PbNetwork Solution Architect /b /ppbLocation: Madrid /b /ppbHybrid 2 days per week in office /b /ppbr/ppbr/ppbPosition Overview /b /ppbr/ppThe Network Solutions Architect is responsible for the design, governance, and evolution of network solutions that support organisational objectives across enterprise, cloud, and hybrid environments. The role combines strategic architecture leadership with operational and people management responsibilities, ensuring network services are secure, resilient, scalable, and aligned to business needs. /ppbr/ppIn addition to architecture and leadership responsibilities, the postholder is expected to maintain a hands-on technical involvement in the delivery of architected solutions. This includes providing technical leadership throughout implementation, supporting complex deployments, validating designs, troubleshooting critical issues, and working alongside engineering teams to ensure solutions are delivered in accordance with architectural standards and business requirements. /ppThe role requires a balance of strategic thinking and practical execution, with accountability for translating architectural vision into successful operational outcomes while leading and developing a high-performing network solutions team. /ppbr/ppThe successful candidate will lead architecture and design activities while managing a team of network professionals, overseeing performance, development, resource planning, and operational excellence. /ppbr/ppYou will need to support and deliver to cross functional teams within the Global business which means you will need to adapt to ways of working being flexible to their needs. /ppbr/ppThe role has the potential to include overnight and weekend working to support project delivery and act as a point of escalation for the operational support teams. International travel will be required when necessitated by project delivery. /ppbr/ppbKey Responsibilities /b /ppbr/ppbSolution Architecture Design: /b /ppbr/pulliDesign end-to-end network solutions for business and technology initiatives. /liliDefining processes and systems design. /liliProduce high-level and detailed network architecture designs. /liliDefine network standards, patterns, and roadmaps. /liliEnsure solutions align with architecture, security, and operational requirements. /liliLead network design reviews and technical governance activities. /liliProvide architectural guidance for cloud, hybrid-cloud, and on-premises environments. /liliSupport major transformation programmes and infrastructure modernisation projects. /li /ulpbr/ppbTechnology Strategy /b /pulliDevelop and maintain network technology roadmaps. /liliEvaluate emerging technologies and industry trends. /liliRecommend improvements to network performance, security, resilience, and automation. /liliDrive adoption of software-defined and cloud-based networking solutions. /li /ulpbr/ppbr/ppbNetwork Security Compliance /b /pulliEnsure security principles are embedded into all network solutions. /liliCollaborate with cybersecurity teams to implement secure architectures. /liliSupport compliance with regulatory, audit, and governance requirements. /liliDesign solutions supporting Zero Trust and defence-in-depth strategies. /li /ulpbr/ppbProject Delivery Leadership /b /pulliLead technical design activities for complex projects. /liliAct as the senior technical authority for network-related initiatives. /liliSupport project managers with planning, estimation, and risk management. /liliReview and approve technical deliverables from internal teams and third-party suppliers. /li /ulpbr/ppbTeam Leadership /b /pulliLead, mentor, and develop a team of network solutions engineers and specialists. /liliSet individual objectives and performance expectations. /liliConduct regular one-to-one meetings and performance reviews. /liliCreate development plans and support professional certification goals. /liliFoster a collaborative, high-performing team culture /li /ulpbr/ppbResource Workforce Planning /b /pulliManage team workload, priorities, and resource allocation. /liliIdentify skills gaps and develop succession plans. /liliSupport recruitment, onboarding, and retention activities. /liliManage contractor and supplier resources where required. /li /ulpbr/ppbOperational Management /b /pulliEnsure network services meet agreed service levels and operational targets. /liliOversee incident, problem, and change management activities. /liliDrive continuous service improvement initiatives. /liliMonitor team performance against agreed metrics and OKR’s /li /ulpbr/ppbTechnical Skills Experience /b /ppbr/ppbNetworking /b /pulliEnterprise LAN, WAN, WLAN architecture /liliSD-WAN solutions (Cisco/Palo Alto) /liliData centre networking (Cisco) /liliNetwork segmentation /liliRouting and switching on a global scale (BGP, OSPF, MPLS, VXLAN) /liliLoad balancing technologies (F5, open-source options) /liliDNS, DHCP, IPAM /liliIPv4 and IPv6 /li /ulpbr/ppbCloud Networking /b /pulliNetworking within Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and/or Google Cloud /liliHybrid and multi-cloud connectivity /liliExpressRoute, Direct Connect, VPN, and cloud transit architectures /li /ulpbr/ppbSecurity /b /pulliFirewalls and network security controls (Palo Alto) /liliZero Trust architecture /liliNetwork Access Control (NAC) /liliSecure remote access solutions /liliNetwork monitoring and threat detection /liliSecure access service edge (SASE) /liliCIS Controls /li /ulpbr/ppbAutomation Observability /b /pulliLogicMonitor /liliIcinga, Grafana, Prometheus /liliAnsible /liliTerraform /liliInfrastructure as Code (IaC) /liliNetwork automation frameworks /li /ulpbr/ppbRecovery and High Availability: /b /ppbr/pulliHigh Availability (HA) network design. /liliDisaster Recovery (DR) planning and implementation. /liliActive-active and active-passive network architectures. /liliMulti-site and geographically resilient network deployments. /liliCloud resilience and multi-region networking. /liliLoad balancing and traffic management technologies. /liliSD-WAN resilience and failover capabilities. /liliData centre redundancy and resilience design. /liliNetwork failover and recovery testing. /liliCritical infrastructure and 24x7 service environments. /li /ulpbr/ppbExperience in the following desired, but not essential: /b /ppbr/pulliUse of Atlassian suite and Halo ITSM /liliAbility to clearly explain technical issues to a non-technical audience. /liliExperience working within an MSP /liliKnowledge of regulatory frameworks such as GDPR, ISO 27001, NIST, PCI-DSS, or Cyber Essentials Plus. /liliExperience working within large-scale enterprise environments supporting 1,000+ users across multiple locations /liliExperience supporting highly available 24x7 operational environments. /li /ulpbr/ppbr/ppbPerson specification: /b /ppbFormal Education, Certification/Qualifications /b /ppbr/pulliCisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) /liliCisco Certified Design Expert (CCDE) /liliCisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) /liliAWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty /liliMicrosoft Certified: Azure Network Engineer Associate /liliITIL Accreditation (desirable) /liliProject Management accreditation (desirable) /liliTOGAF (desirable) /li /ulpbr/p