We are hiring for a Network Engineer for a client based in Eastwood.

Work setup & shift: Work From Home | Day shift

The Network Engineer is responsible for designing, implementing, securing, and supporting Modern Stars enterprise network across all sites. Operating as the organisations primary networking specialist within a small, collaborative IT team, this role focuses on Fortinet technologies (firewalls, SD-WAN, switches and Wi-Fi), Cambium Wi-Fi, and related monitoring, automation, and security tooling. The Network Engineer will ensure maximum availability, performance, and security of the network while driving continuous improvement and modernisation.

Network Infrastructure Management & Support

• Deploy, configure, and maintain Fortinet FortiGate firewalls, including NGFW services, IPS, application control, web filtering, SSL / IPsec VPNs, and SD-WAN routing.
• Administer enterprise switching (Fortinet and other vendors), managing VLANs, Layer 2/3 routing, QoS, and stack management.
• Manage wireless networks using Fortinet FortiWLC/FortiAP and Cambium controllers/APs, ensuring reliable coverage, roaming optimisation, and WPA3/802.1X security.
• Oversee WAN connectivity (Internet, SD-WAN, MPLS) and ISP relationships, ensuring sufficient bandwidth, redundancy, and fail-over capability.
• Maintain accurate network diagrams and asset inventories using industry-standard tooling (e.g., NetBox or equivalent).

Security & Compliance

• Own firewall rule-sets, security profiles, and threat-intelligence subscriptions across all Fortinet appliances.
• Integrate network telemetry and security logs into Microsoft Sentinel SIEM, developing analytic rules, workbooks, and incident response playbooks.
• Implement network segmentation, Zero Trust, NAC (e.g., FortiNAC) and MFA for administrative access to networking devices.
• Coordinate regular vulnerability assessments and patching for network hardware and firmware.

Monitoring & Performance Management

• Establish and maintain end-to-end monitoring using FortiManager/FortiAnalyzer and complementary NMS tools (e.g., PRTG, LibreNMS, SolarWinds).
• Develop dashboards and automated alerts for latency, packet-loss, throughput, Wi-Fi health, and security events.
• Produce monthly KPI and capacity reports, recommending upgrades or configuration changes where required.

Operational Support & Troubleshooting

• Provide Tier-3 escalation support for network-related incidents and service requests, including root-cause analysis and post-incident reviews.
• Participate in the on-call rotation for critical network and security incidents.
• Coordinate maintenance windows, change requests, and communication with stakeholders.

Automation & Optimisation

• Automate configuration deployment, backups, and compliance checks using scripting (Python, PowerShell), REST APIs, and tools such as Ansible or Terraform.
• Champion Infrastructure as Code (IaC) approaches for network templates and SD-WAN policy deployment.
• Drive continual service improvements, identifying opportunities to reduce complexity and cost.

Collaboration & Documentation

• Work closely with infrastructure, security, and application teams to ensure networking requirements align with wider IT initiatives.
• Produce and maintain clear documentation: network standards, change records, troubleshooting guides, and knowledge base articles.
• Provide mentoring and knowledge transfer to IT colleagues on basic network administration tasks.

Preferred skills/expertise

• Strong analytical and problem-solving capability with a security-first mindset.
• Ability to communicate complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
• Self-starter comfortable operating independently within a small, fast-moving team.
• Commitment to continuous learning and keeping abreast of emerging networking technologies and threats.

• 3+ years of hands-on network engineering in a multi-site environment.
• Demonstrated expertise with Fortinet firewalls, SD-WAN, switching, and Wi-Fi.
• Experience integrating log sources and building detections in Microsoft Sentinel or similar SIEM platforms.
• Proficiency with routing protocols (OSPF, BGP), network security best practices, and wireless design principles.
• Exposure to automation (Python/Ansible) and Infrastructure as Code workflows.