Network Operations Specialist

We are seeking an experienced Network Operations Specialist based in Sydney for a long term contract to lead and own the day-to-day operational performance of our enterprise network environment. This role is critical to ensuring the stability, resilience and continuous improvement of core network services across LAN, WAN, Cisco SD-WAN, wireless and network security.

About the Role

You will be responsible for overseeing network operations, leading incident response, managing vendor performance, and ensuring robust operational governance. Acting as a key escalation point, you'll work closely with internal stakeholders and external partners to deliver reliable, secure and high-performing network services in a complex enterprise environment.

Key Responsibilities

Network Operations Ownership

• Own the day-to-day operational performance of the enterprise network across LAN, WAN, Cisco SD-WAN, wireless and network security services.
• Lead and coordinate responses to major incidents, ensuring timely restoration, clear communication and effective escalation.
• Drive problem management, root cause analysis and preventative actions to reduce repeat incidents and improve service stability.
• Provide on-call support as part of a roster and support war room activities during critical operational events.
• Act as the key operational escalation point for managed service providers and technology partners.
• Hold vendors accountable for service delivery, SLAs, quality outcomes and remediation actions.
• Monitor vendor performance, identify service gaps and drive corrective actions where standards are not met.

Change Management & Operational Excellence

• Ensure strong governance across incident, problem, change and lifecycle management processes.
• Support the transition of projects and new services into operations, ensuring documentation, support models and operational readiness are established.
• Develop, maintain and continuously improve network operational procedures, standards and tested configuration states.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Work closely with service owners, infrastructure teams, solution architects and senior leadership to align operations with the enterprise roadmap.
• Communicate technical issues, risks and service impacts clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Foster collaboration and promote a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence.

Technical Leadership & SME Support

• Provide subject matter expertise for complex network troubleshooting across Cisco-based enterprise environments.
• Support provisioning, installation, operation, patching, upgrades and performance testing of network services.
• Maintain accurate network documentation, inventory records, patch schedules, service procedures and performance reporting.

Key Relationships

Internal

• Senior Managers
• Service Owners
• Infrastructure & Cyber Security Teams
• Solution Architects

External

• Managed Service Providers
• Infrastructure Service Providers

Skills & Experience

• 8-10+ years' experience in enterprise network operations and/or senior network engineering roles.
• Experience in enterprise network across LAN, WAN, Cisco SD-WAN, wireless and network security services.
• Strong operational experience across Incident, Problem, Change and Lifecycle Management in an ITIL-aligned environment.
• Proven experience managing vendors, MSPs and customer-facing operational outcomes.
• Hands-on troubleshooting expertise across Cisco hardware and software, with a solid understanding of TCP/IP and enterprise networking principles.
• Exposure to cloud environments and a strong understanding of operational risk, resilience and service continuity.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder engagement and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to make sound decisions and perform effectively in a high-pressure, 24x7 operational environment.

Additional Requirements

• Participation in an on-call support roster is required.
• Ability to work collaboratively while taking clear ownership of outcomes.