At a Glance
- Tasks: Own and manage Share's network infrastructure, ensuring seamless ISP subscriber authentication.
- Company: Join a venture-backed company revolutionising internet infrastructure in Africa.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, equity options, health benefits, and a supportive learning environment.
- Other info: Collaborative team culture focused on AI-augmented engineering and career growth.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on Africa's internet backbone while working with cutting-edge technology.
- Qualifications: 5+ years in systems or network engineering, with deep FreeRADIUS expertise.
The predicted salary is between 63000 - 77000 £ per year.
About Share
Share is a venture‑backed internet infrastructure network building Africa’s backbone.
The company aggregates underutilized telecom infrastructure, fiber, subsea cables, and data centers, and provides ISPs with scalable access to bandwidth without traditional upfront costs.
Share’s network spans thousands of kilometers of fiber, twelve infrastructure providers, and ten data centers, reaching over eight million people across East Africa.
The role
You will own Share’s network‑facing infrastructure: the Free RADIUS proxy servers that authenticate ISP subscribers, the provisioning pipeline that pushes credentials and plan attributes to per‑partner RADIUS servers, the BNG integration layer, and deployment and monitoring of all systems infrastructure.
You will work directly with the network team (who handle ISP‑side BNG configuration) and the software team (who build the APIs that drive provisioning).
- What you will own
- Free RADIUS proxy architecture: Share operates a central RADIUS proxy that routes authentication requests to per‑partner Free RADIUS servers.
The proxy uses a failover mechanism (soft reject → attribute clearing → failover to partner pool) to determine whether a subscriber is Share‑managed or partner‑managed.
You will own the configuration, deployment, monitoring, and scaling of this architecture.
- Per‑partner Free RADIUS servers: Each ISP partner gets a dedicated Free RADIUS instance with a Hono API overlay for programmatic CRUD of subscriber credentials and plan attributes.
You will manage these instances, their database backends, and their API endpoints.
- BNG integration support: Work with the network team to define and validate the BNG‑side configuration changes required for each ISP partner (RADIUS pointer, Share‑specific subnet, source‑based routing, pool configuration).
You are the bridge between the software platform and the ISP’s physical infrastructure.
- Provisioning pipeline: The software platform’s Provisioning service pushes subscriber credentials and plan attributes to Free RADIUS.
You own the receiving end—ensuring the Free RADIUS API, database, and RADIUS configuration are correct and performant.
- Infrastructure and deployment: Server provisioning, deployment automation, monitoring, logging, and security for all systems infrastructure.
Git Hub Actions pipelines, SSH‑based deployments, VM management.
- Co A (Change of Authorization): Design and implement the Co A endpoint on per‑partner Free RADIUS servers for real‑time plan changes and session disconnects without re‑authentication.
- Technical environment
- RADIUS and network authentication
- Free RADIUS (v3 in production, v4 evaluation in progress) — proxy configuration, virtual servers, module configuration (sql, rest, files)
- RADIUS protocols: Access‑Request/Accept/Reject, Accounting (Start/Interim/Stop), Co A (Disconnect‑Request, Co A‑Request)
- PPPo E authentication flow: subscriber CPE → BNG → RADIUS proxy → per‑partner RADIUS → response with speed/pool/timeout attributes
- Mikro Tik Router OS BNG configuration (the network team handles this, but you need to understand the RADIUS‑facing side)
- Per‑user flat attributes (speed, IP pool, session timeout) pushed via Hono API to Free RADIUS SQL backend
- Systems and infrastructure
- Linux server administration (Ubuntu)
- Docker containerization for Free RADIUS instances and supporting services
- Hono (lightweight Node. js framework) for the Free RADIUS API overlay
- Postgre SQL for RADIUS user databases (radcheck, radreply, radacct tables)
- Git Hub Actions for CI/CD, SSH‑based deployment to VMs
- Monitoring: Loki + Pino for structured logging, Sentry for error tracking
- Integration points with the software platform
- Nest JS Provisioning microservice calls your Free RADIUS API to push/update/delete subscriber credentials
- Kafka events trigger provisioning actions (PROVISION_SUBSCRIBER, UPDATE_PLAN_ATTRIBUTES, DELETE_RADIUS_CREDENTIALS)
- The proxy’s routing decision (Share vs partner) determines the subscriber’s billing path
Requirements
- Non‑negotiable
- 5+ years of professional systems engineering or network engineering experience, with at least 2 years working directly with RADIUS (Free RADIUS, Radiator, or NPS) in a production ISP or telecommunications environment
- Deep Free RADIUS expertise.
