Senior Network Support Engineer - Northampton & Newbury

Senior Network Support Engineer

As a Senior Network Support Engineer, you are responsible for providing advanced 3rd line network support, technical escalation, and engineering capability across customer environments within the managed services estate.

Operating within a structured Network Operations environment, you will take ownership of complex network incidents, problems, and high-impact service requests, ensuring they are resolved to a high technical and operational standard.

This role is focused on network stability, technical leadership, and continuous service improvement, acting as a key escalation point for 1st and 2nd Line teams. You will support network support, operational change, onboarding, lifecycle management, and small-scale engineering work, ensuring all activity aligns to Managed Services ownership and BAU service delivery.

Job Role Responsibilities

Technical Escalation, Ownership & Resolution (60%)

• Own and resolve complex 3rd line network incidents, problems, and escalations
• Act as the senior escalation point for 1st and 2nd Line engineers
• Take full accountability for technical outcomes and permanent resolution
• Perform deep troubleshooting and root cause analysis
• Work with problem management to identify trends and preventative fixes

Network Support, Engineering & Operational Change

• Support and optimise network environments across the live managed estate
• Deliver operational changes as part of ongoing support, including:

• Configuration updates
• Software/firmware upgrades
• Patch management
• Performance tuning and optimisation

• Execute all change in line with change management and service controls
• Support customer onboarding and transition into BAU support
• Contribute to lifecycle management (refresh, upgrades, and service evolution)
• Configure and support LAN, WAN, WLAN, and security technologies
• Work across multi-vendor platforms (Cisco, Aruba, Fortinet, Juniper)

Minor Engineering & Sub-Threshold Project Work (MS-Owned)

• Deliver chargeable small-scale engineering work outside standard support scope where:

• It remains low complexity and low risk
• It can be delivered within operational capacity
• It does not require formal project governance

• Examples include:

• Small network expansions
• Minor hardware installs
• Limited-scope upgrades or migrations

• Escalate larger or structured work to Professional Services

Operational Delivery, Standards & Governance

• Deliver all work in line with defined operational standards, customer requirements, and industry best practice
• Ensure all incidents, changes, and service requests are managed within SLA, priority, and escalation frameworks
• Execute changes in line with formal change management processes, ensuring validation, testing, and control
• Maintain fully auditable, structured technical documentation
• Maintain high-quality ticket updates reflecting full technical detail and resolution activity
• Ensure consistency, repeatability, and quality across all technical delivery

Service Integration & Collaboration

• Work closely with Service Desk, NOC, Field Engineering, and Project teams to ensure clear ownership boundaries and clean handoffs
• Provide technical leadership and guidance to 1st and 2nd Line teams
• Support onboarding and transition of customer services into BAU support
• Participate in technical discussions and service reviews where required

Project teams deliver change; this role ensures it is supportable and embedded into BAU and Small-scale work may be delivered directly under Managed Services control

Service Improvement & Commercial Awareness

• Identify recurring issues, risks, and opportunities for optimisation across customer environments
• Ensure appropriate distinction between managed service activity and project/professional services work
• Provide input into the development, standardisation, and continuous improvement of network services
• Support the evolution of tools, processes, and service offerings within the managed services function

Technical Capability

• Configure and support advanced networking technologies including:

• Routing and switching
• Firewalls and security platforms
• Wireless infrastructure and optimisation
• Network protocols including OSPF, BGP, VLANs

• Maintain strong expertise across enterprise networking platforms and vendor ecosystems

Personal & Team Development (30%)

• Act as a senior technical role model, demonstrating high standards of ownership, quality, and professionalism
• Mentor and coach 1st and 2nd Line engineers to improve capability and service outcomes
• Contribute to knowledge bases, standards, and repeatable technical procedures
• Support cross-team collaboration and capability development
• Maintain and develop technical expertise through certifications and continuous learning

Research & Continuous Improvement (5%)

• Evaluate emerging networking technologies and vendor solutions
• Support problem investigation, testing, and validation activities
• Contribute to service innovation and improvement initiatives

Standard Working Practices & Compliance (5%)

• Operate in line with company policies, customer requirements, and service standards
• Ensure all work is compliant with governance, security, and data protection requirements
• Maintain high standards of documentation, administrative accuracy, and ticket hygiene
• Participate in operational governance, reporting, and service improvement initiatives
• Ensure compliance with health and safety standards

Job Requirements

• Strong expertise in enterprise networking technologies (TCP/IP, routing, switching, DNS, DHCP, firewalls)
• Proven experience in a 3rd Line or Senior Network Support role within an MSP or NOC environment
• Advanced troubleshooting and root cause analysis capability
• Experience working within structured ITIL-aligned support models
• High level of ownership and accountability for service outcomes
• Strong documentation discipline with a focus on auditability and quality
• Ability to operate effectively within a structured, process-driven environment
• Be part of a team handling an on-call rota.
• Clear, structured, and confident technical communication

Experience

• 4+ years’ experience in network support or network engineering
• Experience within a Managed Services or Network Operations Centre environment
• Hands-on experience with enterprise networking vendors (Cisco, Aruba, Fortinet, Juniper, etc.)
• Experience supporting complex, multi-site or multi-client environments

Certifications (Required)

• Aruba ACP-S, ACP-CA
• Fortinet NSE4+

Certifications (Desirable)

• Juniper JNCIP – MistAI or above

• Juniper JNCIA-SEC or above

• Juniper JNCIA-Junos or above
• Cisco CCNA / CCNP
• Aruba ACX / ACP-NS / ClearPass Professional
• Cisco Meraki Solutions Specialist
• Palo Alto Network Security Professional
• Other relevant networking certifications

What we offer

• Hybrid Working (3 days in/2 days out, after probation which is 3 months)
• Competitive Salary
• Location – Newbury/Northampton.
• Culture – Social events, Supportive, Fun, Hard working
• Perks – Incentives (holidays, vouchers, lunches, spot prizes)
• Top of the range technology in office and for home working (laptops, screens, latest iPhone, etc)
• Subsidised health care/medical benefits
• Annual Leave – 25-30* days plus B. H’s + optional 2 weeks unpaid. *Increases with time spent
• Progression Plan – training & mentor programme.

Reporting Line

Reports to: NOC Operations Manager
Function: Network Operations Centre / Managed Services
Scope: Network Engineering (Technical Escalation, Customer Onboarding and Service Improvement)

Bechtle is one of Europe’s leading suppliers of IT hardware, software and services. Established in 1983, we utilise our European coverage to provide a common platform for procurement across 14 European countries. We provide comprehensive IT solutions ranging from consultation, procurement and delivery of hardware and software, project planning and implementation, system integration, maintenance, training and even the complete on-site operation of IT systems. 

Jenny Careless | Human Resources | View email address on jobs.bechtle.com | Show phone number