Senior Patch Management Engineer

HCLTech; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Vacation benefits

Insurance (Term life, travel)

Job summary

HCLTech in London is seeking a Senior Network Patch Management Engineer to own firmware and software lifecycle across a multi-vendor estate, including routers, switches, firewalls, and wireless systems.

You will drive automated patch workflows, assess advisories, and coordinate cross-team efforts to ensure zero-disruption maintenance. Strong vendor CVE knowledge and multi-vendor experience are required.

Qualifications

• Experience in network engineering/operations and patch management.
• Ability to automate patch workflows and use scripting.
• Familiarity with multi-vendor devices and firmware lifecycles.
• CCNP/JNCIP/PCNSE certifications preferred.

Responsibilities

• Manage firmware/software lifecycle for routers, switches, firewalls, load balancers, and wireless controllers across multi-vendor environments.
• Assess advisories and map CVEs to upgrades; prioritize by business impact and CVSS.
• Develop and maintain patch runbooks with pre-checks, upgrade procedures, rollback steps, and post-validation checks.
• Automate patch workflows using Ansible, Netmiko, NAPALM, and vendor APIs.
• Lead maintenance window planning including impact analysis and CAB submission.
• Oversee configuration backup integrity (RANCID/Oxidised/Cisco NSO) before patching.
• Conduct rollback analyses and document root causes.
• Integrate vulnerability data into patch prioritization workflow.
• Monitor post-patching stability with NMS/IPAM tools.

Skills

Network engineering

Patch management

Automation

Risk assessment

Vendor advisories

Communication

Documentation

Multi-vendor

Education

CCNP Enterprise or Security

JNCIP-ENT or JNCIP-SEC

PCNSE

Tools

Ansible

Netmiko

NAPALM

Python

Cisco DNA Centre

SolarWinds

NetBrain

Infoblox

RANCID

Job description

We are a $13+ billion global technology company, home to more than 224,000 people across 60 countries, delivering industry-leading capabilities centered around digital, engineering, cloud, and AI, powered by a broad portfolio of technology services and products.

HCLTech is a globally recognized leader in the Tech and IT industry, but we’ve never forgotten the startup mindset that got us here. We’ve always approached our work with an idea-first attitude because every one of our accomplishments —no matter how big or small —can be traced back to an idea’s single spark.

It’s that spark —that inner drive —that sets our people apart from our competitors. It enables us not just to pull off game-changing feat after game-changing feat but to better our world in the process. We want you to find your spark. Because that’s what drives you to be better, be more and ultimately, be more fulfilled.

To learn more about how we can supercharge progress for you, visit bwww.hcltech.comb

bJob Titleb: Senior Patch Management Engineer

bLocation:b London, UK (bHybrid mode at client locationb)

bExperience:b 3 – 6 years in network engineering / operations

bROLE SUMMARYb

The L2 Senior Network Patch Management Engineer owns the firmware and software lifecycle across a multi-vendor network estate (LAN, WAN, data centre fabrics, firewalls, load balancers, and wireless). Responsibilities include risk assessment, automated patching workflows, vulnerability-led prioritisation, and cross-team co-ordination for zero-disruption maintenance. The role serves as an escalation point for L1 and leads continuous improvement of network patching practices.

bKEY RESPONSIBILITIESb

• Manage the firmware / software lifecycle for routers, switches, firewalls, load balancers, and wireless controllers across multi-vendor environments (Cisco, Juniper, Aruba, Palo Alto, F5, Fortinet).

• Assess vendor advisories (Cisco PSIRT, Juniper JSA, Palo Alto Security Advisories) and map CVEs to required upgrades; prioritise based on business impact and CVSS score.

• Develop and maintain device-specific patching runbooks including pre-check scripts, upgrade procedures, rollback steps, and post-validation checks.

• Automate network patch workflows using Ansible, Netmiko, NAPALM, or vendor APIs (Cisco NSO / DNA Centre).

• Lead maintenance window planning: impact analysis, rollback testing, stakeholder communication, and CAB submission.

• Oversee configuration backup integrity (RANCID / Oxidised / Cisco NSO) before every patching activity.

• Conduct structured rollback for failed upgrades; perform root cause analysis and document findings.

• Integrate network vulnerability data from Qualys / Tenable into the patch prioritisation workflow.

• Monitor network stability post-patching using NMS/IPAM tools (SolarWinds, NetBrain, Infoblox).

• Act as L2 escalation for L1 patch-related issues and routing/connectivity incidents.

• Produce patch compliance reports and present to network management and security teams.

• Drive patching SLA adherence: Critical vulnerabilities within 72 hours, High within 14 days.

bTECHNICAL SKILLS & KNOWLEDGEb

• Deep understanding of network protocols: OSPF, BGP, EIGRP, MPLS, VRF, STP, HSRP/VRRP.

• Experience with automated patching toolchains: Ansible, Netmiko, NAPALM, Python (Paramiko).

• Vendor firmware lifecycle knowledge including feature releases, maintenance releases, and ED/MD trains (Cisco SMU, Juniper package management).

• Firewall firmware management: Palo Alto, Fortinet FortiOS, Cisco ASA/FTD upgrade procedures.

• Load balancer firmware: F5 BIG-IP or Citrix ADC upgrade methodology.

• Network management platforms: Cisco DNA Centre, SolarWinds NPM/NCM, NetBrain, Infoblox.

• Vulnerability management: parsing Cisco PSIRT, Juniper JSA, and NVD CVE data.

• ITSM integration: ServiceNow change management, CMDB for network asset tracking.

• SD-WAN patching exposure (Cisco Viptela, VMware VeloCloud) is advantageous.

bSOFT SKILLS & COMPETENCIESb

• Strong risk assessment skills: balances urgency with network stability.

• Excellent planning skills for complex, multi-device maintenance windows.

• Clear communicator with NOC, application, and security teams.

• Methodical documentation – detailed runbooks, RCAs, and change records.

• Proactive – stays current with vendor EOL/EOS notices and security advisories.

bPREFERRED CERTIFICATIONSb

• Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP Enterprise or Security)

• Juniper Networks Certified Professional (JNCIP-ENT or JNCIP-SEC)

• Palo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Engineer (PCNSE)

• A supportive, diverse, and global team with a brilliant culture.
• Competitive compensation and benefits that includes vacation per year, various insurances like Term life and Business Travel insurance. These are apart from the statutory benefits applicable in the country. Employee benefits are regulated by an internal policy that contains full details regarding the entitlement and conditions for the benefits as per the law of the land.
• Great opportunities to make the role your own, upskill yourself and get involved with exciting projects.
• Total Wellbeing is our focus. Alongside your professional excellence, you join the likeminded colleagues to create a larger impact within the company and society at large in your chosen area of passion - CSR Council, Diversity Council, Women Connect, Sparks – Engagement Champion to name a few.
• To know more about us visit – bwww.hcltech.comb
• For more information on how we process your personal data, please refer to HCLTech’s bCandidate Data Privacy Noticeb.