You can configure virtual servers, write unlang policies, set up proxy realms, configure SQL modules, and debug authentication failures from packet captures.
- Strong Linux systems administration. You manage production servers, write deployment scripts, configure firewalls, and troubleshoot networking issues at the OS level.
- Understanding of PPPo E authentication, DHCP, IP pool management, and how BNGs interact with RADIUS servers.
You don’t need to be a Mikro Tik expert, but you need to understand what the BNG expects from RADIUS.
- Experience deploying and managing infrastructure in production—not just dev environments.
You understand uptime requirements, failover, and what happens when a RADIUS server goes down (subscribers can’t authenticate).
- Comfortable with scripting and light application development.
You don’t need to be a full‑stack developer, but you should be able to write and maintain a Hono/Express API, work with SQL databases, and automate deployments.
- Strong preference
- Experience in East African ISP or telecommunications infrastructure.
Understanding of the operational realities: Mikro Tik‑dominant networks, mixed vendor environments, bandwidth constraints, and the practical challenges of managing subscriber authentication at scale in this market.
- Experience with Free RADIUS proxy configurations (proxying between multiple RADIUS servers with failover logic).
- Experience with Co A (Change of Authorization) and Disconnect‑Message implementation.
- Docker and container orchestration for networking services.
- Experience working alongside software engineering teams—you can read a Nest JS service, understand an event‑driven architecture diagram, and communicate technical constraints clearly to developers.
- AI‑augmented Engineering (required Mindset)
Share operates with AI tools as a core part of engineering workflows.
This applies to systems engineering as much as software development.
Our infrastructure documentation, configuration templates, troubleshooting runbooks, and deployment scripts are all developed with AI assistance.
What this means for you
- You use AI tools (Claude, Chat GPT, Copilot, or similar) for configuration generation, troubleshooting, documentation, and scripting.
You don’t memorize Free RADIUS syntax—you know what you need and use AI to get there faster.
- You are comfortable with AI‑generated specifications and can validate them against real‑world behavior.
When a spec says “configure source‑based routing on the BNG,” you know whether that’s correct for Mikro Tik and can flag when it’s not.
- You see AI as a way to handle the breadth of systems knowledge required for this role (RADIUS, Linux, networking, databases, deployment, monitoring) without needing to hold it all in your head.
- You contribute to the team’s AI workflows by writing clear, structured documentation that both humans and AI can work with.
What we offer
- A seat at the table while we build the technical backbone of Africa’s next‑generation internet — the decisions you make here will be visible in how entire ISP partners run their networks.
- Competitive salary and meaningful equity in a mission‑driven, investor‑backed company (US‑incorporated; Kenya operating entity).
- Private health and wellness benefits — we’ll walk through these during the process.
- A high‑ownership environment with a steep but well‑supported learning curve, and a team that writes things down.
- #J-18808-Ljbffr
Senior Systems Engineer in London employer: Share
At Share, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer that fosters a dynamic and inclusive work culture, where innovation meets purpose. As the VP of Systems Engineering, you will not only lead a talented team but also play a pivotal role in shaping the future of internet infrastructure across East Africa, with ample opportunities for professional growth and development. Our commitment to competitive salaries, meaningful equity, and a fast-paced environment ensures that you are empowered to make a significant impact while enjoying the unique advantages of working in a mission-driven, venture-backed company.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Systems Engineer in London
✨Join Local Tech Meetups
Get out there and mingle with fellow developers by joining local tech meetups. It’s a fantastic way to meet people who might be working at Share or know someone who does. Plus, you can pick up some trendy tech skills and trends while you're at it!
✨Contribute to Open Source Projects
Show off your coding chops by jumping into open-source projects. Not only does this give you practical experience, but it also gets you noticed in the dev community. You'll create a killer portfolio that speaks volumes about your skills to Share.
✨Tap into Online Developer Communities
Don’t underestimate the power of online developer communities like GitHub, Stack Overflow, and even Reddit. Participate in discussions, share your projects, and build your visibility. We can often find opportunities through these channels that can lead to a full-time gig at companies like Share.
✨Explore Job Boards Specifically for Tech Roles
Keep your eyes peeled on job boards that focus on tech roles. Sites like TechCareers or Stack Overflow Jobs can often have listings for companies like Share that might not show up on broader job sites. Make it a habit to check these regularly, and don’t hesitate to apply directly through our website!
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Systems Engineer in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.
Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at Share.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Share and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!
Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!
How to prepare for a job interview at Share
✨Brush Up on Your Coding Skills
For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.
✨Know Your Tools and Frameworks
Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If Share uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.
✨Prepare for Behavioural Questions
While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.
