Senior Network Engineer

Network Support L2 Engineer

Education and Qualification

• Bachelor's degree or Diploma in Engineering (Computer Science, Electronics, Telecommunications) preferred.

• Industry certifications relevant to network engineering, minimum CCNP certification with a focus on routing, switching, and security. PA Certification is preferred.

Work Experience

• A minimum of 6-8 years of relevant experience in network administration or support.

Technical Skills

• In-depth understanding of routing protocols and data flow.

• Strong knowledge of 24/7 IP subnetting and network architecture design principles.

• Proficiency in using network monitoring tools and interpreting reports for proactive problem identification.

• Familiarity with 24/7 incident management procedures.

• Implementation and maintenance of enterprise networks as per business requirements.

• Troubleshooting experience pertaining to enterprise outages.

• Experience with OEMs and vendors for network-related transactions, including hardware failures and link failures.

• Meet project requirements for upgrades, client requests, service requests, ramp-ups, etc.

• Should be able to handle the Meraki and access point incidents and change requests.

• Should be able to configure the ISE for Tacacs and user authentication.

• Extensive experience with Cisco Routers (2800/2900/4K series ISR routers/ASR series routers) and Catalyst/Nexus Switches (4500/3600/3800/6500/N2K,N5K,N7K, N9k).

• Good Exposure to various switching technologies like RSTP, PVSTP, HSRP, VRRP, GLBP, VTP, Port channel, etc.

• Must have worked on ASA/Palo Alto/Checkpoint/ firewalls configuring, GRE, IPSEC tunnels, IOS upgrade, ACLs, NAT, etc.

• Raise, represent and execute the changes for routing, IPSEC, and others which are considered as complex changes and cannot be handled by L2 engineers.

• Periodic updates & review of the diagrams, traffic flow & SOPs.

• Guide L1/ L2 Team to grow technically.

• Should act as a good team player and eager to learn new technologies.

• Good Troubleshooting & Debugging knowledge on Standard protocols L2, L3, and Wireshark knowledge for troubleshooting.

Behavioral Skills

• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills.

• Excellent communication and teamwork abilities.

• Documentation skills.

Roles and Responsibilities

Incident Management Support

Diagnose and Resolve Network Issues:

 Address connectivity problems such as dropped connections and slow performance.

 Resolve hardware malfunctions, including device unresponsiveness and errors.

 Fix configuration errors, like incorrect routing and firewall rules.

Incident Analysis and Support:

 Provide initial analysis and support for network-related incidents documented in tickets (refer to Annexure for guidelines).

 Join incident bridge calls to deliver preliminary analysis, including reading MTR logs, Cacti graphs, and Cisco/Palo Alto console logs.

 Correlate incident details, such as BGP flaps and increased bandwidth usage.

 Handle incidents involving Meraki and access points.

 Deliver initial analysis within 5 minutes.

 Provide supporting logs and articulate data points for incident and root cause analysis.

 Escalate unresolved issues or high-priority tickets to L3 support engineers according to established procedures.

Change Management Support

Evaluate Proposed Network Changes:

 Assess the impact and potential risks of proposed changes on existing systems, performance, and security.

Documentation:

 Maintain detailed documentation of the current network configuration, including hardware, software, and configurations.

 Update documentation to reflect changes made to the network configuration, including diagrams and configuration files.

Change Implementation:

 Develop comprehensive change plans outlining steps for implementation, including scheduling maintenance windows, identifying dependencies, and establishing rollback procedures.

 Test proposed changes in a controlled environment before implementing them in production.

 Execute planned changes during maintenance windows, monitor for issues, and take corrective actions to minimize downtime and disruptions.

 Verify the success of implemented changes and their desired outcomes.

 Attend CAB meetings and represent network team changes.

 Raise and represent changes related to firewall rules, IOS upgrades, and non-impacting modifications in CAB calls.

 Ensure no changes are executed without approved CAB or explicit approval.

Monitoring and Maintenance

Network Performance Monitoring:

 Use network management tools (Thruk, Nagios, nTop) to monitor network performance.

 Respond to GNOC alerts by analyzing logs, estimating resolution times, and outlining next steps.

Routine Maintenance:

 Perform tasks to ensure network stability, such as firmware updates and applying security patches according to change management procedures.

User and Group Management:

 Use and comprehend tools of the GNOC monitoring system effectively.

 Traffic Management (AWX Scripts)

Network Traffic Management:

 Manage network traffic using AWX Scripts.

 Propose changes to AWX Scripts when necessary.

User/Customer Support

Issue Response:

 Respond promptly and courteously to network-related tickets, emails, and calls from end-users.

 Diagnose and troubleshoot user-reported issues effectively.

 Document issue details, troubleshooting steps, and resolutions in the ticketing system to build a comprehensive knowledge base.

Configuration and Installation

Assist with Network Setup:

 Support senior engineers with the installation, configuration, and setup of network devices (e.g., routers, switches, firewalls).

 Maintain accurate and up-to-date network documentation reflecting configuration changes.

Reporting

Generate Reports:

 Contribute to reports on network performance, incidents, and resolutions.

 Prepare daily handover reports with precise action items for the next shift engineer.

Security Awareness

Implement Security Policies:

 Adhere to established network security policies, including firewall hardening practices.

 Report suspicious activity and potential vulnerabilities identified from VAPT scans.

Documentation

Maintain Documentation:

 Update and maintain documentation for network configurations, topologies, changes, Netflow inventory, and more.

 Prepare weekly dashboards, monthly incident reports, and service provider reports.

 Review and test backup configurations to minimize downtime in case of failures.

 Manage user accounts, permissions, and access controls to network resources.

Continuous Improvement

Provide Feedback:

 Offer feedback to senior engineers and management on recurring issues and suggest improvements to network processes and documentation.