Senior Network Engineer

Location: Leeds (Hybrid – Office & Home Working available)
Department: Engineering
Reports to: Network Manager

The Role

As a Senior Network Engineer at aql, you will be the backbone of our connectivity infrastructure. You won't just be "maintaining" a network; you will be engineering the stability and security that our customers rely on every day.

We value rock-solid reliability over chasing "bleeding-edge" trends. In this role, you will act as a technical leader—troubleshooting complex issues, mentoring the Operations team, and designing resilient solutions that stand the test of time. If you are a resourceful problem solver who loves deep-diving into protocols and promoting a culture of knowledge sharing, this is the place for you.

Key Responsibilities

You will split your time equally between customer-facing requirements and internal infrastructure projects.

Engineering & Maintenance: Support, expand, and improve the aql network estate, ensuring all documentation is accurate and up to date.
Technical Escalation: Act as the escalation point for the 3rd line TechOps team, engaging in deep-dive technical investigations and troubleshooting.
Monitoring & Resilience: Implement sufficient monitoring and manage network appliance backups to ensure a production-standard resilient environment.
Project Management: Manage assigned tasks with minimal supervision, delivering within agreed timescales and keeping stakeholders updated.
Collaboration: Liaise closely with systems, development, and support teams to promote a culture of understanding and knowledge sharing.
24/7 Support: Participate in a weekly on-call rotation to support the network around the clock.

The Technical Stack

We are looking for a minimum of 2+ years of production-standard industry experience in relevant areas.

Routing & Switching: Strong knowledge of Layer 2/3 network administration and interior/exterior routing protocols (OSPF, BGP).
Advanced Networking: Experience supporting MPLS, VPLS, and pseudowire (“Martini” or EoIP).
Hardware: Support and troubleshooting for multivendor switching, routing, and security appliances (Layer 2-7).
Infrastructure: Familiarity with physical Data Centre infrastructure and monitoring platforms.
Best Practice: Good working knowledge of ITSM/ITIL guidelines.
Certifications: Ideally, you hold a CCNA/CCNP (Routing & Switching or Security) or similar industry accreditation.

The Person We Need

A Problem Solver: You are a resourceful self-starter who enjoys adapting to requirements and solving problems.
A Communicator: You are technically competent and able to explain complex ideas to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
A Team Player: While capable of working independently, you are willing and able to collaborate as part of a team.
Safety Conscious: You maintain a strong safety record and adhere to ISO 27001–compliant processes.
Quality Driven: You are passionate about delivering high-quality work and committed to maintaining a stable network environment.

Why join aql?

We are an Engineering department that values safety, precision, and collaboration.

Work–Life Balance: Standard hours are Monday to Friday (08:50–17:10), with hybrid working options available.
Fair On-Call Compensation: Your time is valuable. The on-call rotation is included in the salary, with time back in lieu provided for your commitment.
Knowledge Culture: You won’t be working in a silo. We actively promote cross-team collaboration with Technical Operations and Systems Engineers.
Impact: You will be directly responsible for the maintenance and innovation of infrastructure that powers thousands of connections.

If this sound like everything you have been looking for and more – apply today for immediate consideration. We are constantly reviewing applications and excited to welcome someone new to the aql team.