Staff Network Operations Engineer

Equiniti; Crawley Down; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension plan

Life assurance

Employee discounts

Flexible benefits

Annual leave 29 days

Volunteer days

Job summary

EQ Retirement Solutions is seeking a Staff Network Operations Engineer to provide technical leadership across network engineering, shaping strategy, architecture, and automation.

You will influence secure, scalable network services across cloud, hybrid and on‑premises environments, mentoring colleagues and driving continuous improvement within the engineering function.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in enterprise network engineering and operations.
• Strong understanding of IP networking, routing, switching and design principles.
• Experience with cloud and hybrid networking environments (AWS/Azure).
• Network security technologies including firewalls, VPNs and access controls.
• DNS, DHCP, IPAM and enterprise wireless networking knowledge.
• Experience with network monitoring, observability and performance management tools.
• Ability to diagnose and resolve complex issues using network analysis and troubleshooting tools.
• Experience of network automation and scripting (Python, Ansible).
• Understanding of Infrastructure as Code and source control practices.
• Knowledge of ITSM disciplines and incident/change management.
• Strong stakeholder management, communication and mentoring skills.

Responsibilities

• Define and influence network engineering strategy and standards aligned to business objectives.
• Architect, implement and maintain secure, resilient network solutions across cloud, hybrid, and on‑premises environments.
• Lead complex network initiatives ensuring quality, reliability and operational effectiveness.
• Act as senior technical authority for complex network issues and major incidents.
• Drive network automation, configuration management and operational improvements.
• Establish and maintain network governance with compliance to security and regulatory requirements.
• Collaborate with Architecture, Security and Service teams to align network services with business needs.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and suppliers, balancing risk, cost and value.

Skills

Enterprise networking

IP routing

Cloud networking

Network security

DNS/DHCP/IPAM

Monitoring & observability

Network automation

Python

Ansible

IaC / version control

ITSM processes

Stakeholder management

Mentoring

Education

Tools

VMware SD-WAN

Cisco Meraki

EVPN/VXLAN

CI/CD

Job description

Management Level

F

EQ Retirement Solutions is transforming the retirement and pensions markets with leading administration and technology solutions. With over 1,200 employees globally, 189 years of knowledge and 11 million pension scheme members and policyholders, we are here to help people plan for a confident financial future by delivering innovative, reliable and customer-focused retirement services. Our teams are driven by a shared commitment to excellence, collaboration and making a real impact on the lives of our clients and customers.

Role Summary

EQ Retirement Solutions are looking for a Staff Network Operations Engineer within the Engineering department.

The main purpose of the role is to provide senior technical leadership across network engineering, shaping strategy, architecture, automation and operational excellence. Acting as a technical authority, the role ensures secure, resilient and scalable network services while supporting business objectives, mentoring colleagues and driving continuous improvement across cloud, hybrid and on-premises environments.

Core Duties/Responsibilities

The successful candidate will be responsible for the following:

• Define and influence network engineering strategy, standards and best practices aligned to business objectives.
• Architect, implement and maintain secure, resilient and scalable network solutions across cloud, hybrid and on-premises environments.
• Lead the delivery of complex network initiatives, ensuring quality, reliability and operational effectiveness.
• Act as a senior technical authority for complex network issues, major incidents and problem resolution.
• Drive network automation, configuration management and operational improvements to increase efficiency and consistency.
• Establish and maintain network governance, ensuring compliance with security, regulatory and organisational requirements.
• Collaborate with Architecture, Security, Product and Service teams to align network services with evolving business needs.
• Evaluate emerging technologies, platforms and suppliers, making recommendations that balance risk, cost and business value.
• Strengthen network security through implementation of appropriate controls, secure connectivity solutions and Zero Trust principles.
• Ensure network availability, performance, capacity and resilience are proactively managed and monitored.
• Provide technical leadership, coaching and mentoring to colleagues, supporting capability development across the engineering function.
• Develop and maintain documentation, engineering standards and knowledge-sharing practices that improve service quality and supportability.

The duties and responsibilities outlined above are to be regarded as broad areas of responsibility and do not necessarily detail all tasks which the post holder may be required to perform.

Skills, Capabilities and Attributes

The ideal candidate will have the below skills, capabilities and attributes:

Essential

• Extensive experience in enterprise network engineering and operations.
• Strong understanding of IP networking, routing, switching and network design principles.
• Experience with cloud and hybrid networking environments, including AWS and/or Azure.
• Expertise in network security technologies, including firewalls, VPNs and access controls.
• Knowledge of DNS, DHCP, IP address management and enterprise wireless networking.
• Experience of network monitoring, observability and performance management tools.
• Ability to diagnose and resolve complex technical issues using network analysis and troubleshooting tools.
• Experience of network automation and scripting using technologies such as Python and Ansible.
• Understanding of Infrastructure as Code, configuration management and source control practices.
• Knowledge of IT service management disciplines including incident, problem and change management.
• Strong stakeholder management, communication and influencing skills.
• Proven ability to mentor engineers and provide technical leadership across teams.

Desirable

• Experience with VMware SD-WAN, Cisco Meraki, EVPN/VXLAN or similar technologies.
• Knowledge of network observability, telemetry and advanced monitoring platforms.
• Experience of CI/CD approaches and network-as-code practices.
• Exposure to cybersecurity assurance, penetration testing remediation and security governance activities.

What We Offer

• Save For Your Future – Equiniti Pension Plan; Equiniti matches your pension contributions up to 10%.
• Health and Wellbeing – Employee Assistance Programme offering counselling, legal and wellbeing support for colleagues and their households. Life assurance cover at 4x salary with the ability to purchase enhanced cover.
• Employee Discounts – Discounts and cashback at your favourite high street stores through our EQ Wins platform.
• Flexible Benefits – The ability to purchase a wide variety of benefits through our flex plan including gadgets, travel insurance, will writing and holiday trading.
• Time Off – Typically 29 days holiday plus bank holidays, with two paid volunteer days per year.
• Winning Together – Equiniti ICON award vouchers recognising colleagues who go above and beyond.
• Learning & Development – Investment in LinkedIn Learning and ongoing professional development opportunities.

Equal Opportunity Statement

We are committed to equality of opportunity for all staff and applications from individuals are encouraged regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnerships.

Please note any offer of employment is subject to satisfactory pre-employment screening checks.