Network Engineer

Job Purpose

We are seeking an experienced Network Engineer, ideally holding Cisco CCNP or an equivalent professional qualification, to join a team of network specialists responsible for the design, implementation, maintenance and support of a complex and highly resilient network infrastructure.

The successful candidate will provide technical support across a broad range of network and infrastructure technologies, ensuring the availability, security and performance of critical IT services.

The role will involve supporting infrastructure used across local, regional and national networks, delivering reliable IT systems and services that support frontline policing and wider organisational operations.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide 2nd and 3rd line technical support for a complex, multi-site network infrastructure.
• Support and maintain Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI), Cisco Nexus and Catalyst switching environments.
• Configure, maintain and troubleshoot Cisco ASA, Cisco Firepower and Check Point firewalls.
• Support Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers (WLCs), wireless access points and corporate Wi-Fi services.
• Support and troubleshoot Wide Area Networks (WANs), LANs and campus networks.
• Maintain and support public and private APN connectivity, remote-access and site-to-site VPNs.
• Support connectivity between on-premises data centres, Microsoft 365/O365 and Microsoft Azure environments.
• Maintain highly available network services across multiple data centres and cloud environments.
• Configure and troubleshoot network routing, switching and security technologies.
• Support load balancers, reverse proxies and IP Address Management (IPAM) appliances.
• Support network infrastructure associated with voice and telephony services, including PSTN, Microsoft Teams Telephony, SIP, SBCs and ATAs.
• Participate in network upgrades, infrastructure improvements and technology refresh programmes.
• Contribute to local, regional and national IT projects, providing specialist network engineering expertise.
• Investigate complex network incidents, identify root causes and implement effective and sustainable solutions.
• Monitor network performance, availability and capacity, taking proactive action to prevent service disruption.
• Maintain accurate technical documentation, network diagrams, configurations and operational procedures.
• Work collaboratively with internal technical teams, suppliers and third-party service providers.
• Take ownership of incidents, problems and technical tasks through to successful resolution.
• Provide technical advice and guidance to colleagues and other stakeholders where required.
• Participate in an out-of-hours/on-call support rota where applicable.

Technical Skills and Experience

• The successful candidate will have strong practical experience in a network engineering environment and knowledge of the following technologies:
• Routing & Switching
• TCP/IP and UDP protocols
• BGP and OSPF routing protocols
• Policy-Based Routing (PBR)
• VLANs and inter-VLAN routing
• Trunk ports
• Port Channels / EtherChannel
• Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)
• Cisco Catalyst and Nexus switching
• Cisco ACI
• Network Security
• Cisco ASA and Firepower firewalls
• Check Point firewalls
• Firewall rule-base administration
• Access Control Lists (ACLs)
• Network Address Translation (NAT)
• Port Address Translation (PAT)
• IPsec VPNs
• Remote-access and site-to-site VPNs
• Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)
• Digital certificates
• Network Services
• DNS
• DHCP
• IP Address Management (IPAM)
• Load balancing
• Reverse proxies
• Corporate Wi-Fi and wireless infrastructure
• Public and private APNs
• Voice & Unified Communications
• VoIP
• SIP
• Session Border Controllers (SBCs)
• Analogue Telephone Adapters (ATAs)
• PSTN
• Microsoft Teams Telephony
• Cloud & Connectivity
• Microsoft 365/O365 connectivity
• Microsoft Azure connectivity
• Hybrid on-premises/cloud networking
• Multi-data-centre connectivity.

Qualifications

• Essential:
• Cisco CCNP certification or equivalent professional networking qualification.
• Minimum 3 years' experience working in a network engineering role or a similar technical environment.
• Public Sector experience: Central Government, Defence or policing.
• Desirable:
• Additional Cisco certifications.
• Firewall/security certifications, particularly Check Point or Cisco.
• Experience working within large, complex or highly resilient network environments.
• Experience supporting public-sector, emergency services or similarly business-critical infrastructure.
• Training and development will be provided to the right candidate where there are specific technical skill gaps.

Skills and Competencies

• The successful candidate will demonstrate:
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
• A methodical and logical approach to fault finding and troubleshooting.
• Strong technical communication skills, with the ability to communicate effectively at all levels.
• The ability to work independently and as part of a specialist technical team.
• A strong sense of ownership and accountability.
• The ability to prioritise and manage competing demands effectively.
• A proactive approach to identifying and resolving technical issues.
• The confidence to take the lead when required and drive technical issues through to resolution.
• Strong attention to detail and a commitment to maintaining high technical standards.
• A willingness to continuously develop technical knowledge and keep pace with emerging technologies.