Hamilton Barnes 🌳
3rd Line Network Engineer
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3rd Line Network Engineer — senior escalation, project work, and mentoring a junior team
£45,000 – £50,000 | Hybrid | Hitchin 2 days / Home 3 days
Our client is a growing MSP with a strong SMB customer base. This role has come up through internal promotion — meaning there's a ready-made team to step into and a genuine senior gap that needs filling. You'll be the senior network escalation point, supporting 2nd line engineers when things get complex and jumping into project work alongside day-to-day support.
Two days a week in Hitchin, three from home. Cisco is the primary network stack, Fortinet on the security side. If you've got SMB MSP experience and a CCNA (current or expired), you'll feel right at home. The mentoring element is real — they want someone who'll genuinely develop the engineers around them, not just close tickets.
What You'll Be Doing
- Act as senior escalation point for complex 3rd line network issues across the SMB customer base
- Mentor and develop 2nd line engineers — design reviews, knowledge sharing, and hands-on guidance
- Support and deliver network projects alongside the day-to-day support workload
- Configure and manage Cisco routers, switches, and firewalls (ASA & Firepower)
- Manage Fortinet firewall estate — FortiGate configuration, FortiManager, and security policy
- Work across routing protocols — BGP and OSPF in customer environments
- Support wireless environments — Meraki, Cisco, and Ubiquiti
- Produce and maintain high-quality documentation — network diagrams, troubleshooting guides, and work instructions
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Tech Stack
- Cisco Routing & Switching | Cisco ASA & Firepower | Meraki
- Fortinet FortiGate | FortiManager
- BGP / OSPF
- AAA / TACACS / RADIUS / 802.1X
- LibreNMS / Nagios | Ubiquiti Wireless
What We're Looking For
- CCNA level or above — current or expired, it still counts
- Fortinet NSE certification a strong bonus (NSE4+)
- Strong Cisco networking background — routing, switching, and firewall configuration
- Hands-on Fortinet experience — FortiGate and FortiManager in a managed service environment
- SMB MSP experience highly advantageous — you understand the pace and variety of that world
- Comfortable mentoring junior engineers — patient, knowledgeable, and willing to share
- Solid documentation skills — you leave things better than you found them
- Based within a reasonable commute of Hitchin — 2 days per week onsite
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The Package
- £45,000 – £50,000 base salary depending on experience
- Hybrid: 2 days in Hitchin / 3 days from home
- 25 days annual leave + bank holidays
Why This Role Stands Out
- Role created through promotion — join a settled team with a genuine senior gap to fill
- Real mentoring responsibility — make a difference to the engineers around you, not just the tickets
- Project involvement alongside support — variety built in, not bolted on
- SMB MSP environment — fast-paced, broad, and rarely boring
- Expired CCNA accepted — they're hiring for real-world experience, not a current piece of paper
Cisco and Fortinet engineer near Hitchin looking for the next step? Let's talk. Apply below or reach out directly — all applications handled in confidence.
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