Network Engineer at Blue Whale Technologies Ltd, Belfast BT16, £160 - £190 a day

Job Summary

We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated Network Engineer to join our dynamic IT team. The successful candidate will be responsible for designing, implementing, maintaining, and supporting our organisation’s network infrastructure. This role offers an excellent opportunity to work with cutting-edge technologies and contribute to the stability and security of our network systems. The ideal applicant will possess a strong background in computer networking, network security, and system administration, with experience across a variety of network protocols and hardware platforms.

Duties

• Design, deploy, and manage complex network architectures including LAN, WAN, MPLS, and SD-WAN solutions.
• Configure and support network devices such as Cisco routers, switches, ASA firewalls, Juniper devices, and other hardware components.
• Implement and maintain secure VPNs using IPsec, SSL/TLS protocols, and utilise Cisco ISE for identity management.
• Manage network security measures including firewall policies, IDS/IPS systems, PKI infrastructure, LDAP authentication, and encryption protocols.
• Monitor network performance using tools such as SolarWinds, PRTG, and Splunk; perform troubleshooting to resolve connectivity issues promptly.
• Support remote access solutions including VPNs, Citrix environments, SSH/Telnet access, and remote desktop tools.
• Administer DNS, DHCP services, Active Directory integration, load balancing solutions, and high availability configurations.
• Conduct network installation projects involving fibre optics, Ethernet cabling, wireless access points (Wi-Fi), and VoIP systems.
• Maintain comprehensive documentation of network configurations and procedures; ensure compliance with ITIL standards.
• Collaborate with DevOps teams on automation tasks using Ansible or PowerShell scripts; support virtualisation platforms such as VMware vSphere or Azure environments.
• Stay current with emerging networking technologies such as 5G/6G wireless solutions or cloud services like AWS and Azure.

Skills

• Extensive knowledge of computer networking principles including TCP/IP stack, routing protocols (BGP, OSPF EIGRP), VLANs, NAT/PAT.
• Proficiency in configuring Cisco IOS (including Cisco ASA), Juniper Junos OS devices; experience with SDN architectures is advantageous.
• Strong understanding of network security concepts such as SSL/TLS encryption, SFTP/FTP/SCP file transfer protocols; IDS/IPS management.
• Experience with system administration across multiple operating systems including Windows Server (Active Directory), Linux distributions (Debian, CentOS, Ubuntu), Solaris.
• Familiarity with virtualisation technologies like VMware vSphere or Hyper-V; cloud platforms such as AWS or Azure.
• Knowledge of scripting languages such as Python or Bash for automation; utilisation of network monitoring tools like SolarWinds or PRTG for proactive management.
• Ability to implement high availability solutions ensuring minimal downtime; experience with load balancing techniques using F5 or similar appliances.
• Strong analytical skills for troubleshooting complex network issues; ability to interpret logs from Splunk or SolarWinds effectively.
• Excellent organisational skills with the ability to prioritise tasks in a fast-paced environment; good communication skills for technical documentation and team collaboration.

This position offers an engaging environment where technical expertise is valued and professional development is encouraged within a supportive team setting. The successful applicant will play a vital role in maintaining the integrity and efficiency of our organisation’s network infrastructure while advancing their career in IT engineering.

Pay: £160.00-£190.00 per day

Work Location: On the road