Network Support Engineer – L3

HCLTech; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 700,000 - 950,000; Full time

Job summary

HCLTech is seeking a Network Support Engineer – L3 in Johannesburg to own complex incidents, perform RCA, and drive continuous network improvements. You will design and review intricate network and firewall changes, mentor L2 engineers, and contribute to runbooks and SOPs.

The role requires 7–12 years of experience with Cisco Fortinet firewalls, SDWAN, and proactive monitoring using SolarWinds and Cisco DNA Center. On-call shifts and business hours are expected.

Qualifications

• 7–12 years of network engineering experience.
• Expertise in Cisco LAN/WAN, Wireless, and Fortinet FortiGate firewalls.
• Strong SDWAN and VPN troubleshooting experience.
• Excellent documentation and stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead L3 incident resolution and perform Root Cause Analysis (RCA).
• Design, review, and implement complex network and firewall changes.
• Act as SME for Cisco LAN/WAN, Wireless, SDWAN issues and configurations.
• Perform advanced firewall troubleshooting—Policy optimization, NAT, VPN, and traffic analysis.
• Use SolarWinds and Cisco DNA Center for proactive monitoring and assurance.
• Drive problem management and preventive initiatives.
• Maintain runbooks, SOPs, and network documentation.
• Support security audits and customer reviews; coordinate with TAC teams.
• Mentor L2 engineers and provide technical guidance.
• Participate in architecture reviews and network optimization discussions.

Skills

Root Cause Analysis

Incident management

Network design

SDWAN

Firewalls

Cisco devices

Fortinet FortiGate

Documentation

Mentoring

Stakeholder management

Tools

SolarWinds

Cisco DNA Center

Job description

Job Title: Network Support Engineer – L3

Experience: 7–12 Years

Shift: Business hours + On-call

The Network L3 Engineer acts as the technical SME, owning complex incidents, problem management, firewall governance, and continuous improvement for the premium network.

• Lead L3 incident resolution and perform Root Cause Analysis (RCA)
• Design, review, and implement complex network and firewall changes

Act as SME for:

• Cisco LAN/WAN & Wireless, SDWAN issues
• Cisco and Fortinet Firewalls (FortiGate)
• Perform advanced firewall troubleshooting - Policy optimization, NAT, VPN, and traffic flow analysis
• Use SolarWinds and Cisco DNA Center for proactive monitoring and assurance
• Drive problem management and preventive initiatives
• Maintain and improve runbooks, SOPs, and network documentation
• Support security audits, compliance checks, and customer reviews
• Coordinate with Cisco TAC and Fortinet TAC as required
• Mentor L2 engineers and provide technical guidance
• Participate in architecture reviews and network optimization discussions
• SDWAN Technologies

• Strong expertise in Routing & Switching (OSPF, BGP, STP)
• Advanced Wireless design and troubleshooting
• Deep hands-on experience with Fortinet and Cisco firewall platforms
• Experience supporting premium / mission-critical enterprise networks
• Strong documentation and stakeholder management skills