Network Engineer [AQ-12073]

Aquent is partnering with a global technology leader that connects billions of people worldwide. This company is at the forefront of innovation, building and maintaining one of the most robust, expansive, and intricate networks across the globe. By joining this team, you will have the unique opportunity to design, build, and launch the vital tools and automation necessary for network provisioning, deployment, and global scaling, directly impacting the infrastructure used daily by billions of people.

This is a 12-month contract, offering up to £49 per hour (PAYE). The shortlisted candidates will be contacted by COB on Tue 11th August.

The Opportunity

We are seeking an experienced Network Production Engineer skilled in tooling, networking, systems, and automation. This role is a critical part of a core team focused on network backbone provisioning and testing within a leading technology company’s Network Infrastructure Organisation. You will be instrumental in managing, provisioning, deploying, and integrating new products into a massive global network, with a heavy reliance on automation to meet immense scale requirements. Collaborating with industry-leading engineers, you will create the systems and production code that power this critical infrastructure, making a tangible difference in global connectivity.

What You’ll Do

• Design and develop automation, tools, and workflows to facilitate the seamless integration of new routing and switching platforms into the network infrastructure.
• Architect and build end-to-end test automation frameworks, leveraging AI to generate, optimise, and execute test suites at scale for qualification of network platforms, new products (switches, routers, optical devices), and network software — integrating them into CI/CD pipelines for continuous qualification.
• Perform deep dives on complex technical issues across networks, ranging from automated tooling to hardware failures and network issues.

Must-Have Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, a relevant technical field, or equivalent practical experience.
• Experience in software engineering, test automation, or infrastructure engineering.
• Proficiency in at least one programming language (e.g., Python, Go, C++, or Java), with hands-on experience adopting AI for coding and the capacity to rapidly master new development languages.
• Experience developing software on Linux-based operating systems.
• Experience developing automation and tools for network provisioning, deployment, and operations.
• Experience developing and understanding network device configurations for at least one vendor (e.g., Arista, Juniper, Cisco, Ciena, Infinera, Nokia).
• Demonstrated knowledge of TCP, IPv4/6, routing protocols (BGP, MPLS, IS-IS, or similar), and related network services (e.g., DHCP, DNS).

Nice-to-Have Qualifications

• Experience with software and network debugging, profiling, and instrumentation techniques.
• Experience developing and understanding automation tools for network operations within a DevOps environment, including provisioning (e.g., ZTP), deployments, monitoring, remediation, and software push systems.
• Experience with configuration management and automation frameworks such as Ansible, Puppet, or Chef.
• Demonstrated knowledge of Django and SQL databases.
• Experience developing distributed systems and operating them at scale.

Client Description

Our Client is the largest social media company in the world. They have substantial B2B and B2C advertising and media platforms, as well as a nonprofit initiative. With the mission of bringing people together, they now boast over 2 billion users, and are rapidly developing as they influence the world around us.

Aquent is dedicated to improving inclusivity & is proudly an equal opportunities employer. We encourage applications from under-represented groups & are committed to providing support to applicants with disabilities. We aim to provide reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, to those with a medical condition, disability or neurodivergence.