Senior Network Engineer

At AQA, we’re committed to advancing education and we’re committed to our people. As the largest provider of academic qualifications in the UK, we mark over 10 million exam papers each year and it’s our people who make this happen.

Senior Network Engineer

Permanent

Salary 

Manchester: £46,400 - £52,500

Hybrid working

Want to join a forward thinking business adopting a cloud first mentality?

Love exploring new ideas and learning?

Want to be part of an approachable, fun, down-to-earth team?

AQA are on an ambitious journey and as our new Senior Network Engineer you’ll be crucial to the organisation continuing to deliver it’s charitable purpose of enabling millions of students to reach their potential every year. 

Using your good speaking and communications skills, you will support internal stakeholders across the business, supporting projects and responding to service issues, and you will be able to liaise with external stakeholders and partners.

What’s in it for me?

• The opportunity to learn different technology and get involved in large projects

• The ability to influence the direction of the business connectivity

• Flexible working – 2 days in the office on average per week with occasional travel to the other offices in London, Guildford and Milton Keynes,

• Newly refurbished office space with a gym, games room, yoga room and subsidised café

• 25 days’ annual leave rising to 30 days, plus all Bank Holidays and additional Christmas leave

• 35 hour working week

• Excellent contributory pension (6% - 11.5% dependent on employee contribution)

• Private Medical Insurance & Health Care Cash Reward Plan

• Good rates of pay or time off in lieu for volunteering for the out of hours call rota (5-8pm evenings and some weekends)

• The satisfaction of working for a charity, knowing that the work you do really makes a difference to millions of people

What will I need to succeed?

• Telecoms (Inc. VoIP) Networking, especially Cisco technologies.

• MPLS

• Wireless technologies VPN Protocols Firewalls & FWSM

• Cisco ACS & ISE

• IPS

• A flexible approach to adapt to changing business needs

• Ability to configure and maintain network equipment

• Experience with network monitoring and management tools and managing capacity and availability.

• Strong troubleshooting and problem-solving abilities with the ability to think clearly using logic and reasoning

• Familiarity with security protocols and best practices to ensure AQA remains safe and legally compliant

How to apply

Read the full job description then upload your CV and covering letter. Interviews will be a phone call with the recruiter followed by a Teams call with the hiring manager and finally an interview in the office (so that you can see what you are letting yourself in for!)

AQA is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community regardless of gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, age, neurodiversity, disability status, citizenship, or any other aspect which makes people unique.

#CRE23

Recruitment Agencies

We have a preferred supplier list (PSL) in place.

Unsolicited CVs will be treated as a gift. We will not be subject to or liable under your terms and conditions for agency fees.

Full Job Description

Summary

To manage and maintain cost effective, robust and secure networking and corporate computing services to cost, quality and time criteria ensuring SLAs are adhered to.Senior Network Engineer – Cisco Network and Security Focus
Permanent
Manchester / Guildford
North: £43,258 - £49,776 / South: £46,219 - £52,738 + Attractive benefits
Key accountabilitiesManage and maintain secure, robust and cost effective services including networks and communications systems as well as computing, storage and back up platforms. Ensure effective systems monitoring processes are in place to identify issues and ensure timely resolution and/or make proposals for improvements.
Carry out and/or facilitate service and systems maintenance to ensure effective delivery of service against agreed cost, quality and time criteria.
Take ownership of personal development activities and actively pursue cross skilling to enable flexible working between Network and Data Centre Engineers.
To liaise with, direct and contribute to professional development of Infrastructure Technicians working on Engineering activity.
Engage in supplier management meetings and tasks to ensure effective business relationships are in place and monitored against SLAs and other performance criteria.
Identify and resolve problems and issues on existing systems, networks and platforms, fully document and contribute to analysis and review processes.
Monitor, document and report systems capacity and usage and contribute to capacity management processes to ensure business needs are met.
Make effective and timely contribution to and implementation of solutions designs in conjunction with Project Teams and the Standards and Architecture Team.
Actively promote, contribute content to and support IT standards including Architecture and Security.
Proactively support reporting on SLAs, activity and outputs and make proposals to improve service efficiency as required.
General accountabilitiesTo comply with all AQA’s policies and other legislative requirements, including but not limited to H&S, Equal Opportunities and ISMS.
Where business needs change, to undertake other responsibilities which are of a commensurate level outside the terms of this role profile.
Person profile
Knowledge
I/P - Broad understanding of the political, educational and business context within which AQA works.
A/I/P - Understanding of programme and project management methodologies.
A/I/P - Demonstrably high level of competence in:
telecoms (Inc. VoIP)
networking, especially Cisco technologies.
MPLS
wireless technologies
VPN protocols
firewalls & FWSM
Cisco ACS & ISE
IPS.
A/I/P - A sound working knowledge of:
mainstream operating systems
MFA
virtualisation
video conferencing.
 
Qualification
A - Computing degree or equivalent level of business computing experience and/or Professional accreditation (BCS etc).
A - Relevant vendor accreditations - CCNE etc.
Skills
A/I/P - Logical thinker, able to diagnose and troubleshoot complex technical issues in a pressured environment.
A/I/P - Demonstrable ability to manage and troubleshoot network technologies and processes. Broad knowledge of data centre technologies.
I/P - Commercial awareness, ensuring value for money principles are applied to own area of work.
I/P - Proven ability to produce and maintain effective documentation.
A/I/P - Expertise in resource management and risk management methodologies and processes.
I/P - Good communications skills, able to engage with colleagues and customers at all levels, whether technical or otherwise.
I/P - Well developed, demonstrable planning ability.
I/P - Persuades and influences both internally and in external networks.
I/P - Resilient and able to work under pressure and in a fast-moving change environment.
Leadership skills
I/P - Ability to resolve problems and adapt to change.
I/P - Maintain constructive links with other teams and work collaboratively to deliver targets.
I/P - Receive feedback and learn from mistakes for continuous self-development.
Experience
I/P - Experience of supplier/service management move to experience section.
A/I - Extensive experience of a broad range of network installations and configurations in a similar business environment.
A/I - Experience in successfully delivering enterprise class computing and networking infrastructure including high availability and disaster recovery services.
A/I - Experience of complex problem analysis and resolution in a high pressure environment.
A/I - Extensive experience of delivering mainstream networking technologies and telecoms and at least one of the following: enterprise backup tools, SAN technologies, blade servers and datacentre ancillary services.
Assessment key (criteria to be assessed at the selection stage):
A – application (it is essential to provide evidence on application for shortlisting purposes)
I –interview
T – test (or work sample)
P – probation.