Network Lead

Job Title: Network Lead

Industry: Technology & Engineering

Seniority Level: Lead / Principal

Overview

The Network Lead is responsible for the strategic planning, implementation, and operational management of the organization's network infrastructure across on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments. The role includes leading the Network Operations Center (NOC) to ensure 24x7 monitoring, incident response, and performance optimization, while managing a team of network and NOC engineers to ensure high availability, security, and scalability of network services.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic & Governance

• Contribute to the development of global infrastructure strategy for network services.
• Ensure network architecture aligns with business, regulatory, and digital transformation goals.
• Establish governance frameworks for network standards, security controls, and compliance.
• Conduct regular risk assessments and support business continuity planning.

Standardization

• Drive standardization of network technologies, protocols, and monitoring tools across the enterprise.
• Create and maintain baselines for network configurations, performance metrics, and operational procedures.
• Promote adoption of best practices and reference architectures to ensure consistency and reliability.

Leadership & Team Management

• Lead and mentor a team of network and NOC engineers.
• Oversee 24x7 NOC operations, including incident management, escalation, and resolution.
• Conduct regular performance reviews and training programs.
• Coordinate with cross-functional teams to deliver secure and scalable network solutions.
• Plan, prioritize, and execute network-related projects.
• Maintain documentation and provide regular reports to management.

Network & Cloud Infrastructure

• Design, deploy, and manage enterprise network infrastructure, including LAN, WAN, VPN, and SD-WAN.
• Integrate and manage cloud networking across AWS, Azure, and GCP platforms.
• Ensure seamless connectivity between on-premises and cloud environments.
• Supervise NOC operations, including monitoring, troubleshooting, and reporting.
• Define and enforce SOPs for incident response and escalation.
• Ensure SLA adherence and continuous service availability.

Network Security & Compliance

• Implement network security policies, including firewall, IDS/IPS, and access controls.
• Manage NAC policies, secure remote access, Zscaler, Sandbox, Manager, Analyzer, and Authenticator.
• Ensure compliance with applicable industry standards.

Monitoring & Optimization

• Utilize tools such as OP Manager solutions for proactive network monitoring.
• Perform root cause analysis and drive continuous improvement of network performance.
• Lead capacity planning and lifecycle management of network assets.

Collaboration & Vendor Management

• Work closely with other teams to support integrated operations.
• Manage vendor relationships and service contracts.
• Participate in budgeting and procurement for network and NOC tools.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, IT, or a related field.
• 5–8 years of experience in network engineering and operations.
• 3+ years of experience in a lead role.
• Strong experience in cloud networking across AWS, Azure, or GCP.
• Hands-on experience managing NOC operations and teams.
• Strong knowledge of network architecture and cloud integration.
• Experience with NOC operations and incident management.
• Strong knowledge of routing protocols, including BGP, VPN, and SD-WAN.
• Experience with network security and compliance.
• Experience with monitoring tools such as OP Manager.
• Strong leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• CCNP or CCIE certification.
• NSE 5 or NSE 7 certification.
• AWS or Azure certification.
• ITIL certification.