Network Automation Engineer in London

Are you a skilled programmer with extensive experience in network engineering? Use those skills to enable the world-leading research, learning and innovation at Imperial College London as a Network Automation Engineer.

The Network Automation Engineer role sits within the Networks group, forming part of the Digital Infrastructure section of Information & Communication Technologies (ICT). The purpose of the role is to drive the evolution of the Imperial network, using automation to reduce toil and enhance reliability, strengthening the foundations of our digital infrastructure.

Imperial has a large campus network along with multiple data centres and a growing public cloud presence, serving tens of thousands of staff and students. Your role will be focussed on defining, constructing and supporting the tools and systems to configure and operate the network from a central source of truth. Your work will realise the full value of the API enabled network equipment that Imperial has invested in and allow it to be configured and operated in an integrated way. Day to day configuration activities will be automated or delegated to users through self-service tools to enable a much faster stand-up time for new services.

You will be working with a broad range of networking technologies to support the varied needs of the university community, including high performance computing systems to support cutting-edge research and extensive AV over IP systems to support world-leading education, alongside the more traditional corporate applications. There will be the opportunity to work with our modern AI-driven WiFi platform, Zero Trust Network Access solution, data centre load balancing, security zoning using MPLS and EVPN-VXLAN, 400 Gigabit Ethernet, DWDM and much more.

What you would be doing:

• You will have responsibility for designing, building and supporting the network automation products.
• You will perform full life-cycle management of active network equipment including: design, procurement, installation, configuration, monitoring, issue resolution, decommissioning and disposal.
• You will ensure the reliability and performance of the network by building automated monitoring and statistics gathering.
• You will provide input to the strategy, roadmap and change delivery plans for the network, particularly influencing the advancement of automation and autonomous behaviour.
• You will provide operational support for network products with a particular focus on eliminating recurring issues through automation or process changes.
• You will implement and automate security controls to contribute to the security posture of the organisation.
• You will build and maintain strong stakeholder relationships to ensure that the services you provide meet the needs of the organisation.
• You will continually develop and enhance your knowledge of network products and services, ensuring an understanding of how future trends could enhance the service offering.

What we are looking for:

• Degree level education in Computing, Engineering or similar field, or equivalent experience.
• Extensive experience with network protocols including MPLS, BGP, EVPN-VXLAN, SNMP and IPv6.
• Extensive experience of network infrastructure in a large organisation.
• Expert knowledge of network operating systems, particularly Juniper Junos.
• Experience with Ansible and Git and their application to network automation.
• Familiarity with programmable interfaces on network equipment such as RESTful APIs and NETCONF.
• Experience of delivering and operating cloud-based services and applications.
• Knowledge of network services including DNS, DHCP, NTP and RADIUS.
• Strong knowledge of public key cryptography and its application within networking.
• Experience of product development and innovation utilising Agile or iterative project methodologies.
• Demonstrable experience of working under broad direction and self-initiating initiatives to achieve higher level goals.
• Fluent English language and excellent communication skills.

What we can offer you:

• The opportunity to continue your career working with cutting-edge technology at a world-leading institution and be part of our mission to use science for humanity.
• Benefit from a sector-leading salary and remuneration package (including 41 days’ annual leave and generous pension schemes).
• Access to a range of workplace benefits including a flexible working policy from day one, generous family leave packages, on-site leisure facilities and cycle-to-work scheme.
• Interest-free season ticket loan schemes for travel.
• Be part of a diverse, inclusive and collaborative work culture with various staff networks and resources to support your personal and professional wellbeing.

This post is full-time and open ended. It will be primarily based at Imperial’s White City campus in West London. Applications for this position are only accepted through online application. Hybrid working will be considered for this role. Staff working in roles that are suitable for hybrid working will normally be expected to work 40% of their time onsite. The opportunity for hybrid working will be discussed at interview.

If you require any further details on the role, please contact: Mark Carter (Head of Networks).