Level 3 Senior Network Engineer (Cisco ACI required)

ICON Clinical Research Ltd; Dublin; Hybrid; EUR 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive base salary

Health and wellbeing programmes

Retirement and pension plans

Life assurance

Learning and development opportunities

Job summary

ICON Clinical Research Ltd in Dublin is seeking a Principal Engineer II for an Office Hybrid role. You will lead the Global Network Operations, providing technical leadership across Cisco ACI, Fortinet, NetScaler/F5 and cloud networking for a 60% in‑office role at HQ in Leopardstown, Dublin 18.

The ideal candidate has 10+ years of hands‑on enterprise networking experience, strong project delivery and escalation leadership, and excellent communication with stakeholders across a global

Qualifications

• 10+ years of enterprise networking experience.
• Proven incident resolution leadership and project delivery.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

• Act as the highest technical escalation point for critical network incidents and complex infrastructure issues.
• Ensure the global network's availability, stability, and performance across on‑prem and cloud environments.
• Lead network implementation activities for global projects, including datacenter migrations and cloud connectivity.
• Own security & compliance: firewall policies, NAT rules, VPN configurations, segmentation; support audits and coordination with Cyber Security.

Skills

Enterprise networking

Incident management

Leadership

Network security

Tools

Cisco ACI

Cisco Meraki

Cisco ISE

Fortinet Firewalls

NetScaler/F5

SASE (CATO)

Azure networking

AWS networking

Ansible

Python

PowerShell

Wireshark

TCPDump

Job description

Principal Engineer II - Office Hybrid in Dublin, Ireland

ICON is a global healthcare intelligence and clinical research organisation united by a mission to bring new medicines and treatments to patients faster. As a values-driven organisation, integrity, collaboration, agility, and inclusion are at the heart of how we work and interact with each other, customers, patients and suppliers.

Role Summary The Level 3 Senior Network Engineer (Principal Engineer II) serves as the highest technical escalation point within the Global Network Operations team. This role is responsible for providing technical leadership, resolving complex network issues, supporting global infrastructure projects, and ensuring the stability, security, and availability of the enterprise network. The ideal candidate should have 10+ years of hands‑on enterprise networking experience, with strong expertise in Cisco ACI, Fortinet Firewalls, NetScaler/F5 Load Balancers, SD‑WAN technologies (preferably CATO), enterprise routing and switching, and cloud networking. The role requires a strong balance of technical expertise, operational excellence, and project delivery within a global enterprise environment. This is an Office Hybrid role requiring 60% office attendance in our HQ in Leopardstown, Dublin 18.

Key Responsibilities

• 1. Technical Leadership & Escalation Act as the highest technical escalation point for critical network incidents and complex infrastructure issues. Lead troubleshooting across multi-vendor enterprise network environments. Perform root cause analysis (RCA) for major incidents and implement permanent corrective actions. Provide technical guidance and mentorship to Level 1 and Level 2 engineers. Participate in Major Incident Management (MIM) calls and lead technical recovery efforts.
• 2. Network Operations Ensure the availability, stability, and performance of the global network infrastructure. Support BAU operations involving routing, switching, firewalls, SD‑WAN, load balancers, VPNs, DNS, and cloud networking. Identify recurring operational issues and implement proactive improvements to reduce incidents. Perform advanced troubleshooting across on‑premises and cloud network environments.
• 3. Infrastructure & Project Delivery Lead network implementation activities for global infrastructure projects. Design, review, and implement network solutions in accordance with enterprise standards. Support datacenter migrations, office deployments, cloud connectivity, and technology refresh initiatives. Review implementation plans and provide technical approval for high‑risk network changes. Support mergers, acquisitions, and global expansion initiatives from a networking perspective.
• 4. Enterprise Network Technologies Provide technical ownership, administration, and support for: Cisco Core Networking (ACI required), Cisco Meraki and Cisco ISE - preferable to have Fortinet Firewalls, NetScaler/F5 Load Balancers, SASE platforms (CATO preferred), BGP, OSPF, and enterprise routing, Network segmentation and micro‑segmentation, Azure and AWS networking, Ability to automate Network tasks using scripts such as Ansible, Python, Power shell, Network performance analysis and packet capture (Wireshark/TCPDump), Network monitoring platforms such as ThousandEyes, SolarWinds, Site24x7, or equivalent.
• 5. Security & Compliance Ensure network infrastructure complies with enterprise security standards and industry best practices. Review and approve firewall policies, NAT rules, VPN configurations, and network segmentation. Support vulnerability remediation activities and security audits. Work closely with Cyber Security teams during incident investigations. Implement secure network designs for new business requirements.

Skills & Qualifications

• Experience Minimum 10+ years of enterprise networking experience. Strong experience supporting large‑scale global network environments. Experience working in 24x7 operations supporting mission‑critical infrastructure. Proven experience leading major incident resolution and infrastructure projects.
• Soft Skills Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills. Ability to lead technical discussions and major incident calls. Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills. Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast‑paced global environment. Strong documentation and presentation skills. Self‑motivated with the ability to work independently and mentor junior engineers.
• Preferred Certifications CCNP Enterprise or CCIE, Fortinet NSE 7/NSE 8 or FCSS Network Security, Citrix NetScaler Certification, CATO Certified Professional, AWS or Azure Networking Certification, ITIL Foundation. Any two of the above certifications will be considered an advantage.

Employment Conditions

Employment with ICON is contingent upon having the legal right to work in the country where the role is based.

Rewards & Benefits

• Competitive base salary and performance related incentives
• Health and wellbeing programmes including medical, dental, and vision coverage where applicable
• Retirement and pension plans
• Life assurance and disability coverage
• Employee assistance programmes and wellbeing resources
• Learning and development opportunities through structured training and career pathways
• Benefits may vary depending on role and location.

Inclusion and Accessibility

ICON is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building an inclusive and accessible workplace where everyone feels valued and supported. If you require reasonable accommodations during the recruitment process, please let us know or submit a request here.