Vallum Associates
Senior Network Design Engineer
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The Role: Senior Network Solution Design Engineer
Location: Sheffield, UK
Position Type: Contract Inside IR35
Remote work option Available: Hybrid – 3 Days Onsite
Job Description:
The Senior Network Solution Design Engineer is responsible for design of network architectures that support hybrid-cloud platforms, spanning public and private cloud environments, at large enterprise scale. The role blends deep data-center networking fundamentals with cloud-native and private-cloud networking expertise, ensuring solutions are scalable, secure, resilient, and automation-ready. Working closely with product owners, platform, cloud, security, and application teams, this role translates complex requirements into clear, repeatable network designs and engineering solutions that can be safely deployed and operated across the enterprise. This is a hands-on engineering role - the individual is expected not only to design solutions, but also to validate, prototype, and help to build them.
Key Responsibilities:
- Deliver network solution designs supporting enterprise data centers, private cloud platforms, and public cloud environments
- Build, prototype, and validate network solution designs through hands-on engineering, lab environments, proofs of concept, and automation-driven implementations
- Define and evolve reference architectures, standards, and design patterns for hybrid-cloud and cloud-native networking
- Embed automation and Infrastructure as Code principles into network solution designs
- Anchor modern application platform designs in proven data-center networking fundamentals, including L2/L3 networking, routing, segmentation, EVPN/VXLAN fabrics, and high availability design principles
- Partner with platform, cloud, security, and application teams to translate requirements into scalable network solutions
- Produce clear, decision-oriented design documentation and participate in design and architecture review forums
- Evaluate emerging networking, cloud, and automation tech
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Required Skills and Experience
Technical Skills:
- Deep experience in enterprise data-center networking, including routing, switching, resiliency, and segmentation
- Proven ability to design hybrid-cloud and private cloud networking architectures
- Strong knowledge of Kubernetes networking concepts, including CNI architectures and capabilities
- Solid understanding of cloud-native networking concepts, including service networking, ingress/egress models, and load balancing
- Experience designing and supporting cloud connectivity solutions leveraging AWS Direct Connect, Azure ExpressRoute, Google Cloud Interconnect, Equinix Fabric and Megaport
- Understanding of routing, redundancy, and resiliency patterns for private cloud-to-public cloud connectivity
- In-depth knowledge of BGP, including data-center implementations, traffic engineering, and its role in cloud-native environments (Kubernetes) and cloud connectivity implementations
- Experience designing networks with automation and programmability in mind
- Ability to evaluate trade-offs across scale, security, availability, and operational complexity
Soft Skills:
- Excellent communication skills, able to clearly articulate complex networking concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences
- Strong architectural and systems-thinking mindset, balancing ideal designs with enterprise constraints
- Proven ability to collaborate and influence across teams without direct authority
- Comfortable operating in ambiguous problem spaces, helping define requirements and design direction
- Strong documentation skills, producing clear, structured, and decision-focused design artifacts
- Ownership mindset with the ability to drive designs from concept through approval and adoption
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Relevant Vendor Technologies & Ecosystems:
- Systems: solid working knowledge of Linux
- Cloud Networking & Connectivity: CSP networking across AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud, including native private connectivity services and Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) platforms such as Equinix Fabric, Megaport, or equivalent
- Data Center Networking - routing and switching: Cisco ACI or Arista data center fabrics, Juniper and Cisco routers
- Kubernetes & Cloud-Native Networking: Cilium, Calico, or OVN-K CNIs
- Automation & Infrastructure as Code: Bash scripting, Terraform, Ansible, or equivalent IaC and automation frameworks, with experience of building Git-based workflows
- Programming & Integration: Working proficiency in Python or Go for network automation and integrations
- Observability & Network Visibility: Network and application observability, telemetry, and synthetic testing platforms such as Splunk, Prometheus, ThousandEyes, Kentik, or similar tools
Nice to Have:
- Familiarity with SD-WAN and SASE architectures, including how they integrate with hybrid-cloud environments
- Understanding of Zero Trust networking concepts and identity-based access models
- Exposure to content delivery networks (CDN) and global traffic optimization patterns
- Knowledge of DNS architecture and design, including public, private, and hybrid resolution models
- Experience working with platform engineering or internal developer platform teams
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