L4 Network Operations Engineer

Claranet Limited; Gloucester; On-site; GBP 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Claranet Limited is seeking an L4 Network Specialist to provide technical leadership, architectural governance, and expertise for a global financial services network portfolio. The role focuses on standard setting, advanced troubleshooting, and evolving strategy in highly regulated environments.

Strong Netskope experience and experience migrating/transforming at engineering level are essential. You will mentor engineers, guide SDWAN/WAN/LAN/VPN/SASE deployments, and contribute to security and

Qualifications

• 7+ years' hands-on experience in network engineering, architecture, and support within financial services or regulated environments.
• Proven experience defining standards, leading complex troubleshooting, and driving network evolution.
• Advanced technical knowledge across SDWAN, WAN, LAN/WLAN, VPN/SASE, load-balancing, and security platforms.
• Strong understanding of compliance, risk management, and regulatory frameworks.
• Effective communicator, able to engage stakeholders and lead governance activities.

Responsibilities

• Lead complex troubleshooting and root cause analysis across multi-vendor network domains, acting as the highest escalation point.
• Define and maintain configuration standards, security baselines, and golden templates to ensure regulatory compliance.
• Oversee lifecycle management including firmware governance, vulnerability remediation, and audit readiness.
• Lead, mentor and develop L1-L3 engineers, using structured coaching and feedback to drive performance.
• Provide design assurance for new deployments and service modernisation across SDWAN, WAN, LAN/WLAN, VPN/SASE, and load-balancing.
• Support automation initiatives including IaC pipelines, compliance validation, and drift detection.
• Drive monitoring and telemetry enrichment strategies to improve MTTR.

Skills

Multi-vendor networking

Cisco

Fortinet

F5

SASE platforms

Routing & design

BGP/OSPF/ACLs/NAT

Network security

Automation: Python

Terraform

Ansible

CI/CD for network infra

Stakeholder governance

Regulatory compliance

English communication

Tools

Infoblox

SolarWinds

ServiceNow

Terraform

Ansible

CI/CD pipelines

Job description

Position Summary

The L4 Network Specialist provides technical leadership, architectural governance, and subject-matter expertise to ensure the stability, security, scalability, and evolution of the global network environment for financial services clients. This role is central to defining standards, leading advanced troubleshooting, and guiding network strategy and compliance in highly regulated environments.

Please note this role requires strong Netskope experience, involving migrations/transformations/implementations at Engineering level.

Primary Purpose

Deliver architectural assurance, advanced support, and strategic direction for complex, multi-vendor network estates. Champion security posture, lifecycle governance, and the evolution of network services, ensuring regulatory and operational excellence.

Essential Roles & Responsibilities

• Lead complex troubleshooting and root cause analysis across multi-vendor network domains, acting as the highest escalation point
• Define and maintain configuration standards, security baselines, and golden templates to ensure compliance with financial services regulations
• Oversee lifecycle management including firmware governance, vulnerability remediation, and audit readiness
• Lead, mentor and develop L1-L3 engineers, fostering high performance through structured coaching, regular feedback, and the consistent application of best practices and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Provide design assurance for new deployments and service modernisation across SDWAN, WAN, LAN/WLAN, VPN/SASE, and load-balancing environments
• Support and guide automation initiatives including Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) pipelines, compliance validation, and drift detection
• Drive monitoring and telemetry enrichment strategies to improve event correlation and reduce mean time to resolution (MTTR)
• Conduct architectural reviews, capacity planning, and transition/onboarding activities
• Collaborate with vendor management teams on major incidents and strategic engagements
• Support service modernisation, onboarding, and transition initiatives, ensuring seamless integration and regulatory compliance

Financial Services & Regulatory Compliance

• Ensure all architectural and operational activities adhere to financial services regulations and frameworks (e.g., FCA, PRA, DORA, ISO 27001, SOC)
• Maintain robust documentation, audit trails, and compliance validation for all network changes and deployments
• Integrate regulatory requirements, security controls, and zero trust principles into network designs and operation
• Support risk assessments, compliance reviews, and operational audits as required

Governance & Reporting

• Lead stakeholder engagement and architectural governance, ensuring alignment with business priorities and regulatory requirements
• Produce and present architectural reviews, performance dashboards, and compliance summaries for internal and customer stakeholders
• Maintain and enrich CMDB through topology validation and asset reconciliation
• Guide monitoring and telemetry enrichment for improved visibility and governance

Key Skills

• Deep multi-vendor expertise (Cisco, Fortinet, F5, SASE platforms)
• Advanced routing, segmentation, and high-availability design (BGP, OSPF, ACLs, NAT, HA clusters)
• Network security best practices (least privilege, zero trust, vulnerability remediation)
• Experience with IPAM/DNS/DHCP platforms (e.g. Infoblox)
• Experience in implementing automation frameworks and CI/CD for network configuration (Python, Terraform, Ansible)
• Strong stakeholder engagement and governance skills
• Architectural review, capacity planning, and lifecycle management

Position Specifications

Behavioural Competencies - Organisational & Behavioural Fit

Essential:

• 7+ years' hands-on experience in network engineering, architecture, and support within financial services or regulated environments
• Proven experience defining standards, leading complex troubleshooting, and driving network evolution
• Advanced technical knowledge across SDWAN, WAN, LAN/WLAN, VPN/SASE, load-balancing, and security platforms
• Strong understanding of compliance, risk management, and regulatory frameworks
• Effective communicator, able to engage stakeholders and lead governance activities
• Experience with automation, monitoring, and network lifecycle management
• Fluent written and spoken English is essential. The role requires the ability to produce audit-ready documentation and communicate confidently with senior and executive-level stakeholders

Highly Desirable:

• Experience in managed service or telecom environments serving financial services clients
• Relevant certifications (CCIE, Fortinet NSE8, F5, SASE platform certifications)
• Experience with SolarWinds, ServiceNow, Infoblox, Zero-Touch Deployment, and CI/CD automation tools

Critical Competencies - Technical Fit

Personal Attributes

• Strategic thinker and technical leader, passionate about network architecture and operational excellence
• Collaborative, mentoring mindset, committed to continuous improvement and knowledge sharing
• Strong compliance and risk awareness, with attention to regulatory detail

Shift & Working Pattern:

• Standard business hours, with participation in an oncall rota as required
• Occasional weekend engineering coverage will be required, typically limited to a small number of planned weekends per year, to support business continuity, resilience testing, or disaster recovery activities