Network Consultant

Job Purpose / Summary

The 24x7 Network Support Engineer is responsible for the continuous monitoring, proactive management, and rapid resolution of global network infrastructure issues across multiple time zones and technologies. This role ensures end‑to‑end availability, reliability, and performance of the organization's global network by providing round‑the‑clock surveillance, troubleshooting, and coordination with global service providers and internal stakeholders. The engineer acts as the first line of defense for network‑related incidents, ensuring minimal service disruption and quick restoration of critical services.

The incumbent will work in a high‑pressure, 24x7x365 environment, reacting promptly to network alerts, performing real‑time diagnostics, and driving incident resolution in close collaboration with regional teams, network operations centers (NOCs), and external global service providers. The overall objective is to maintain optimal global network availability and ensure quick restoration and resolution of services in alignment with defined SLAs and business expectations.

Key Responsibilities

• Perform 24x7x365 network monitoring of global IP backbone, WAN, LAN, VPN, and cloud connectivity using centralized monitoring tools (e.g., Nagios, SolarWinds, Cisco DNA, PRTG, or similar).
• Proactively detect, analyze, and categorize network alarms, performance degradation, and outages impacting global services.
• Troubleshoot and diagnose network issues across routers, switches, firewalls, load balancers, and access devices, including interface errors, routing problems, latency, packet loss, and configuration anomalies.
• Perform root‑cause analysis (RCA) for recurring or critical network incidents and recommend preventive measures to avoid future outages.
• Coordinate with global service providers (carriers, ISPs, cloud providers, MPLS/Internet transit partners) to report, escalate, and resolve circuit‑related issues, such as circuit failures, latency spikes, or BGP/session flaps.
• Work closely with internal teams (Infrastructure, Security, Cloud, Application, and Regional IT) to ensure end‑to‑end service restoration and minimize business impact.
• Maintain and update incident tickets, network diagrams, topology maps, and configuration backups in a centralized ticketing and documentation system (e.g., ServiceNow, Jira, BMC Remedy).
• Assist in network change management processes, including testing, validation, and post‑implementation reviews for planned network changes or upgrades.
• Ensure compliance with security policies and change‑control procedures during troubleshooting and configuration adjustments.
• Participate in on‑call rotations and handle critical network incidents during nights, weekends, and public holidays to meet 24x7x365 availability requirements.
• Provide regular status updates and escalation briefings to management and stakeholders during major network incidents.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Global Network Availability (%) – Measured against defined SLAs and uptime targets (e.g., 99.9% or higher).
• Mean Time to Detect (MTTD) – Time taken to identify and acknowledge a network incident from the occurrence of an event.
• Mean Time to Restore (MTTR) – Time taken to restore normal service after the first impact is detected.
• First‑call Resolution (FCR) rate – Percentage of network issues resolved without escalation.
• Incident Escalation Compliance – Adherence to defined escalation timelines and procedures for critical network outages.
• Number of Repeat/Recurring Network Incidents – Track reduction in recurring faults through proactive remediation.
• Customer/Service Owner Satisfaction – Feedback on timeliness and quality of network support and communication during incidents.

Functional Skills / Competencies

• Strong hands‑on experience with Cisco technologies, including Cisco IOS‑based routers and switches (Catalyst, ISR, ASR, Nexus series), VPNs, ACLs, and routing protocols (OSPF, EIGRP, BGP, static routing).
• CCNA / CCNP certification (or equivalent experience) preferred; advanced Cisco certifications (e.g., CCNP Enterprise, CCDP) are a plus.
• Solid understanding of TCP/IP stack, LAN/WAN concepts, subnetting, VLANs, trunking, spanning tree, QoS, and security best practices.
• Experience with network monitoring and management tools (e.g., SNMP, NetFlow, CLI access, Syslog, Cisco Prime/DNA, SolarWinds, PRTG, Zabbix, Nagios, etc.).
• Ability to read and interpret network topology diagrams, routing tables, and traceroute outputs to isolate issues.
• Strong troubleshooting and analytical skills with the ability to work methodically under pressure and in time‑critical situations.
• Excellent communication and coordination skills for interacting with global teams, third‑party vendors, and management stakeholders.
• Familiarity with incident management and ITIL practices (incident, problem, change management) is an added advantage.
• Comfortable working in shift‑based, 24x7 environments and able to handle after‑hours critical incidents.