Network Services Engineer at IpNX Nigeria Limited

Purpose of the Job

• The Network Services Engineer is responsible for pro-actively performing network fulfilment activities across all network products. Assists in troubleshooting customer impacting issues affected by the fulfilment process, diagnose problems and troubleshoot within Data Centre/LAN/WAN/Wireless, or Firewall/Load Balancing/Threat Protection. Providing design and implementation according to best practices and standards and assist in deploying and supporting Network services and Security for clients.

Deliverables
Expected Key Results Key Activities:

• Network Service Monitoring
• Maintain platform for network service usage; gathering monitoring statistics.
• Engage in routine preventative procedures and maintaining and monitoring network security i.e Firewall, switches.
• Proactively monitor and report infrastructure capacity including bandwidth, storage etc.
• Provide capacity usage information to facilitate capacity planning.
• Work to diagnose and resolve critical, escalated issues in line with appropriate process and information provided.
• Collaborate with other support team members to fix network outages, misconfigurations, and complex networking issues on customers' devices.

Network Service Support Analysis:

• Conduct service support analysis that will identify stretching objectives, drive improvements and deliver benefits in supporting customers whilst maintaining ipNX’s values.
• Maintain inventories of hardware, software and peripherals across the desktop estate; along with domain account information including rights, security and access groups.
• Analyze user problems or enquiries and follow through to resolution within agreed service level agreements to provide excellent customer service and ensure work continuity.
• Carryout network service revamp and redesign for both prospective/existing customers.
• Analyzing and resolving faults, monitoring network environments and ensuring that all equipments comply with industry standards.
• Provide user support by diagnosing network and device problems and implementing technical or procedural solutions.
• Test and evaluate hardware and software to determine efficiency, reliability, or compatibility with existing systems.
• Provide technical support for the network surveillance, provisioning, installation and repair of infrastructures, sales, sales engineering, and marketing departments.

Network Service Management:

• Administer and support server and network infrastructure and log and follow-up issues with vendors.
• Monitor and analyze system trends in the operational environment to ensure network availability.
• Perform health system checks on areas of responsibility.
• Record, track and document the Service Desk incident solving process, including all successful and unsuccessful decisions made and actions taken, through to final resolution.
• Work with suppliers where necessary to ensure SLAs are met in line with customer expectation.
• Ensure documentation and optimal utilization of turnaround time on customer issues from identifying a fix through to resolution.
• Monitor network performance and investigate anomalies in the system and resolve issue.
• Optimize network uptime and promptly repair network failures.
• Log all network incidents and Service Requests on the Service Management solution and, where appropriate, escalate any issue to third line support in a timely manner.
• Customer Service
• Plan, write and maintain documentation regarding services that are provided to customers, put together and actively engage customers around end user documentation that will help drive collaboration of our Tech offerings to our customers.
• Track, monitor and progress support calls and tickets (incidents) and problem records to ensure timely resolution and excellent customer service.
• Conduct periodic trainings for customers on Voice Network and Security.
• Provide advisory support to customers on network topology best practice and support implementation.
• Pro-actively monitor, support, prevent problems, maintain, upgrade and fix associated services in accordance with service level agreements.
• Log and report documents of customer and employee queries.
• Reinforce SLAs to manage customer expectations and provide suggestions for continual improvement.
• Perform Monitoring, Backup and Recovery Procedures
• Implement controls to provide security for operating systems, software, and data.
• Maintain technical documentation and database information for the all networks and circuits.
• Manage maintenance and repair programs, making sure systems don't break down.
• Use remote tools and diagnostic utilities to aid in troubleshooting.
• Review and provide feedback on improving supportability and applicability of workarounds.
• Assists in User Acceptance Testing to ensure system enhancements are effective.
• Test fixes to ensure problems are adequately resolved
• Ensure new equipment meets regulatory and client requirements.
• Ensure system performance, such as network traffic, security, and capacity.
• Monitor network performance and investigate anomalies in the system and resolve issues.
• Monitor call queue for incidents ensuring all issues raised are dealt with in an effective & efficient manner, where possible ensuring these incidents do not breach agreed SLA.
• Optimize network uptime and promptly repair network failures.
• Stakeholder Management
• Work closely with Customer Experience and Sales team on customer engagement/enhancement.
• Be aware of the technologies, ITIL & ISO processes and procedures in use within and adhere to local and regional operational standards.
• Monitor the field work of internal ipNX’s teams and external vendors.
• Provide Level 2/3 support and troubleshooting to resolving issues.
• Create and deliver network designs and customer solutions based on a set of requirements.
• Communicate customer issues to promptly inform progress, driving issues through to resolution, offering mitigations where applicable.

Educational Qualifications & Functional Skills

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, MIS, Electrical Engineering or other technical disciplines
• Industry Certifications in AWS, CISSP, CCDP, CCNP, and CCIE
• Requires strong knowledge of Cisco routers and switches and of firewalls and web filtering solutions
• Keen interest in emerging technologies Cloud, SD-WAN
• Good verbal and written communication skills required for interaction with business-users.
• Strong problem-solving skills required for technical issue resolution.
• Organized and structured work habits
• Strong personal time management to coordinate several tasks simultaneously
• Ability to confidently communicate with personnel at all levels of the organization.
• Extensive technical knowledge deploying and managing network and infrastructure environment
• Well organized, articulate and has numerate skills
• Knowledge of network hardware configuration and management, including routers, firewalls, switches etc.
• Ability to quickly learn, understand, and work with new emerging technologies, methodologies and solutions in the cloud/IT technology space
• Excellent analytical and quantitative skills; ability to use hard data and metrics to back up assumptions and develop business cases
• Have an entrepreneurial spirit
• Pre-Sales & Post-Sales Management
• Demonstrable communication, interpersonal and relationship management skills
• Environmental / Industry analysis
• Documentation and Strategic planning skills
• Excellent communication skills
• Project management skills also desirable

Work Experience:

• 5 years plus experience with Fiber to the Home (FTTH) infrastructure, and experience in construction on new outside and inside plant (OSP/ISP) fiber infrastructure.
• Experience with basic configurations of enterprise or carrier grade networking equipment such as routers, switches, firewalls, encoders, optics, and Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM)
• Working knowledge of health, safety, and environmental protection practices and procedures as they apply to common construction processes
• Experience working within a Service Provider environment on the core network architecture
• Experience working within a multi-vendor network environment – Cisco etc
• Good experience of incident resolution, requests, changes and problem-solving activities delivered to agreed SLAs in an enterprise organisation
• Extensive experience interacting with clients in both pre- and post-sales capacities
• Experience using data to illustrate business conclusions
• Experience working in a Service Provider environment and providing technical support to end customer solutions
• Knowledge and understanding of the Nigerian and global Information Technology Industry especially Telecommunications

Other Requirements:

• Customer Focus
• Tech savvy
• Action orientation
• Drive results
• Cultivate Innovation
• Ability to optimize work processes
• Resilience
• Self-Development
• Nimble Learning
• Ensures Accountability
• Develops Talent
• Drives Engagement
• Drives Vision & Purpose
• Excellent Decision Quality