecycle of products and services. Deliver designs to support change/transformation against standards. Ensuring a smooth transition/handover to operations post go live with all supporting documentation.
Services you will be responsible for include, but are not limited to: Campus, Branch, and Data CentreIP/Layer 2/Layer 3 networking, LAN, WAN, Wireless and Cloud connectivity.
Responsibilities include:
- Defining, documenting Network & Communications Standards.
- Handle proof of concept testing and network design validation testing.
- Assist in the creation of service and technology roadmaps.
- Vendor engagement and management to support outsourced services.
- Vendor engagement to improve current services and technologies as defined in our roadmap.
- Identify and resolve all hardware related problems for better performance and detect issues for networking strategies.
- Responsible for creating high level design documents that meet all stakeholder requirements.
- Responsible for the creation of Low-Level detailed design documents.
- Responsible for the creation of detailed Implementation plans and operational guides.
- Responsible for ensuring the smooth transition/handover to operations of solutions in line with agreed Operational Acceptance Process
- Responsible for ensuring personal skillsets are relevant and up to date.
- Responsible for providing escalation support as required.
- Provide on call support (rota basis) and work extended hours as and when required.
Core Skills & Experience
- You will have excellent hands-on experience of core networking within a global enterprise scale organization (5000-10,000+ users), designing and delivering solutions.
- You will have considerable first-hand experience of design, engineering and building sustainable and scalable solutions, ideally within finance or investment banking.
- You will be expert at leading and resolving complex incidents and problems.
- You will have an attention to detail in everything you do along with a natural willingness to help your customers and colleagues.
- This role requires a strong background in Layer 2, Layer 3&Layer 4-7 routing, switching and application switching technologies.
- You will be familiar with a variety of testing tools, networking technologies and techniques to accurately troubleshoot and resolve complex technical problems associated with the service, application and network hardware and software.
Technical Skills & Experience
You will have expert knowledge and experience of the following areas:
- Cisco Routing & Switching (IOS, ASR, ISR and Nexus)
- Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI)
- Wireless Controllers & Access Points
- Packet Capture and NetFlow analysis
- BGP and OSPF routing
- Policy and route-map configuration
- MPLS, DMVPN, IPSec VPN, TACACS authentication
- VLAN, Spanning Tree, L3 interfaces, HSRP, TCP/IP
- QoS (Quality of Service), ACL (Access Control Lists)
- Network Monitoring, Management & Alerting as per standard
- CMDB management as per standard.
- Cloud networking concepts and configurations
It is desirable and advantageous to also have knowledge and experience of the following areas:
- WAN-Optimization and acceleration technologies
- Software Defined Networking concepts and technologies
- Network Automation concepts and technologies (Ansible, Python, Terraform)
- Internet exchange and content delivery architecture
- Azure fundamentals
- ForeScout Network Access Control (NAC)
- Firewall concepts and technologies
Technical Certification
You will require the following certification or demonstrable working experience:
- Cisco CCNP (CCIER & S accreditation strongly preferred)
- Cisco CCDA
- ITILv3 foundation or higher
It would be desirable and advantageous to also have certification demonstrable working experience:
- Azure fundamentals
- Python, Ansible, Terraform
- Juniper (JunOS/MIST)
Personal Attributes
- You will be able to identify tasks and manage them effectively to completion autonomously without supervision.
- You will be highly organized and have proven ability to operate well under pressure, working to tight deadlines, leading complex investigations to root cause analysis.
- You will have excellent problem management and customer service skills.
- You will have a positive attitude and be capable of remaining positive even when under immense pressure.
- You will be able to provide technical leadership and be able to work with teams to deliver projects, often at pace and under challenging circumstances.
- You are someone with high professional standards, who never accepts the status-quo, who challenges why things are done the way they are.
- You will be a strong communicator, both written and verbal
- You discourage hero culture and ensure the team always comes before the individual, although always ensuring for the welfare of staff.
- You will have the ability to understand the big picture as well as having a strong attention to detail
- You will always act with integrity and embrace the philosophy of treating our customers fairly (compulsory)
- You will work effectively as one IT community across the regions and the business
- You will embrace the philosophy and principles of group IT
- You understand and apply Investec working practices, policies and procedures
Company Benefits
- Excellent private pension
- Bonus scheme
- Share scheme
- Private medical cover
- Flexible & hybrid working
Interview Process
For this role we have a three stage interview process. You will meet your potential new manager and the diverse team.
