Senior Network Specialist

TooMuchWifi is a leading provider of fast, reliable and affordable internet connectivity to aspirational communities in South Africa.  We are a fast-growing company with a great culture which encapsulates our values - Accountability, Kindness, Integrity, Timeliness and Hardwork.  

We care deeply about our dedicated, hardworking team and the communities we serve.  

Our purpose, mission and social impact drive and inspire us every day. 

Our working environment is colourful, fun, collaborative and kind.  We have come a long way and have amazing stories to tell!  

What we offer:

• 100% main member contribution for Health Insurance, Medical aid
• 100% main member contribution for comprehensive Life Cover 
• Free 24/7 Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for all our staff and their family
• Annual performance based bonuses and salary increases
• Employee Share Ownership Plan (ESOP) for qualifying staff
• Between 15 and 21 days annual leave allocation depending on role grade
• Birthday leave
• Discounted TooMuchWifi internet packages
• Casual Fridays
• Fun company events 
• Soccer club 
• Staff transport 
• Staff loans (interest free)
• Successful candidate placement referral bonus (cash) for staff

A seasoned Senior Network Specialist with a passion for wireless and fibre technologies, a commitment to delivering high-quality internet services, and bringing connectivity to aspirational communities to drive digital inclusion.

As the Senior Network Specialist you will form an integral part of the Company’s technical team and be responsible for the design, deployment and maintenance of the Company’s network infrastructure.  You will play a key role in ensuring that the network operates efficiently, meeting the demands of our customers, and delivering a seamless internet experience.

• Network Design and Deployment:
• Collaborate with the Network Planning Team to design and implement network solutions tailored to specific PoPs(Points of Presence) and customer needs. Using wireless and fibre backhaul as distribution mediums.
• In conjunction with the Network Planning Team conduct site surveys and analyse the best radio frequency (RF) coverage for optimal network performance and reliability to client end points.
• Deploy and configure network equipment, including access points, radios, backhaul links, switches and routers.
• Network Monitoring and Maintenance:
• Monitor network infrastructure using observational tools to identify and address performance issues, bandwidth utilisation, and security threats.
• Collaborate with Design and Optimization Team members to implement industry leading monitoring strategies to improve observational metrics and reporting.
• Proactively identify and resolve network outages and performance bottlenecks to ensure uninterrupted service for customers.
• Implement firmware upgrades, patches, and security updates for network equipment.
• Troubleshooting and Technical Support:
• Diagnose and troubleshoot network connectivity, hardware and software issues reported by internal teams.
• Collaborate with the customer support teams to provide timely and effective senior(tier3+) technical support, ensuring prompt resolution of their network-related problems.
• Network Security and Performance Optimisation:
• Design, implement and maintain robust network security hardening strategies. Including firewall configurations and intrusion detection/prevention systems.
• Optimise network performance by designing and implementing traffic engineering mechanisms using IGP/EGP and QoS protocols.
• Regularly conduct network performance analysis and capacity planning to accommodate future growth.
• Documentation and Reporting:
• Create detailed network documentation, including network diagrams, configuration files, and system documentation.
• Prepare regular reports on network performance, incidents, and maintenance activities for management review.

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Telecommunications, or a related field (or experience equivalent).
• Industry certifications such as CCNA, CCNP, MTCRE or higher, MTCINE, CCIE, or similar are a plus.
• Proven experience in designing, deploying, and maintaining wireless and fibre network infrastructure for an ISP or similar environment, this will include ISP Core/Edge, Multi PoP environments and Open Access Networks. Including Layer 2/3 switching, routing, edge peering, over IPv4/IPv6. Providing support for network faults and issues raised by the NOC (Network Operations Centre).
• Strong fundamental understanding of the OSI model with a focus on L1 to L4
• Strong fundamental understanding TCP/IP model including UDP considerations 
• Detailed knowledge on routing protocols 
• IGP(OSPF, iBGP)
• EGP(eBGP) 
• In-depth knowledge of wireless technologies, protocols, and standards [e.g., 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax,Licened spectrum(11-80Ghz), WiMAX, LTE, etc.]
• Familiarity with network monitoring tools and protocols and (e.g.,The Dude, LibreNMS, Observiam, Zabbix, PRTG, SNMP, NetFlow, Rsyslog, GreyLog , IPFIX, Log forwarding, etc.).
• Experience with configuring and troubleshooting network devices, including routers, switches, and wireless radios(public and licensed spectrum).
• Experience working in multi-vendor network environments. Eg Vyos, Mikrotik, Ubiquiti, Cisco, Juniper .
• Strong fundamentals of network security principles and best practices.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and ability to work under pressure to meet tight deadlines.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills , with the ability to work effectively in a team environment.
• Ability to scope network requirements for a national ISP. Including peering, Caching, NAT, BGP, PPPOE and Radius.
• Network Automation through scripting & coding - BASH, Python, Anisble, REST, etc.
• Basic Linux systems administration.