Senior Network Engineer - Fortinet and Cisco

Senior Network Engineer – Fortinet & Cisco Location: Belfast City Centre Working Arrangement: Hybrid – 3 days onsite / 2 days remote Employment Type: Permanent Salary: £55,000 – £58,000 per annum DOE Sector: Telecommunications / Technology Services Start Date: ASAP / Negotiable Working Rights: Candidates must have full-time working rights in the UK. Sponsorship is not available. The Role We are seeking an experienced Senior Network Engineer to join a technical infrastructure team in Belfast on a permanent basis. There has been a shift in focus for the network engineering function, with the requirement now centred primarily around operational support and BAU network activities, rather than project delivery. The successful candidate will provide senior-level, hands-on technical support across a complex enterprise network environment, ensuring the continued availability, performance and security of critical network infrastructure. The role requires a strong technical background across Fortinet and Cisco technologies, including routing, switching, wireless, Cisco SDA and Cisco ISE. While the primary focus will be on BAU and operational support, there will still be opportunities to contribute to network changes, upgrades and infrastructure improvements as required. The role will also include participation in an on-call rota, providing out-of-hours technical support for critical network incidents. Key Responsibilities Provide senior-level technical support across enterprise network infrastructure and day-to-day BAU operations.Monitor, maintain and troubleshoot critical network infrastructure to ensure high levels of availability and performance.Configure, troubleshoot and maintain Fortinet network technologies, with particular focus on routing, switching and wireless.Support and troubleshoot Cisco routing and switching environments.Provide technical support across enterprise wireless infrastructure, including Fortinet and Cisco environments.Support and troubleshoot Cisco Software-Defined Access (SDA).Support and maintain Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE).Investigate and resolve complex network incidents, outages, connectivity issues and performance problems.Take ownership of network incidents through to resolution, escalating where appropriate.Work closely with internal infrastructure, security and technical teams to maintain network availability, performance and security.Carry out network changes, configuration updates and maintenance activities in line with agreed change processes.Assist with network upgrades, migrations and infrastructure improvements where required.Monitor network performance and identify potential issues before they impact service.Maintain accurate technical documentation relating to network infrastructure, configurations and changes.Provide senior-level technical guidance and support to other members of the network team where required.Participate in an on-call rota and provide out-of-hours support for critical network incidents.Respond to and troubleshoot priority incidents outside normal working hours in accordance with agreed procedures.Contribute to continuous improvement of network support processes, monitoring and operational procedures. Key Skills & ExperienceFortinet Strong commercial experience as a Senior Network Engineer or similar.Extensive hands-on experience with Fortinet technologies.Strong knowledge of Fortinet routing, switching and wireless.Fortinet certification at NSE 4–5 level or equivalent practical experience.Strong understanding of enterprise network security and firewall technologies. Cisco Strong commercial experience with Cisco networking technologies.Cisco certification at CCNP/CCIE level or equivalent practical experience.Strong hands-on experience with Cisco routing and switching.Experience with Cisco Software-Defined Access (SDA).Experience with Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE).Strong enterprise wireless networking experience. General Excellent network troubleshooting and problem-solving skills.Strong understanding of enterprise network infrastructure and architecture.Proven experience working within a BAU/operational network support environment.Experience supporting complex enterprise networks with high availability requirements.Ability to diagnose and resolve complex network incidents under pressure.Strong understanding of network availability, performance and security.Experience working within structured incident, change and problem management processes.Ability to work independently and take ownership of technical issues through to resolution.Strong communication skills and the ability to work effectively with technical stakeholders.Willingness to participate in an on-call rota and provide out-of-hours support when required. The Opportunity This is a permanent opportunity for an experienced Network Engineer who enjoys working in a hands-on operational environment and taking ownership of complex network support. The role offers exposure to a broad range of Fortinet and Cisco technologies, including routing, switching, wireless, SDA and ISE, within an enterprise infrastructure environment. While the focus is primarily on BAU and operational network support, the successful candidate will also have the opportunity to contribute to network improvements, upgrades and infrastructure changes as the environment evolves.