Network Architect

Job content

Digital Space is a leading UK converged managed service provider delivering excellence in Connectivity, Unified Communications and Collaboration, Cloud and Hosting, Security and IT Managed Service Solutions to its customers, through Service Operations based in Newark and Telford.

Our culture is customer-centric, serving loyal and trusted customers across our specialist verticals including Hospitality and Leisure, Retail, Government and Not-for-Profit, Manufacturing & Construction, Commercial and Financial and Professional Services. An example of our valued customers include Greene King, Burger King UK, St John Ambulance, Roxel and the Motor Fuel Group to name but a few.

Over 80% of our colleagues are in customer facing roles, and as valued members of the Digital Space team benefit from training and professional development, flexible working options, Medicash, quarterly company incentives and a variety of health and wellbeing services. As a company we are always seeking talented people, so if you’re looking for a new challenge as part of a fast-paced industry in a business with exciting growth plans, then we’d like to hear from you!

Location: Home based with some travel to office

Role Purpose

This role is to provide network technical skills within the Core Network Platform team for both internal and customer project delivery. Lifecycle management

You will have demonstrable experience of delivery and support for a range of network solutions, covering WAN, LAN, DC, Broadband, Peering, WIFI and security. You will be able to provide support and response to escalated complex 3rd line technical issues within your areas of expertise along with effectively managing business and customer expectations.

Key result areas

• Ability to time manage, prioritise and escalate when required.
• Take ownership to drive resolution.
• Collaboration with colleagues and wider technical teams.
• Be customer facing and able to successfully interact with customers at multiple levels.
• Understanding of solution requirements and how they shape solution design.
• Validation of solution high level designs - querying missing or incomplete information.
• Provide estimates of effort for design and implementation work.
• Produce complex solution low level designs across single and multiple technologies.
• Confirming that the low level design supports the high level design
• Production of build, integration and test plans for project delivery.
• Perform solution implementation tasks from the low level design.
• Test the solution components and overall technology build.
• Provide build, integrate and test status updates to interested parties.
• Create relevant and quality documentation to allow for handover to support.
• Provide flexibility with support and implementation.
• Ability to lead and coordinate others through all design and delivery activities. Accept ownership and accountability.
• Have commercial awareness and understanding. Have the ability to challenge constructively for better outcomes. Drive cost reduction and produce business cases.
• Operate as an overall solution delivery lead as well as a technical lead, driving planning and improvement opportunities. Able to lead and support strategic initiatives as well as innovative research.
• Share skills and knowledge through training and mentoring of colleagues.
• Ability to communicate and present technical concepts to customers and/or senior management using architectural techniques.
• Ability to produce Sow and High Level Design/Low Level Design as and where require.
  

Key Relationships

• Team Peers
• Product teams for definition of existing and new products
• Sales architects
• Project Managers
• Service Delivery Managers
• Other operational towers - For example Connectivity and UC&C
• Third party suppliers and vendors
  

Responsibilities

• Design and operation of the core network infrastructure.
• Plan, Design, and test new products/platforms.
• Technical escalation point for 3rd line operational teams
• Acquire and maintain superior knowledge and skills within recognised skills disciplines.
• Keep abreast of changes and issues in their areas of specialty / expertise and disseminate information to other teams.
• Add expertise and commitment to new service take on
• Adhere to all Change/Incident/Project Management processes
• Adhere to all job administration processes
• Flexibility to work outside of normal business hours if required
• Following defined ITIL Policies and Processes and ISO 270001 Quality procedures
• To be part of a 24x7 on call Rota as and where required
• To be compliant with health and safety company policy and legislation
• Confidential information handling
• Customer focused – pleased to provide good service
• Mentoring and training
  

Essential

Experience required

• A minimum of 3 years’ experience in an equivalent role within the Service Provider / Telco / ISP industry
• A deep level of understanding of carrier IP/MPLS networks including route reflection and traffic engineering
• A good level of understanding around Internet routing encompassing public peering and transit
• Experience operating a wholesale broadband platform (LNS/LAC, Radius, etc.)
• Strong multi-vendor experience - specifically Junos, Cisco IOS/XE/XR/NXOS and FortiOS
• Strong Knowledge of MPLS, DC/hosting connectivity and NFV
• Strong BGP skills.
• Knowledge/Expertise of designing, configuring and troubleshooting Local Area Networks
• Good operational Linux skills
• Basic scripting abilities (Python/Perl)
• Knowledge/Expertise of Network Monitoring technologies such as SNMP and packet analysis
• Knowledge/Expertise of designing, configuring and troubleshooting Cisco Data Centre solutions such as Cisco Nexus
  

Desirable

• Automation (Ansible, PyEZ, Napalm, etc.)
• A good level of understanding around QoS/CoS principles
• High level knowledge of compute / hypervisor platforms such as VMWare, MS Hyper-V, Storage Replication etc.
• Knowledge/Expertise of DNS and Public IP address management
• Previous exposure to SD-WAN solutions
  

Personal Skills And Qualities

• Strongly focused on customer business needs
• Excellent communications skills both written and verbal
• Self Motivated / Autonomous worker
• Team Player
• Effectively liaises with team members and other departments
• Positive attitude & nature
• Quality aware
• Analytical approach
• Approachable
• Accepts responsibilities readily and delivers commitments