Network Support Engineer

As a Senior Network Support Engineer, you are responsible for providing advanced 3rd line network support, technical escalation, and engineering capability across customer environments within the managed services estate. Operating within a structured Network Operations environment, you will take ownership of complex network incidents, problems, and high-impact service requests, ensuring they are resolved to a high technical and operational standard. This role is focused on network stability, technical leadership, and continuous service improvement, acting as a key escalation point for 1st and 2nd Line teams. You will support network support, operational change, onboarding, lifecycle management, and small-scale engineering work, ensuring all activity aligns to Managed Services ownership and BAU service delivery. Job Role Responsibilities Technical Escalation, Ownership & Resolution (60%)

• Own and resolve complex 3rd line network incidents, problems, and escalations
• Act as the senior escalation point for 1st and 2nd Line engineers
• Take full accountability for technical outcomes and permanent resolution
• Perform deep troubleshooting and root cause analysis
• Work with problem management to identify trends and preventative fixes

Network Support, Engineering & Operational Change

• Support and optimise network environments across the live managed estate

• Deliver operational changes as part of ongoing support, including:

• Configuration updates
• Software/firmware upgrades
• Patch management

• Performance tuning and optimisation

• Execute all change in line with change management and service controls
• Support customer onboarding and transition into BAU support
• Contribute to lifecycle management (refresh, upgrades, and service evolution)
• Configure and support LAN, WAN, WLAN, and security technologies
• Work across multi-vendor platforms (Cisco, Aruba, Fortinet, Juniper)

Minor Engineering & Sub-Threshold Project Work (MS-Owned)

• Deliver chargeable small-scale engineering work outside standard support scope where:

• It remains low complexity and low risk
• It can be delivered within operational capacity

• It does not require formal project governance

• Examples include:

• Small network expansions
• Minor hardware installs

• Limited-scope upgrades or migrations

• Escalate larger or structured work to Professional Services

Operational Delivery, Standards & Governance

• Deliver all work in line with defined operational standards, customer requirements, and industry best practice
• Ensure all incidents, changes, and service requests are managed within SLA, priority, and escalation frameworks
• Execute changes in line with formal change management processes, ensuring validation, testing, and control
• Maintain fully auditable, structured technical documentation
• Maintain high-quality ticket updates reflecting full technical detail and resolution activity
• Ensure consistency, repeatability, and quality across all technical delivery

Service Integration & Collaboration

• Work closely with Service Desk, NOC, Field Engineering, and Project teams to ensure clear ownership boundaries and clean handoffs
• Provide technical leadership and guidance to 1st and 2nd Line teams
• Support onboarding and transition of customer services into BAU support
• Participate in technical discussions and service reviews where required

Project teams deliver change; this role ensures it is supportable and embedded into BAU and Small-scale work may be delivered directly under Managed Services control Service Improvement & Commercial Awareness

• Identify recurring issues, risks, and opportunities for optimisation across customer environments
• Ensure appropriate distinction between managed service activity and project/professional services work
• Provide input into the development, standardisation, and continuous improvement of network services
• Support the evolution of tools, processes, and service offerings within the managed services function

Technical Capability

• Configure and support advanced networking technologies including:

• Routing and switching
• Firewalls and security platforms
• Wireless infrastructure and optimisation

• Network protocols including OSPF, BGP, VLANs

• Maintain strong expertise across enterprise networking platforms and vendor ecosystems

Personal & Team Development (30%)

• Act as a senior technical role model, demonstrating high standards of ownership, quality, and professionalism
• Mentor and coach 1st and 2nd Line engineers to improve capability and service outcomes
• Contribute to knowledge bases, standards, and repeatable technical procedures
• Support cross-team collaboration and capability development
• Maintain and develop technical expertise through certifications and continuous learning

Research & Continuous Improvement (5%)

• Evaluate emerging networking technologies and vendor solutions
• Support problem investigation, testing, and validation activities
• Contribute to service innovation and improvement initiatives

Standard Working Practices & Compliance (5%)

• Operate in line with company policies, customer requirements, and service standards
• Ensure all work is compliant with governance, security, and data protection requirements
• Maintain high standards of documentation, administrative accuracy, and ticket hygiene
• Participate in operational governance, reporting, and service improvement initiatives
• Ensure compliance with health and safety standards

• Strong expertise in enterprise networking technologies (TCP/IP, routing, switching, DNS, DHCP, firewalls)
• Proven experience in a 3rd Line or Senior Network Support role within an MSP or NOC environment
• Advanced troubleshooting and root cause analysis capability
• Experience working within structured ITIL-aligned support models
• High level of ownership and accountability for service outcomes
• Strong documentation discipline with a focus on auditability and quality
• Ability to operate effectively within a structured, process-driven environment
• Be part of a team handling an on-call rota.
• Clear, structured, and confident technical communication, * 4+ years’ experience in network support or network engineering
• Experience within a Managed Services or Network Operations Centre environment
• Hands-on experience with enterprise networking vendors (Cisco, Aruba, Fortinet, Juniper, etc.)
• Experience supporting complex, multi-site or multi-client environments

Certifications (Required)

• Aruba ACP-S, ACP-CA
• Fortinet NSE4+

Certifications (Desirable)

• Juniper JNCIP - MistAI or above

• Juniper JNCIA-SEC or above

• Juniper JNCIA-Junos or above
• Cisco CCNA / CCNP
• Aruba ACX / ACP-NS / ClearPass Professional
• Cisco Meraki Solutions Specialist
• Palo Alto Network Security Professional
• Other relevant networking certifications

• Competitive Salary
• Location - Newbury/Northampton.
• Culture - Social events, Supportive, Fun, Hard working
• Perks - Incentives (holidays, vouchers, lunches, spot prizes)
• Top of the range technology in office and for home working (laptops, screens, latest iPhone, etc)
• Subsidised health care/medical benefits
• Annual Leave - 25-30* days plus B. H’s + optional 2 weeks unpaid. *Increases with time spent
• Progression Plan - training & mentor programme.

Reporting Line Reports to: NOC Operations Manager Function: Network Operations Centre / Managed Services Scope: Network Engineering (Technical Escalation, Customer Onboarding and Service Improvement)