Centurion: Group IT Network Engineer

Main Job Purpose The IT Network Engineer is responsible for designing, implementing, maintaining, and supporting the company’s network infrastructure. This includes ensuring the integrity of high-availability network infrastructure to provide maximum performance for users and systems. The ideal candidate will be well-versed in network administration and architecture, security best practices, and emerging technologies.  Organogram Superior 2nd Level: Group Head of IT Superior: Group IT Network and Security Specialist This Position: Group IT Network Engineer Subordinate 1st Level: None  Employment Specification Education (minimum requirements to perform the job): School: Grade 12 Post School: None Job Related: Microsoft Office Products Suite Competent (requirement) Microsoft Visio Competent (requirement) CompTIA A and N Certification (requirement) CompTIA Security Certification (advantage) Cyber Security Related Certification (advantage) HP/Aruba and/or Ubiquiti Certification (preferred) CCNA, CCNP or CCNE (advantage) FortiGate/FortiOS Certification (advantage) Linux Administration (advantage) ITIL Foundation (advantage) In House: In House Induction Other : Valid Unendorsed Code 08 Drivers License Experience: At least 5 years IT related experience  Required competencies to meet the job outcomes Proven experience in a similar role. Excellent writing, documenting, and communication skills in English. Presentable to our clients and contractors. Excellent Computer Literacy Skills. Interpersonal Relationship Skills. Excellent problem solving and trouble shooting skills. Excellent planning and follow through of daily activities. Strong attention to detail. Ability to work well within a team or alone. Ability to act quickly in crisis situations and solve problems in stressful situations and under pressure. Commitment to service delivery, excellent end-user experience and right first-time principles. Ability to explain technical concepts to inexperienced users. Time management, self-driven and motivated. Solid understanding and experience in backup and recovery principles. Solid UDP/TCP/IP and networking knowledge, inclusive of VLAN, LAN, WLAN and WAN (required). Linux administration and support skills (advantage). Solid understanding of network and cybersecurity infrastructure and related best practices. Hands-on experience with HP/Aruba, Ubiquity and related networking equipment, including configuration and management. Proficiency with FortiNet devices and related security infrastructure (preferred). Experience with VoIP systems and familiarity with underlying protocols (advantage). Working experience with Data Leak Prevention (DLP) technologies and policies (advantage) Familiarity with international security standards, including ISO 27001 and PCI DSS (advantage). Experience with firewalls, intrusion detection/prevention systems, and endpoint protection. Competency with monitoring tools such as PRTG, Wireshark, NESUS or similar. Understanding VLANs, subnetting, DNS, DHCP, and routing protocols.  Physical Demands Driver of a light motor vehicle Will require lifting of networking equipment and working in data centres. Work Environment Office-based with occasional travel to remote sites (local and international). Availability for urgent issues outside of regular hours may be required. Essential Duties and Responsibilities All duties take place in accordance with the requirements of the client, Occupational Health and Safety Act and other relevant legislation. Duties include the following: Improves system performance and end user experience by identifying repetitive problem areas and recommending possible changes or improvements. Ensure security and privacy compliance of end-user, endpoint, network connectivity and computer systems. Timeously install and configure appropriate software, hardware, and equipment, according to company specifications and best practise standards, ensuring license compliance. Custodian of the software asset registers; accurate allocation, license renewals and billing verification. Provide orientation and guidance to users on how to operate software and computer equipment, walk the customer through the problem-solving process. Provide general remote and onsite hardware support, that includes troubleshooting through diagnostic techniques and pertinent questions to resolve incidents, requests, and problem tickets successfully. Ensure all user queries, requests, incidents, related troubleshooting steps and resolutions are captured, validated, and triaged for further processing. Ensure frequent follow-up, continues and timeous updates on tickets, and feedback through ticketing system, managing all user expectations. Assign unresolved or more complex incidents and/or requests timeously to the next escalation tier stipulated in the technical support escalation matrix. Manage the full life cycle of assigned incidents and requests logged on the service desk ticketing system and achieve the set service level agreement KPI. Maintain and control of all IT inventory (Software and Hardware) assets by providing accurate information when installing, moving, or replacing assets, to update asset registers and inventory lists accordingly. Maintain and control data centre and security access. Perform, report, and submit all preventative checklists on all systems as per the stipulated procedures. Perform proactive monitoring of the ICT infrastructure, by troubleshooting, reporting, escalating, and logging of alerts, and preventative maintenance tasks. Maintain neat and tidy workspace, data centres, and storerooms. Maintain confidentiality regarding information being stored, processed, or accessed. Adapts quickly to changing circumstances, new standards, and requests by company management. Acts quickly in crisis situations for the company to resume normal operations as soon as possible. Liaising and working closely with 3rd party vendors, suppliers, and ICT providers for specific requirements. Contributes to the overall operations of the company by writing, updating, and maintaining internal setup operational procedures. Create, maintain, and update network architecture, deployment and configuration documentation. Adhere to and follow the Change Control Process, when doing system or configuration changes. Analyse, evaluate and propose innovative solutions, modifications, upgrades, or changes to improve and optimise the organisation’s ICT Infrastructure, business requirements and end-user experience. Troubleshoot and resolve network and last-mile connectivity issues promptly, in line with internal and external service level agreements (SLAs). Compile and produce timely Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and Incident Reports for network outages or security incidents. Design, configure, and implement network infrastructure (LAN, WAN, WLAN, VPN/IPSEC, Firewalls, Switches) according to industry networking and security best practices. Administer and maintain DNS, DHCP, switches, firewalls, and wireless network (WLAN) infrastructure. Ensure networking and security device configurations are regularly backed up and securely stored. Participate in disaster recovery planning and execution related to networking. Perform regular maintenance and upgrades, including service packs, patches, firmware updates and security configurations, to ensure that networking equipment, monitoring software, related ICT equipment and security posture meet compliance standards. Ensure the organisation’s ICT infrastructure aligns with international security standards. Accurate, timeous, and neat monthly reports, including but not limited to project progress and timelines. Escalate hurdles or delays affecting delivery to Management timeously. Responsible for following and adhering to all company policies and procedures. Other duties as required to ensure the successful operation of the business and services delivered by the IT Department.  This Job Specification indicates only the main duties and responsibilities of the position and therefore is not intended as an exhaustive list. Kindly note that should you not hear from us within 2 weeks of submitting your application, please consider your application as unsuccessful.