Senior Network Specialist

Working Practice

• Responsible for the design, procurement, installation,
• Commissioning, repair and maintenance of expensive ICT equipment.
• Capacity planning of the communications infrastructure, identifying trends and predicting future usage.
• Ensure that Corporate ICT staff are kept informed of real time technical issues and changes as they arise.
• Provide and manage updates to both the intranet status page and forward schedule of change as required.
• Attend and submit change requests relating to the communications infrastructure to the Corporate ICT Change Advisory Board.
• Participation in mixed skill teams using PRINCE2 principles to an agreed project brief.
• Maintenance and preparation of technical documentation and the maintenance of databases including ITIL Basic Changes, CMDB and user guides.
• Assist in the maintenance of all documentation and diagrams of communications infrastructure, ensuring that they are up to date and are available at all times.
• Assisting the Network Manager in managing disaster recovery operations in the event of a breakdown or crash
• Planning tasks and activities that may require adjustment due to variable workload and frequent interruptions.
• Taking a lead role in investigating and advising the Network Manager in complex network design issues.
• Responsible for research and development on communications infrastructure technologies on a regular basis.
• Providing the network administration functions to maximise system up-time.
• Assisting the Network Manager in managing disaster recovery operations in the event of a breakdown or crash
• Helping maintain a life history Inventory of all the Information Technology hardware and software
• Overseeing management, allocation, and documentation of IP addresses.
• Assisting in the maintenance all aspects of network security, including firewall access control and logging, ensuring that all external connections meet appropriate levels of access and security.
• Carry out diagnostic checks on network hardware and software identifying faults and performing recovery
• Procedures in the event of component failure.
• Analysis of, investigates and resolves complex communications infrastructure issues e.g. performance problems.
• Test and commission any new network equipment before it is added to the network to ensure its compatibility.
• Initiate the procurement of Network Infrastructure equipment and authorisation of invoices within Standard Financial Instructions.

Communication:

• Clearly communicate highly complex technical information to staff, colleagues and other audiences as required.
• Negotiate priorities around service design and development projects.
• Able to develop and maintain relationships with staff in other parts of the organisation and other partnership organisations.
• Must be capable of creating and presenting reports to senior members and partnership organisations.
• Liaise in a professional manner with other partnership organisations and suppliers.
• Provide input to meetings and workshops, sharing knowledge, working together, and providing training where necessary to ensure the best service possible is provided.
• Represent the Network Manager, Network Team, Corporate ICT on Health Informatics either in a technical or non-technical role.

Knowledge, Training and Experience

Education to degree/HND/MCSE/Cisco or equivalent in a relevant discipline or minimum 5 years’ experience in Network Management.

Excellent knowledge in two of the four following areas including Voice Communications. Must have good knowledge in the remaining areas.

1. Data Communications

• Cisco IOS design, configuration and administration skills.
• TCP/IP to include design, routing, maintenance and monitoring skills.
• Structured Cabling Systems and Design.
• Knowledge and experience of using Cisco Prime Infrastructure, Cisco Access Control Server, Cisco Identity Services Engine and Cisco Security Manage
• Experience of real-time and retrospective monitoring skills of Network infrastructure.

2. Video Communications

• Video Communication design, configuration and administration skills.
• SIP and H.323 standards-based IP and ISDN Video Conferencing.
• Experience of Zone configuration with prefix, suffix, and regular expression configuration skills.
• Knowledge and experience of using Cisco Telepresence Management Suite, Cisco TelePresence Video Communication Servers and Cisco Jabber for Video desktop client.
• Experience of real-time and retrospective monitoring of video conferencing sessions, network traversals and IP Quality of Service (QoS).

3. Voice Communications

• IPT based voice design, configuration and administration skills
• Knowledge and experience of using Cisco Unified Call Manager, Cisco Unity and Cisco Contact Centre.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Teams Direct Routing
  • Strong knowledge of networking principles and understanding of VoIP, SIP, H.323, TCP/IP, IP VLANs, DHCP, DNS and QoS
• Features of voice systems/networks including links with external networks.
• Telecommunications service providers and their portfolios.
• Telecommunications technologies
• Mobile, cordless, specialised telecommunications equipment and pager markets and their contract terms
• Voicemail systems, including allocation and retrieval of voicemail boxes, voicemail training and dealing with users’ queries
• Billing processes for voice calls

4. Network Security

• Knowledge of Network Architecture and security features.
• Use of Network protocol analysers (e.g. Wireshark, TCPDump).
• Identify security vulnerabilities and perform risk assessments.
• Knowledge of perimeter/firewall and related security technologies.
• Security monitoring and investigations.
• Understanding of Network Security concepts and principles.
• Support access control reviews.
• Implement device and application controls.
• Solid understanding of security best practices, particularly in relation to intrusion detection, web content filtering, data leakage prevention and encryption.
• Deep knowledge of SSL VPN technologies.

Management skills

• Team leadership skills and the ability to work simultaneously with different project managers, to agreed timescales under PRINCE2 principles.
• Management and fault analysis of high-level technical issues.
• Able to understand detailed technical documentation.
• Good Project Management Skills.
• Training and dissemination of complex technical information, to juniors.
• Experienced working within an ITIL Service Management environment.
• Basic knowledge of Windows based desktop operating systems configuration and administration skills.
• A working knowledge of ISO 17799 and the Data Protection Act.
• Advanced keyboard skills with high level of accuracy..

Analytical and Judgement Skills

• Analyses, investigates and resolves complex ICT Network infrastructure issues that may interact with complex elements of other third-party infrastructures.
• Takes a lead role in designing complex ICT Network solutions which require the analysis interpretation and comparison of a range of options.
• Must have a high level of analytical skill in order to diagnose complex ICT Network problems potentially affecting service critical ICT systems.
• Assists in determining, monitoring, and reviewing Networks related project economics, including costs, staffing requirements, project resources, and project risk.
• Oversee systems testing and problem identification and where appropriate escalate these onto the supplier for remedy.
• Ability to analyse and interpret complex contracts in relation to a range of Information Technology and Information Governance issues.
• Ability to produce and assess a range of technically complex options for service delivery.
• Ability to assess and resolve potentially conflicting options within ICT.

Planning and Organisational Skills

• Initiates plans and modifies ICT work programmes.
• Discuss and plan with Capital Projects and relevant user departments networking requirements of new or altered buildings.
• Plans and organises a broad range of complex activities requiring the formulation and adjustment of plans.
• 6 Ver. 7
• Plans and manages projects which impact across clinical and non-clinical areas.
• To work without supervision for protracted periods and to self-prioritise and organise own work schedules.
• Identify where appropriate and monitor project risks, developing mitigation plans.
• Supports the development of long to medium term strategic plans.
• Capacity planning of the ICT infrastructure, identifying trends and predicting future usage.