Technical Operations Network Engineer

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Who are we?

We are a gas distribution business that services the gas infrastructure across Wales and the south-west of England. We serve our customers and communities with safe, reliable, and affordable energy services whilst investing to create a sustainable future to deliver our carbon-free vision for 2050.

What we’re looking for:

Wales & West Utilities (WWU) is seeking a highly skilled and self-motivated Network Engineer within the expanding Technical Operations team. This role will be responsible for implementing and supporting, in conjunction with service partners, the organisation’s IT network infrastructure, which includes the WAN, LAN, Wi-Fi, and Firewalls across the datacentres, Azure, and our office/depot sites. You will drive the proactive management, monitoring, and automation of network services, with a focus on security, availability, and optimal network performance. You will also establish and enforce best practices, policies, and guidelines for the other members of the internal Technical Operations team and external service partners to follow.

As part of a newly expanded team, this position offers an opportunity to play a key role in maintaining the stability and efficiency of IT services in a Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) environment (NB: This role will be involved with both the Business and CNI environments at WWU). If you are enthusiastic about enhancing security and service improvement, learning something new every day, and tackling complex IT challenges, this role is an ideal fit for you.

You’ll be relied on to:

• Have proven experience in being able to review technical designs and provide guidance on the proposed solution so that it adheres to WWU’s own security policies and with industry standards..
• Collaborate with the Cyber Security team to deliver vulnerability remediation based on risk assessments, threat intelligence, and business requirements.
• Act as an escalation point in network-related incident response, providing guidance to Service Delivery Managers and partners to minimise downtime and impact on IT services.
• Work closely with internal stakeholders and external service providers to define network changes, project roadmaps, performance expectations, and delivery timelines.
• Maintain comprehensive and accurate documentation set of network configurations, topologies, and designs using tools such as LeanIX (WWU’s architectural tool).
• Have strong analytical skills with a proven track record of being the escalation point for network issues identified by the service providers and being able to respond under pressure, ensuring minimal disruption to services.
• Have experience with network automation tools and scripting to improve efficiency and reduce manual configuration activities.

You’ll need to have:

• Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) or equivalent certification
• Microsoft Azure Networking certification (AZ-700) is highly desirable
• Strong technical knowledge of Cisco routing and switching
• Experience with Cisco ACI and FMG is essential
• Experience with working within an environment that utilises NAC is highly desirable
• Experience with the Fortinet ecosystem is essential
• Willingness to be able to work outside normal business hours from time to time, to support changes and major incidents

What you’ll get in return:

• A competitive salary starting at £62,161 rising to £71,484.
• Flexible working opportunities
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays which can be tailored to celebrations that reflect your beliefs
• Retirement Savings Plan (pension) with Aviva: 5% employee contribution, with WWU doubling your contribution at 10% - totalling 15%
• 14 x salary Life Insurance linked to membership of the Retirement Savings Plan
• “Choices” flexible benefit scheme options including corporate gym memberships, dental insurance, and health cash-plans
• Access to our Financial Wellbeing Programme - allowing you to manage your benefits flexibly to suit your financial needs
• Enhanced pay for parental leave
• Retail discounts and cashback scheme
• Annual salary review
• Discretionary annual bonus
• Company Sick Pay
• In-house Occupational Health Team
• Employee Assistance Programme

The way we do things

Our Ambition, Priorities and Values inform everything we do as a business – from our strategic planning to the performance management of our colleagues. Our values underpin everything we do and we are committed to creating a working environment that supports and fosters diversity, inclusion and equity, where all of our colleagues feel valued and supported to contribute to their full potential.

We are focused on creating a culture where it doesn’t matter about gender, race, sexuality or disability; it’s about our colleagues’ skills, the way we do things and how we live our values.