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, and private health benefits.
- Other info: High-ownership environment with strong support for learning and growth.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on Africa's internet backbone while growing your skills.
- Qualifications: 5+ years in systems or network engineering with RADIUS expertise.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ 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 FreeRADIUS 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
- FreeRADIUS proxy architecture: Share operates a central RADIUS proxy that routes authentication requests to per‑partner FreeRADIUS 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 FreeRADIUS servers: Each ISP partner gets a dedicated FreeRADIUS 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 FreeRADIUS. You own the receiving end—ensuring the FreeRADIUS API, database, and RADIUS configuration are correct and performant.
- Infrastructure and deployment: Server provisioning, deployment automation, monitoring, logging, and security for all systems infrastructure. GitHub Actions pipelines, SSH‑based deployments, VM management.
- CoA (Change of Authorization): Design and implement the CoA endpoint on per‑partner FreeRADIUS servers for real‑time plan changes and session disconnects without re‑authentication.
Technical environment
- RADIUS and network authentication
- FreeRADIUS (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), CoA (Disconnect‑Request, CoA‑Request)
- PPPoE authentication flow: subscriber CPE → BNG → RADIUS proxy → per‑partner RADIUS → response with speed/pool/timeout attributes
- MikroTik RouterOS 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 FreeRADIUS SQL backend
Systems and infrastructure
- Linux server administration (Ubuntu)
- Docker containerization for FreeRADIUS instances and supporting services
- Hono (lightweight Node.js framework) for the FreeRADIUS API overlay
- PostgreSQL for RADIUS user databases (radcheck, radreply, radacct tables)
- GitHub 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
- NestJS Provisioning microservice calls your FreeRADIUS 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 (FreeRADIUS, Radiator, or NPS) in a production ISP or telecommunications environment
- Deep FreeRADIUS 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 PPPoE authentication, DHCP, IP pool management, and how BNGs interact with RADIUS servers. You don’t need to be a MikroTik 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: MikroTik‑dominant networks, mixed vendor environments, bandwidth constraints, and the practical challenges of managing subscriber authentication at scale in this market.
- Experience with FreeRADIUS proxy configurations (proxying between multiple RADIUS servers with failover logic).
- Experience with CoA (Change of Authorization) and Disconnect‑Message implementation.
- Docker and container orchestration for networking services.
- Experience working alongside software engineering teams—you can read a NestJS 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, ChatGPT, Copilot, or similar) for configuration generation, troubleshooting, documentation, and scripting. You don’t memorize FreeRADIUS 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 MikroTik 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.
Senior Systems Engineer employer: Share
At Share, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work culture that fosters innovation and collaboration in the rapidly evolving field of internet infrastructure. Our team enjoys competitive salaries, meaningful equity, and comprehensive health benefits, all while contributing to a mission-driven project that is transforming connectivity across East Africa. With a strong emphasis on employee growth and a supportive environment, you will have the opportunity to make impactful decisions that shape the future of ISP networks.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Systems Engineer
✨Tip Number 1
Network, network, network! Get in touch with folks in the industry, especially those who work at Share or similar companies. Attend meetups, webinars, or even just reach out on LinkedIn. You never know who might have a lead on your dream job!
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! If you’ve got experience with FreeRADIUS or any of the tech mentioned in the job description, create a project or a GitHub repo showcasing your expertise. This gives you something tangible to discuss during interviews and shows you’re proactive.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for technical interviews by brushing up on your knowledge of RADIUS protocols and Linux systems. Practice common interview questions related to systems engineering and be ready to demonstrate your problem-solving skills. We want to see how you think on your feet!
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, it shows you’re genuinely interested in being part of our mission to build Africa’s internet backbone.
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Systems Engineer
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV:Make sure your CV is tailored to the Senior Systems Engineer role. Highlight your experience with FreeRADIUS, Linux systems, and any relevant projects that showcase your skills in network engineering. We want to see how your background aligns with what we're looking for!
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter:Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Use it to explain why you're passionate about building Africa’s internet infrastructure and how your expertise can contribute to our mission. Keep it engaging and personal – we love seeing your personality come through!
Showcase Your Technical Skills:In your application, don’t forget to mention specific technical skills that match our requirements, like your experience with RADIUS protocols and Docker. We’re keen on candidates who can hit the ground running, so be clear about your hands-on experience.
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you’re considered for the role. Plus, it shows you’re proactive and ready to take the next step in your career with us!
How to prepare for a job interview at Share
✨Know Your FreeRADIUS Inside Out
Make sure you brush up on your FreeRADIUS skills before the interview. Be ready to discuss your experience with configuring virtual servers, writing unlang policies, and debugging authentication failures. The more specific examples you can provide, the better!
✨Understand the Bigger Picture
Familiarise yourself with how RADIUS interacts with BNGs and the overall network infrastructure. Being able to explain how subscriber authentication works in a real-world scenario will show that you grasp the operational realities of the role.
✨Show Off Your Scripting Skills
Prepare to talk about your experience with scripting and light application development. Whether it's writing deployment scripts or maintaining APIs, be ready to share examples of how you've automated processes in previous roles.
✨Embrace AI Tools
Since Share values AI-augmented engineering, be prepared to discuss how you've used AI tools in your work. Whether it's for configuration generation or troubleshooting, showing that you're comfortable with these technologies will set you apart.
