Network & Service Operations Engineer

Summary of Role

The engineer must be capable of providing technical leadership across enterprise networking domains, including network security, while also managing critical service incidents, coordinating multiple vendors, and supporting the Network Service Domain Lead.

The candidate must possess strong technical expertise in network security, SD-WAN, firewalls, VPNs, and cloud connectivity, together with proven experience managing P1 incidents, driving service restoration activities, vendor governance, service assurance, and stakeholder communications within large enterprise environments.

Responsibilities

Network & Security Operations

• Support enterprise WAN and SD-WAN environments.
• Manage and support enterprise firewalls, VPNs and secure remote access.
• Support Network Access Control (NAC) technologies.
• Monitor network security events, logs and suspicious traffic.
• Support secure cloud connectivity and hybrid network environments.
• Identify network and security vulnerabilities, risks and control gaps.
• Troubleshoot complex network and security incidents.

Network Security Assessment

• Conduct firewall ruleset reviews and identify potential security risks.
• Validate network segmentation and associated security controls.
• Review network security architecture against organisational standards.
• Assess VPN and remote-access security.
• Conduct network hardening reviews.
• Recommend improvements to network security controls.

Network Security Delivery

• Manage firewall policy implementations and changes.
• Ensure network implementations align with security policies and standards.
• Coordinate SD-WAN security policy deployments.
• Implement and manage network segmentation.
• Support secure remote access solutions.
• Coordinate network and security changes across internal teams and external vendors.

Incident & Service Management

• Lead and coordinate P1 and other critical network/security incidents.
• Drive service restoration activities and ensure appropriate technical teams and vendors are engaged.
• Provide structured incident updates to technical and business stakeholders.
• Support root cause analysis and post-incident reviews.
• Remain calm and provide clear technical direction during high-pressure incidents.
• Identify recurring service issues and recommend corrective actions.

Vendor & Stakeholder Management

• Coordinate multiple technology and service vendors.
• Monitor vendor performance against agreed service commitments.
• Escalate service and technical issues where required.
• Engage effectively with both executive and technical stakeholders.
• Support vendor negotiations and service discussions.
• Apply commercial awareness when managing service providers and contracts.

Governance & Documentation

• Develop and maintain Low-Level Designs (LLDs).
• Develop network and security standards.
• Produce detailed implementation and change plans.
• Create and maintain risk registers.
• Document firewall, network and security changes.
• Maintain clear technical and operational documentation.
• Produce service, incident and management reports where required.

Experience

• Minimum 5+ years' Network Security Engineering experience, preferably within complex enterprise environments.
• Strong practical experience supporting:
• Enterprise WAN / SD-WAN
• Firewalls
• VPN technologies
• Network Access Control
• Network segmentation
• Security monitoring and logging
• Enterprise routing and switching
• Cloud connectivity
• Proven experience managing or supporting P1/critical incidents.
• Experience working with multiple technology vendors and managed service providers.
• Experience in service assurance, incident management and operational governance.
• Experience supporting large-scale enterprise infrastructure environments.

Qualifications

• Matric and a Tertiary Qualification

Cisco CCNP Enterprise

• Strong enterprise routing and switching knowledge.
• Enterprise network infrastructure expertise.
• Network design review and security hardening knowledge.

Cisco CCNP Security

• Firewall policy design and implementation.
• VPN technologies.
• Secure network access.
• Network segmentation and security controls.

CompTIA Security+

• Understanding of cybersecurity principles, controls, threats and security best practices.