ACI Network Engineer (SC Cleared)

Summary: The role of Senior Cisco ACI Network Specialist requires an SC Cleared professional to engage in a major enterprise datacentre transformation project. This hands-on position focuses on upgrading and modernising Cisco ACI and Nexus fabric environments within a highly regulated setting. The specialist will work on multiple enterprise datacentre fabrics, implementing upgrades and fabric modernisation strategies. The position demands strong technical expertise in Cisco ACI and related technologies.

Key Responsibilities:

• Delivering Cisco ACI fabric upgrades across multiple enterprise environments
• Supporting the modernisation of ACI orchestration and management platforms
• Leading APIC platform refresh and ACI platform upgrades
• Working on Nexus fabric and ACI control-plane modernisation
• Designing and maintaining ACI policy models (tenants, VRFs, BDs, EPGs, contracts, L4-L7)
• Contributing to underlay/overlay fabric design (EVPN/VXLAN, IS-IS/BGP)
• Producing design documents, upgrade plans, and implementation runbooks
• Leading and supporting high-risk, out-of-hours change and upgrade activities
• Troubleshooting complex ACI fabric, APIC, and policy-related issues
• Working closely with security, compute, storage, and cloud teams

Key Skills:

• Active SC Clearance (mandatory)
• Strong hands-on experience with Cisco ACI in large enterprise environments
• Proven experience delivering ACI upgrades and platform refreshes
• Deep knowledge of APIC, ACI policy model, and multi-site ACI environments
• Strong Nexus/NX-OS experience
• Strong understanding of EVPN/VXLAN and underlay/overlay architectures
• Experience working in highly regulated, business-critical environments
• Excellent troubleshooting skills in complex fabric environments

Salary (Rate): £700 daily

City: London

Country: UK

Working Arrangements: hybrid

IR35 Status: inside IR35

Seniority Level: Senior

Industry: IT

Detailed Description From Employer:

Senior Cisco ACI Network Specialist (SC Cleared)

• Location: London (Hybrid - 1-2 days onsite)
• Contract: 6 months
• Rate: £700 Inside IR35

We're looking for an SC Cleared Senior Cisco ACI Network Specialist to join a major enterprise datacentre transformation programme within a highly regulated environment.

This is a hands-on, ACI-first role focused on upgrading, modernising, and standardising large-scale Cisco ACI and Nexus fabric environments. You'll be working across multiple enterprise datacentre fabrics, delivering upgrades, platform refreshes, and fabric modernisation as part of a long-term, Cisco-led strategy.

What You'll Be Doing

• Delivering Cisco ACI fabric upgrades across multiple enterprise environments
• Supporting the modernisation of ACI orchestration and management platforms
• Leading APIC platform refresh and ACI platform upgrades
• Working on Nexus fabric and ACI control-plane modernisation
• Designing and maintaining ACI policy models (tenants, VRFs, BDs, EPGs, contracts, L4-L7)
• Contributing to underlay/overlay fabric design (EVPN/VXLAN, IS-IS/BGP)
• Producing design documents, upgrade plans, and implementation runbooks
• Leading and supporting high-risk, out-of-hours change and upgrade activities
• Troubleshooting complex ACI fabric, APIC, and policy-related issues
• Working closely with security, compute, storage, and cloud teams

What We're Looking For

• Active SC Clearance (mandatory)
• Strong hands-on experience with Cisco ACI in large enterprise environments
• Proven experience delivering ACI upgrades and platform refreshes
• Deep knowledge of:
  • APIC
  • ACI policy model
  • Multi-site ACI environments
• Strong Nexus/NX-OS experience
• Strong understanding of EVPN/VXLAN and underlay/overlay architectures
• Experience working in highly regulated, business-critical environments
• Excellent troubleshooting skills in complex fabric environments