Remote Senior Network Infrastructure Specialist

Placements24; South Africa; Remote; ZAR 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Highly competitive salary

Health & wellness benefits

Retirement savings contribution

Online training access

Certification reimbursement

Virtual industry conferences

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Remote Senior Network Infrastructure Specialist to design, deploy and manage a global enterprise network. This role focuses on routing, switching, firewalls, VPNs, and cloud networking to ensure high availability, security and performance across operations.

You will drive upgrades, DR strategies, and collaborate with cloud teams (AWS, Azure) in a 100% remote environment suitable for professionals in South Africa.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 7+ years in network engineering and infrastructure management.
• Expert knowledge of routing protocols (BGP, OSPF) and switching (VLANs, STP).
• Hands-on with major firewall vendors (Palo Alto, Cisco ASA, Fortinet) and VPN technologies.
• Cloud experience with AWS and Azure.
• Experience with network monitoring tools (SolarWinds, Nagios) and packet analysis.
• Certs like CCIE, CCNP, JNCIE or CISSP are preferred.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving and remote troubleshooting abilities.
• Excellent communication in a remote team setting.

Responsibilities

• Design, deploy, and manage enterprise network infrastructure (routers, switches, firewalls, load balancers, wireless access points).
• Oversee security measures: IDS/IPS, VPNs, ACLs.
• Monitor performance and availability with advanced tools, resolve bottlenecks.
• Develop resilience and disaster recovery strategies.
• Lead network upgrade projects and lifecycle management.
• Collaborate with cloud teams to integrate hybrid cloud networking (AWS/Azure).
• Maintain network documentation, diagrams, SOPs.
• Provide Tier 3 support for complex incidents.
• Mentor junior network engineers.

Skills

Routing & Switching

Network Security

Remote Troubleshooting

Incident Handling

Communication

Education

Bachelors degree or equivalent

Certifications desirable

Tools

Palo Alto

Cisco ASA

Fortinet

VPN

SolarWinds

Nagios

Job description

About the Role

Our client, a rapidly expanding global technology services firm, is seeking a highly accomplished Remote Senior Network Infrastructure Specialist to join their distributed IT operations team. This position is 100% remote, offering a fantastic opportunity for an expert in network architecture and management to work from anywhere in South Africa. You will be responsible for the design, implementation, maintenance, and optimization of the company's core network infrastructure, ensuring high availability, security, and performance across all global operations. This role demands deep technical expertise in routing, switching, firewalls, VPNs, and cloud networking technologies. You will play a key role in shaping the future of our network, driving initiatives for scalability, resilience, and cost-effectiveness. The ideal candidate is a proactive, self-motivated individual with excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to thrive in a remote, fast-paced environment. You will collaborate with various IT teams and business units to support their networking needs and strategic objectives.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, deploy, and manage enterprise-level network infrastructure, including routers, switches, firewalls, load balancers, and wireless access points.


• Oversee the configuration and maintenance of network security measures, including intrusion detection/prevention systems (IDS/IPS), VPNs, and access control lists.


• Monitor network performance and availability using advanced management tools, identifying and resolving bottlenecks and issues proactively.


• Develop and implement network resilience and disaster recovery strategies to ensure business continuity.


• Lead network upgrade projects, including hardware and software lifecycle management.


• Collaborate with cloud engineering teams to integrate and manage hybrid cloud networking environments (e.g., AWS, Azure).


• Develop and maintain comprehensive network documentation, diagrams, and standard operating procedures.


• Provide Tier 3 support for complex network-related incidents and service requests.


• Mentor junior network engineers and share knowledge across the IT team.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.


• Minimum of 7 years of experience in network engineering and infrastructure management.


• Expert-level knowledge of routing protocols (BGP, OSPF), switching technologies (VLANs, STP), and network security principles.


• Hands-on experience with major firewall vendors (e.g., Palo Alto, Cisco ASA, Fortinet) and VPN technologies.


• Proficiency in managing and designing networks within cloud environments (AWS, Azure).


• Strong understanding of network monitoring tools (e.g., SolarWinds, Nagios) and packet analysis.


• Relevant certifications such as CCIE, CCNP, JNCIE, or CISSP are highly desirable.


• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to troubleshoot complex issues remotely.


• Superior communication and collaboration skills, effective in a remote team setting.

Benefits

• Highly competitive salary


• Comprehensive health and wellness benefits


• Generous retirement savings contribution


• Access to online training platforms


• Certification reimbursement


• Opportunities to attend virtual industry conferences