Network Platform Engineer

BlueCrest Capital Management; Greater London; On-site; GBP 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

BlueCrest Capital Management is seeking a Network Platform Engineer to manage and enhance our global network infrastructure, spanning data networks, security, and unified communications. The role sits in the Infrastructure Platform team with exposure to Linux, Storage, Windows, and Hypervisors.

You will design, implement, and operate across on-prem, colocation, and cloud environments (Azure & AWS), adopting Infrastructure as Code, SRE practices, and automation to support a fast-paced trading

Qualifications

• An experienced network engineer with minimum 5 years in a financial institution or fast-paced environment.
• Strong understanding of TCP/IP, networking fundamentals, and Cisco hardware across data centers and enterprise networks.
• Experience with Azure and AWS cloud networking.

Responsibilities

• Monitor, support, and maintain BlueCrest’s global networks and related systems.
• Carry out BAU changes across all network systems per change control process.
• Design and build network products for on-prem data centers, colocation trading, offices, WAN, and cloud infrastructure.
• Responsible for network security area, with experience with next-generation firewall platforms.
• Develop and maintain network systems and code following Infrastructure as Code and SRE practices.
• Design and deliver project work across networking disciplines and wider infrastructure platforms.
• Contribute to architecture and roadmap for BlueCrest networks and platforms.
• Maintain data center and communication room environments, including rack and patch cables.

Skills

TCP/IP fundamentals

CCNP level

Cisco switching

Cisco routing

Cisco IOS-XE

Cisco ACI

Palo Alto firewalls

Unix familiarity

Azure cloud networking

AWS cloud networking

Python

Ansible

Terraform

REST APIs

CI/CD pipelines

Network security

Tools

Palo Alto devices

Cisco switches

Cisco routers

Cisco ACI

Job description

Department Overview:

Our Technology Infrastructure team operates globally and is responsible for every aspect of the firm's hybrid platform. This ranges from our EUC/Office environments to Trading and Core service Co-Location Data Centres, and extends to Public Cloud, delivering top-tier technology services to a dynamic and demanding Trading organisation.

About The Job

Department Overview:

Our Technology Infrastructure team operates globally and is responsible for every aspect of the firm's hybrid platform. This ranges from our EUC/Office environments to Trading and Core service Co-Location Data Centres, and extends to Public Cloud, delivering top-tier technology services to a dynamic and demanding Trading organisation.

In addition to meeting the round-the-clock operational demands of the platforms, we continuously evolve and transform our platforms to maintain a competitive edge that our business requires. We innovate to provide valuable solutions and leverage our skilled Technology teams to deliver against rapidly changing business requirements.

Role Overview

The Network Platform Engineer focus will be responsible for managing, supporting, and enhancing BlueCrest’s global network infrastructure, including data networks, telecommunications, network security, advanced IP services, and unified communications.

This role sits within the Infrastructure Platform team and offers opportunities to work across other core platforms, including Linux, Storage, Windows and Hypervisors. As a result, a broad range of experience and a strong understanding of how wider technology infrastructure platforms integrate and co-exist would be beneficial. In particular, solid Unix operating system knowledge and operational experience would be an advantage.

Additionally, we are looking for engineers who bring the experience and mindset needed to help us adopt modern technology practices, including Infrastructure as Code, AI-enabled operations, automation-led delivery, and SRE practices. As we continue to grow our hybrid networking capabilities across on-premise/colocation, Azure and AWS, we are seeking expertise in designing, building, and supporting robust, deterministic cloud network environments.

Key Responsibilities

• Monitor, support, and maintain BlueCrest’s global networks and related systems.
• Carry out BAU changes across all network systems in line with the change control process.
• Design and build network products for on-premises data centres, colocation trading, offices, WAN, and cloud infrastructure.
• Responsible for network security area, with experience operating and maintaining next-generation firewall platforms.
• Develop and maintain network systems and associated code, following Infrastructure as Code and SRE practices.
• Design and deliver project work across all networking disciplines and wider infrastructure platforms.
• Contribute to the architecture and roadmap for BlueCrest’s networks and platforms.
• Maintain data centre and communication room environments, including racking and patching network equipment.
• Manage third-party vendors, data centre providers, and telecoms providers.

Experience And Skills Required

An experienced network engineer with a minimum of 5 years of experience working in a financial institution/ fast-paced environment

Essential Skills

• Deep understanding of TCP/IP protocols and networking fundamentals, equivalent to CCNP level.
• Strong Cisco hardware, switching, and routing experience across data centre and enterprise networks.
• Cisco ACI
• Cisco IOS-XE switches and routers
• Cisco ACI
• Cisco IOS-XE switches and routers
• Experience with next-generation firewalls, particularly Palo Alto platforms.
• BAU changes: Policies, NAT, Routing
• Monitoring: analyse firewall logs with next gen features
• Proficient with fundamental Unix operating system knowledge, skills, and working experience.
• Advanced Azure and AWS cloud networking experience.

Desirable Skills

• Infrastructure as Code and SRE for Network skills including using API, Programming, Scripting and Orchestration skills
  • Python, Ansible and Terraform
  • Rest APIs
  • CI/CD pipeline
• Experience in office infrastructure design, build and migration.
• Experience in Datacentre physical and logical migrations.
• Network performance monitoring and packet capture.
• Experience in support VoIP technologies
  • Avaya Enterprise Call Managers or equivalent
  • Turret system or equivalent trade voice
  • Microsoft Teams

About You

The ideal candidate will be joining a progressive and collaborative working environment that promotes teamwork, technical excellence, and innovative solutions. This role is particularly suitable for a team player who is highly motivated and thrives in a dynamic, fast-paced and demanding trading environment. We are seeking someone who can work autonomously, efficiently and methodically under pressure, multi-tasking and adapting quickly to learn new skills. An experienced platform engineer with networks focus and a minimum of 5 years of experience working in a financial institution or within a fast-paced dynamic environment would be a suitable fit for this role. This role may require flexible working hours to implement changes out of business hours in all regions (US/EMEA/APAC) and respond to P1 issue callout. The selected candidate will have access to the latest technology, opportunities to grow professionally and technically, as well as supporting training resources available to them.

BlueCrest is committed to providing an inclusive environment for its workforce. As an employer, we provide equal opportunities to all people regardless of their gender, marital or civil partnership status, race, religion or ethnicity, disability, age, sexual orientation or nationality.