Senior Network Cloud Engineer

Department and Role Overview

The Senior Engineer is a senior technical authority and key resource within PD-ITSD with technical ownership of key IT systems deployed across EMEA and North America. The role requires a strong and broad technical skillset, exemplary communication skills, project management discipline and the capacity to balance operational support and strategic project delivery requirements fluidly and efficiently. The senior nature of the role necessitates technical mentorship of junior staff and knowledge transfer to other related IT teams.

The primary focus of the Senior Engineer is the maintenance and operations of existing systems, and the development, design, implementation, and management of scalable, secure, and highly available cloud network infrastructure across SMBC EMEA.

The Senior Engineer will focus on network optimisation, security, and hybrid connectivity, while also incorporating SRE practices to ensure high reliability and rapid incident response. The organisation has invested in software defined networking and the Senior Engineer is expected to be proficient in the support and configuration of these solutions and provide input into the technical strategy for the network estate and decision-making at the senior leadership level.

Through close partnership with the Network Solution Architecture function the Senior Engineer realises the conceptual designs provided and then builds and operationally introduces modern technology platforms/solutions for the organisation. They oversee the handover to operational support colleagues and ensure that documentation is current and accurate.

The Senior Engineer will work in a discrete, focussed team dedicated to a specific technology area overseeing the lifecycle management of business-critical infrastructure and ensuring the operational resilience across EMEA networks while fostering core relationships with other IT teams in both EMEA and North America.

Key Job Functions

The Senior Engineer is responsible for the end-to-end technical ownership of specific elements of the organisation’s Network global platforms, providing subject matter expertise and acting as the primary point of escalation for any significant technical system issues.

The Senior Engineer leads cross-functional project delivery and actively participates in the delivery of IT projects for the organisation, including technical resource management and task planning. Furthermore, they support the Network Solution Architects in defining the expected standards, policies, and documentation with which to administer and maintain the platforms operationally.

The role requires strong cross-team and cross-region collaboration and the on-going maintenance of the vendor relationships, at a technical level, on behalf of PD-ITSD.

The Senior Engineer will play a crucial role in designing, implementing, and managing cloud-based network infrastructure, ensuring secure, scalable, and high-performance environments. As a key member of the infrastructure network team, the role focuses on optimizing cloud networking, automating processes, and ensuring seamless hybrid cloud connectivity. Additionally, the engineer will incorporate Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) practices to maintain high network availability, proactively monitor performance, and respond swiftly to incidents, contributing to the overall resilience and efficiency of the cloud infrastructure.

Responsibility and Authority

Cloud Network Design and Management:

• Design, implement, and manage cloud network infrastructure (VPCs, subnets, load balancers, VPNs, etc.) in a scalable and secure manner.

Network Security:

• Ensure robust security across cloud networks by implementing security measures such as firewalls, network ACLs, security groups, and encryption protocols.

Hybrid Cloud Connectivity:

• Design and manage hybrid cloud solutions, integrating on-premises networks with cloud environments using VPNs, Direct Connect, or ExpressRoute.

Automation and Orchestration of Network Infrastructure:

• Automate the provisioning and configuration of network components using Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools like Terraform and Ansible.

Monitoring and Optimisation of Network Performance:

• Monitor and analyse network performance, identify potential issues, and optimise traffic flows to ensure low-latency, high-availability connectivity across cloud environments.

SRE Practices:

• Incorporate Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) best practices, ensuring cloud network reliability and availability through proactive monitoring, incident response, and post-mortem analysis.

Collaboration Across Teams:

• Work closely with DevOps, SRE, and security teams to ensure that cloud networks are resilient, scalable, and meet performance standards.

Incident Response and Troubleshooting:

• Act as a key resource for troubleshooting network issues within the cloud, working to resolve incidents quickly and to prevent recurrence

Other:

• Managing and developing collaborative relationships with other groups within the IT division, locally and globally.
• Act as the point of escalation for out-of-hours issues in their area of expertise.
• Provides technical mentorship to junior members of the team.
• Undertaking other reasonable tasks at the discretion of the Network and Datacentre Lead and head of the section.
• Preparedness to work unsociable hours and weekends and be contactable when away from the office.
• Undertake visits to Datacentre locations to support underlying technologies.
• Ongoing development of technical skills pertinent to role.
• Adhere to the policies and procedures of the organisation.

Knowledge, Skills, Experience & Qualifications

Cloud Platforms:

• Advanced knowledge of network services in cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud), including VPC, Virtual Network, Cloud Load Balancers, Transit Gateway, and NAT Gateway.

Networking Protocols and Concepts:

• In-depth understanding of networking concepts and protocols such as TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, BGP, IPsec, routing, and switching, as well as software-defined networking (SDN) in the cloud.

Hybrid Cloud Networking:

• Hands-on experience with hybrid cloud solutions, connecting on-prem infrastructure with cloud environments via VPNs, Direct Connect, or ExpressRoute.

Infrastructure as Code (IaC):

• Proficiency in using tools like Terraform, Ansible, or CloudFormation for automating the deployment and management of cloud network infrastructure.

SRE and Monitoring Tools:

• Familiarity with SRE tools and principles, such as setting up monitoring, logging, and alerting for network components using tools like Prometheus, Grafana, AWS CloudWatch, or Azure Monitor.

Security Best Practices:

• Strong understanding of cloud-native security, including encryption, identity and access management (IAM), network security groups, and compliance with security standards such as PCI DSS and ISO 27001.

Load Balancing and Traffic Management:

• Experience with configuring and managing load balancing solutions (ELB, ALB, NLB, etc.) and traffic optimisation tools to enhance performance.

Scripting and Automation:

• Ability to write scripts in languages like Python or Bash to automate network management tasks and improve operational efficiency.
• Experience leading large-scale, complex network projects with strategic business impact.
• Proven track record of working at a senior level with global architecture teams and translating high-level designs into operational reality.

Experience and Qualifications

• 10+ years and extensive experience of working with Cisco networking technologies and solutions
• Expertise in cloud network security, including firewalls, network ACLs, IAM, encryption, and compliance with security standards (e.g., PCI DSS, ISO 27001).
• Cisco Certifications, CCNA, CCNP, CCIE.
• Strong understanding of networking protocols such as TCP/IP, DNS, BGP, IPsec, VPNs, and routing/switching technologies, along with experience in software-defined networking (SDN).
• Experience implementing Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) practices, including the use of monitoring, logging, and alerting tools to ensure network reliability and uptime (e.g., Prometheus, Grafana, AWS CloudWatch).
• Proven experience in connecting on-premises networks to cloud environments via technologies like Direct Connect, ExpressRoute, or VPNs for hybrid cloud solutions.
• Relevant certifications such as AWS Certified Advanced Networking Specialty, Azure Network Engineer Associate, or Google Cloud Certified – Professional Cloud Network Engineer.
• Strong ability to diagnose and resolve complex network issues in cloud environments, with experience leading incident response and post-mortem analysis.
• Demonstrated experience working cross-functionally with DevOps, SRE, and security teams, along with the ability to lead network infrastructure projects and mentor junior engineers.