Lead Network Engineer

Lead Engineer

Identify business requirements, design and implement new network services or solutions that meet clients needs, in the areas of network infrastructure and server management. Support the implementation of large, critical IT infrastructure projects Identify ongoing problems and opportunities to improve reliability, security or cost effectiveness of the data center infrastructure, research and propose solutions Establish processes to collect and analyze data for the purposes of data center capacity planning Work with the client’s General Services Department to co-plan data center facilities upgrades. Develop and document standard operating procedures. Analyze potential system failure modes, develop contingency plans and conduct systems failover testing. Identify the need for new tools and processes in the areas of responsibility, research and propose solutions. Keep up with the developments in the data center industry (eg the Uptime Institute), understand how new products and technologies could meet our requirements, and integrate in the broader IT infrastructure. Interact and work with other engineers in the group, working on video conferencing, satellite, WAN links and telephony installations and data center capacity planning.

Must perform the following duties in a Authorized User oriented service organization and be accountable for delivery of projects which support the electronic LAN (Local Area Network), WAN (Wide Area Network), NOC (Network Operations Center), GVS (Global Video Service) and Voice Telephone infrastructure of a large organization with over 15,000 headquarters connections, over 100 Country Offices world-wide and a 7x24 operational mission. Ultimately the Lead Engineer is accountable for the availability and performance of the production network which is considered mission-critical. This entails effectively applying technical skills and knowledge to Authorized User-specific problems and generic network infrastructure development projects.

Specific Requirements: The candidate must demonstrate the ability to work in an operation and project team oriented environment that requires: 10+ years of relevant experience. Knowledge of local and remote server management (network monitoring, KVMs, etc) Strong Knowledge of thermodynamics, computer room cooling technologies, and site security. Strong Knowledge of reliable electrical power distribution systems as they apply to data center design. Knowledge of business continuity planning and crisis management in a data center context. Knowledge of new approaches to data center architecture including cloud computing, blade systems, and virtualization and their impact on data center design. Knowledge of data center hosting options. Broad understanding of the state of the data center industry, how it fits in the larger IT infrastructure and helps meet business goals Excellent verbal and written communication skills Excellent ability to work in a team environment and across organizational boundaries Excellent analytical skills Excellent Task Planning and Monitoring skills, including the development of standard operating procedures. Strong Project Management skills Proven ability to direct, coach and develop staff Excellent ability to diagnose and resolve technical problems efficiently and under pressure. Monitoring performance and diagnosing problems in all aspects of the network infrastructure (switches, routers, bridges, hubs, modems, specialized servers) so that acceptable levels of performance are maintained at all times. Assisting engineers with the engineering and implementation of network solutions to meet Authorized User-driven engineering requirements in a timely manner. Connecting equipment, running tests, configuring equipment, running acceptance tests, and developing procedures are typical duties. Updating documentation (drawings, tables, databases, broadcasts to Authorized Users/help desks, and text procedures) of the network in a fashion that is useful for peer and management review, installation work, diagnostic reference by technicians, capacity planning, analyzing proposed network development/changes, inventory control, problem tracking, change management control, status reporting, and for disaster recovery archives. Operating test equipment and using diagnostic software to perform individual tests as well as ongoing performance testing (daily, weekly, or monthly). Assist with roll-out of new solutions to Country Offices (remote sites). Provide support for IT staff at remote sites in the area of network infrastructure. Ability to work with Authorized Users of different cultures and to work around their schedule. Handling escalation calls from the NOC, perform triage, resolve problems or escalate to network engineers.