Technical Lead - Network Engineer, Infrastructure & Platforms

Company Description

Material is a modern marketing services firm powered by sophisticated analytics, deep human 
understanding and a specialized type of creativity, design thinking. Headquartered in LA, the 
company has grown consistently for nearly 50 years to 1200+ employees in 20 offices including 
NY, Chicago, San Francisco, Austin, and London. Material has actively acquired a portfolio of 
businesses to build a unique, integrated marketing services business with key capabilities in 
analytics, intelligence, and experience for an array of top tier clients in entertainment, tech, retail, 
healthcare, and packaged goods. 

Overview
Reporting to the Associate Director, Infrastructure (Network) as a member of the Infrastructure &
Platforms team, Technical Lead - Network Engineer is a knowledgeable, talented and skilled IT 
professional who acts as a Subject Matter Expert in the network connectivity, security and 
operations domains across Material. The Technical Lead - Network Engineer should be ready to   partner with any team or individual at any technical level to understand their networking needs & 
demands, advise on best practice, and identify & deliver fit-for-purpose solutions. They will 
always be ready to take the technical lead in any given situation while creating sustainability in 
their role by partnering with experts on niche or advanced topics.

Appreciating nuance, but fighting complexity, they are motivated by the satisfaction of delivering 
faster, more reliable and more secure network solutions, and are energized by exposure to the full 
gamut of network connectivity, security & operations concepts, from solutions requirements 
gathering & design to implementation & migration efforts, to operational management of delivered 
solutions. 

What does success look like? 
A successful Technical Lead Network Engineer will have mastered the arts of: 
• Network: Successfully implementing and managing an effective suite of network services for Material, that underpins a modern Digital Workplace with the right infrastructure and the right support.
• Security: Ensuring the network solutions delivered & operated match the levels of confidentiality, integrity & availability appropriate to the needs of Material, while contributing to & sustaining a culture   of pragmatic security best practice.
• Operations: Ensuring the right monitoring, recovery & business-as-usual support for Material’s network solutions is delivered consistently, minimising single points of failure and leveraging the use of operations partners where appropriate.

With a deep understanding of the network demands, requirements & ways of working within Material,the Technical Lead - Network Engineer will have delivered solutions that “just work” without being noticed, built confidence and trust with their colleagues, and be armed with the experience & know-how to take on bigger responsibilities as a subject matter expertin any network architecture, operations management or portfolio/project management roles they have a passion for.

Responsibilities 
Implementation 
• Bring insight & know-how to the design, implementation & operation of Material’s network services,  including LAN, WAN, WLAN and Security technologies.  
• Determine & prioritize processes & technology solutions that deliver the best outcomes for the network and Material's users.  
• Manage & own the products, processes & services that support the network’s technology, privacy & security needs in an effective, customer-centric manner.  
• Engage & energize Material IT on their use of network technologies, helping to get the most “bang for our buck”, without stepping on landmines.
• Bring structure to ambiguity by proposing, implementing & documenting “secure-by-design” solutions and process, while remaining flexible in, and responsive to, the changing needs of our business.  

Collaboration
• Work in a 24x5 rotating shift model. Engage & support Material IT globally in defining strategies & direction for our network services’ future state. 
• Drive & facilitate discussions between Material IT’s service owners, teams & partners globally, ensuring the right people are involved at the right time on network topics. 
• Partner deeply with global Material IT and Security team members to evaluate, implement & run the right process & technology solutions for our network services. 

Operations
• Fix it, when our network services do not work, taking point on troubleshooting procedures & designing    resolution scripts for faster recovery by our partners.  
• Establish & monitor key performance indicators that show clearly whether the Material’s network services and partners are delivering, or highlighting where we need to improve.   
• Communicate engagingly with IT and Security stakeholders to ensure alignment, manage 
expectations, and demonstrate the capability & reliability of Material network services.   
• Relentlessly drive an end user focused IT culture that delivers on our mission of People First, easily pivoting from “No” to “How” when faced with challenges.  
• Support Material IT teams to understand the network service landscape, ensuring our solutions are well understood, supported and improved upon by all teams as well as documented.
• Identify & mitigate risks, by taking proactive steps to prevent undesirable outcomes, and striking the right balance between practical and secure solutions.
• Continuously evolve, by closely tracking network security best practices & trends, and proactively making recommendations for improvement within Material. 
 
Requirements 
Education & Certifications: 
• Bachelor's or master's degree in computer science, or Engineering (B.E/B Tech/M. E/M Tech), or related field or equivalent experience.
• CCIE certified mandatory.
• Networking certification on cloud in any one AWS/Azure/GCP will be an advantage.
• Knowledge of SOC 2/ISO 27001 will be an advantage.

Functional:
Done it:
• Implemented large network solutions at multi-site; worked on chassis like Nexus 5K/7K, catalyst series eg: 3850; security devices like Cisco FTD’s, FMC and ASA.
• Implemented and managed F5 APM/LTM
• Implemented high availability through VRRP/HSRP
• Site to site connectivity eg: MPLS, SD-WAN, IPsec, client to site connectivity – SSL VPN’s e.g.: Cisco     AnyConnect.
• Managed Security solutions like IPS/IDS, gateway antimalware, web filtering, content filtering etc.
• Implemented and managed NACL like Cisco ISE.
• Dynamic routing – EIGRP, OSPF, BGP etc.
 
Know it: 
• 8 to 10 years of experience in Network Engineering,
• CCIE Certified - Mandatory
• Knowledge of related technologies including encryption
• Experience in cloud network connectivity (AWS/Azure/GCP)
• Knowledge of syslog’s, SIEM.
• Knowledge of IPAM

Shown it
• Demonstrable experience in converting complex business needs into fit-for purpose, straight forward solutions, with well-managed execution and robust transition to operations.
• Implemented complex Networks - LAN, WAN, WLAN, VPN, Proxies and Network security technologies.
• Demonstrable experience on WAF, Load balancers

Do it 
• Implement and maintain new network solutions. 
• Manage existing infrastructure including upgrades and refresh.
• Setup network of upcoming Material offices.
• Monitoring and disaster recovery.
• Manage and maintain load balancers
• Work in 24x5 rotating shifts providing global support.
• Engage with global IT team, stakeholders, partners, vendors for projects, 
maintenance etc.

Competencies: 
• An innovator, creative and constantly looking for ways to improve MaterialIT’s ways of working.  
• A relationship builder and team player who identifies & promotes best practices to colleagues, counterparts and partners alike, ensuring the case for change is internalized by their peers and    partners through influence & persuasion.  
• A multi-tasker, able to work in a fast-paced environment without getting overwhelmed easily.  
• An eye for detail, always ready to put in the extra effort to deliver polished, well informed IT solutions       for Material.  
• Mindful of the employee experience - articulate, confident & well-spoken in all forms of communication, comfortable to be the voice of our customer to Material IT, and the face of Material IT to our customers.