Principal Network Engineer

Contract: Principal Network Engineer

Start: ASAP (on completion of background checks)

Duration: 12 Months +

Rate: €600 - €650 a day

Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands (2 days a week onsite)

Reference: 20908

This role requires strong expertise in Juniper Networks technologies and general networking, alongside a detailed understanding of customer network deployments and use cases. The Resident Network Engineer acts as the primary technical point of contact for customers receiving advanced network engineering services, working closely with customer teams on a daily basis.

The role involves authorised access to customer production network infrastructure to support troubleshooting, testing, optimisation, and ongoing service improvement.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as a subject matter expert in Juniper Networks data centre networking technologies, supporting customers with network design, troubleshooting, hardware and software testing, documentation, best practices, and automation.
• Provide primary technical support for break/fix activities, applying advanced diagnostic skills to restore services quickly and reduce the likelihood of recurring issues.
• Advise customers on Junos configuration best practices, network architecture, routing, switching, and data centre design.
• Manage and develop relationships with internal engineering teams and external development partners involved in engineering design and development.
• Review and evaluate technical designs and project deliverables for compliance with engineering standards and development requirements, providing constructive feedback to improve product quality.
• Contribute specialist domain knowledge and engineering leadership to cross-functional projects and programmes.
• Drive innovation by integrating emerging technologies and automation capabilities into engineering projects and network designs.
• Mentor and guide junior engineers, promoting technical excellence and knowledge sharing.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Telecommunications, or a related discipline, or equivalent professional experience.
• Typically, six or more years of experience in data centre routing, switching, and network architecture.
• Hands-on experience with Juniper Networks platforms, including QFX, PTX, MX, and EX series.
• Proven ability to develop test automation and write scripts in Python.
• Willingness to travel to customer sites as required, typically up to 10%.

Knowledge and Skills

• Experience testing and validating Junos and Junos EVO software features and associated hardware platforms.
• Strong understanding of empirical analysis, modelling, and testing methodologies to validate product designs and technical specifications.
• Proficiency with engineering design tools and software used to design, evaluate, and validate network components and solutions.
• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English and the relevant local language.
• Ability to present network architectures and design proposals, explain technical trade-offs, and negotiate options with senior management and technical stakeholders.

Additional Technical Competencies

• Cloud architectures and cloud networking
• Cross-domain technical knowledge and infrastructure integration
• Design thinking and engineering innovation
• Software development fundamentals
• DevOps practices and automation
• Distributed computing
• Microservices architectures
• Full-stack development concepts
• Security-first engineering principles
• User experience (UX)