Senior Network Operations Engineer at Hire Resolve

Job Description

• A leading provider of enterprise network and infrastructure services in South Africa is currently seeking a Senior Network Operations Engineer to join their Network Operations team in Johannesburg (JHB). This is a hands‑on senior role, responsible for the design, deployment, maintenance and continuous optimisation of core network infrastructure — ensuring uptime, performance, security, compliance and evolution of their carrier‑grade services.

Responsibilities

• Provide advanced technical support and expert‑level troubleshooting for complex networking infrastructure — including routers, switches, firewalls, APN services, wireless access points — to ensure minimal downtime and optimal performance.
• Lead diagnosis and resolution of critical network & voice connectivity issues, performance degradation, and security vulnerabilities in alignment with SLAs and client expectations.
• Use monitoring and analysis tools to proactively identify bottlenecks, anomalies, and opportunities for optimisation in high‑availability, carrier‑grade networks.
• Own configuration, implementation, upgrades, patching, change management, and lifecycle management of core network systems, following ITIL and industry best practices.
• Collaborate with clients, service providers, internal teams and vendors to translate business and technical requirements into effective network solutions — influencing network architecture and operational strategies.
• Produce and maintain high-quality technical documentation, standard operating procedures, knowledge‑base articles, and ensure internal documentation systems are audited and continuously improved.
• Act as a senior escalation point for complex issues, providing mentorship to junior engineers and ensuring swift, structured problem resolution.
• Participate in on-call rotations and lead critical incident response for after-hours emergencies to ensure rapid service restoration.
• Ensure all network operations comply with regulatory requirements (e.g. ICASA, data‑protection legislation like POPIA) and adhere to security best practices for data protection and threat mitigation.
• Drive continuous improvement, evaluate emerging technologies, and stay current on telecoms industry trends to enhance resilience and competitiveness of the network environment.
• Contribute to technical strategy, vendor engagement, client engagement, and support commercial functions including product development support when required.

Requirements

• Advanced proficiency in routing & switching protocols (BGP, OSPF, MPLS, VLANs, STP).
• Strong expertise in network security — firewall design, VPNs, IDS/IPS, threat mitigation strategies.
• Hands-on experience with carrier-grade hardware and software from vendors such as Cisco, Juniper, Fortinet (or similar), and familiarity with their ecosystems.
• Proven ability to troubleshoot complex multi-technology environments — IP, voice, cloud, SD‑WAN, and hybrid networks.
• Excellent communication skills: ability to translate technical solutions into business impact for clients and stakeholders.
• Demonstrated leadership capabilities: experience leading network projects, mentoring junior staff, and driving operational excellence.
• Strong organisational skills and ability to manage multiple projects and priorities concurrently.
• Customer service orientation, problem-analysis, adaptability, teamwork, planning, attention to detail, passion for technology, self-driven learning and initiative.
• Basic scripting skills for automation and auditing.
• Experience with APN and RADIUS technologies is a plus.
• Certifications (advantageous): CCNP (Cisco Certified Network Professional) or higher (CCIE preferred), JNCIA / JNCIP (Juniper), ITIL Foundation or equivalent in service management. Additional certifications in security (e.g. CISSP, Fortinet NSE) or cloud networking (e.g. Veeam, VMware) will be beneficial.