Lead Network Engineer - Sappi

The main responsibilities of this job are:

• Assist in the development and implementation of the Regional Information Services Networking and Communications Strategy.
• Provide tactical and strategic direction regarding networking technologies to business units
• Provide direction, manage and be accountable for the effective operational delivery of Infrastructure - networking Center of Excellence, including management of technical teams and team members.
• Provide architectural expertise, direction, and assistance to Systems Analysts, Systems Engineers, other Systems Architects, and software development teams.
• Develop, document, and communicate plans for investing in systems architecture, and budgeting, including analysis of cost reduction opportunities.
• Conduct research on emerging technologies in support of systems development efforts and recommend technologies that will increase cost-effectiveness and systems flexibility.
• Document the company’s existing systems architecture and technology portfolio; make recommendations for improvements and/or alternatives.

• Confer with end-users, clients, or senior management to define business requirements for complex systems and infrastructure development.
• Develop and execute test plans to check infrastructure and systems technical performance. Report on findings and make recommendations for improvement.
• Develop and manage a systems capacity plan.
• Alignment with business partners and vendors and ensure that Sappi is aware
• of, and aligned to, their strategies and product roadmaps
• Develop, document, communicate and enforce a policy for standardising systems and software as necessary

The ideal candidate should have:

• Minimum of an IT-related diploma and MCSE/MCSD or ACNT or relevant Network Certifications
• IT-related degree or equivalent would be advantageous
• 5-8 Years of experience managing and configuring enterprise-wide LANs, WANs, WLANs, VPNs, and Firewalls.
• Advanced skills in planning, designing and troubleshooting complex network environments
• Experience in designing and implementing enterprise network solutions in data centre and branch office environments including routing, switching and wireless LAN technologies; application networking and delivery technologies (data centre server and global load balancing solutions); WAN, Internet connectivity & related technologies (SD-WAN, MPLS, IPSEC VPN, WAN Optimizers, Rate Limiters, QoS, etc.), Network Monitoring & Management Platforms
• Core expert knowledge of WAN products and solutions (HP, Aruba and Microtek routing protocols and features (MP-BGP, OSPF, EIGRP, HSRP etc
• Proficiency in Load Balancing technologies (Citrix, F5 etc.), DNS (Bind, Bluecoat, Umbrella, etc.), Active Directory integration with WAN optimisation (NPS, etc.)
• First-hand knowledge in designing network solutions to enable integration of VMWare, blade, cloud and converged network environments
• Experience in evaluating, designing and implementing multi-vendor global WAN networks for integrated (voice, video, data) traffic using various connectivity means including SD-WAN, MPLS, IPSEC VPN and others.
• Knowledge of perimeter security solutions technologies in the data centre and branch office environments including firewalls, remote access VPNs, IPS/IDS systems and Secure Web Gateway solutions is desirable.
• Strong ability to document processes, procedures and network designs clearly and accurately for distribution to internal teams and customers

• Working technical knowledge of current network hardware, protocols, and Internet standards
• Experience with telephony systems and VoIP
• Excellent troubleshooting experience
• Familiarity with legislative requirements and governance standards
• Experience in service management beneficial
• Demonstrated experience in dealing with external vendors and suppliers in the network industry
• Proven project planning and management experience