Head of Network Infrastructure Operations

Head of Network Infrastructure Operations

Black & Grey HR is recruiting for an established technology solutions and services provider in Doha, Qatar. Our client is seeking an experienced Head of Network Infrastructure Operations to lead large-scale network operations, NOC performance, and strategic infrastructure initiatives across mission-critical environments. This role requires strong operational leadership, deep technical expertise, and proven experience managing enterprise network operations within complex, high availability environments.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Excellence & NOC Management

• Oversee the 24/7 Network Operations Center (NOC) to ensure proactive monitoring and rapid incident response.
• Establish and monitor critical SLAs/SLOs for network uptime, performance, and service reliability.
• Lead engineering teams during high-pressure, live operational environments and time sensitive event windows.
• Collaborate with business and event stakeholders to translate operational needs into technical network specifications.
• Lead high-severity incident response and conduct detailed Root Cause Analysis (RCA).

Strategic Infrastructure Roadmap

• Design and implement scalable network architectures across LAN/WAN, data center, and cloud environments.
• Evaluate and adopt emerging technologies such as SD-WAN, Wi-Fi 6E, and SASE.
• Lead modernization initiatives, including decommissioning legacy infrastructure and migrating to modern platforms.
• Drive automation initiatives for network provisioning and configuration management.
• Implement CI/CD pipelines for network changes and infrastructure deployments.
• Standardize deployments using tools such as Ansible, Terraform, or Python.

Risk Management & Security Compliance

• Partner with cybersecurity teams to enforce Zero Trust models and robust security controls.
• Ensure network infrastructure complies with global standards (ISO 27001, SOC2, etc.).
• Lead disaster recovery planning, testing, and business continuity initiatives.
• Manage CAPEX/OPEX budgets for network infrastructure and operations.
• Negotiate contracts with ISPs, vendors, and managed service providers.
• Conduct regular service and performance reviews with technology partners.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, IT, Engineering, or related field.
• 12–15 years of network engineering experience, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role.
• Strong experience in backbone technologies including BGP, MPLS, VXLAN, and SD-WAN.
• Experience with hybrid cloud connectivity (Azure, GCP, ExpressRoute, Direct Connect).
• Hands‑on exposure to data center networking technologies (Cisco ACI, Nexus, UCS, VMware NSX).
• CCIE certification – Mandatory
• Preferred certifications: CCNP, ITIL, PMP, Azure Advanced Networking or equivalent.

Required Skillset

• Software-Defined Networking (SDN) and centralized network controllers (ACI, NSX).
• Advanced routing and switching (BGP, OSPF, EVPN, MPLS).
• Network virtualization and micro-segmentation security controls.
• Infrastructure automation using Python, Ansible, or Terraform.
• Application delivery technologies including load balancing and traffic engineering.
• Strong knowledge of network security, Zero Trust, and firewall integrations.
• Expertise in performance monitoring, telemetry, and proactive network optimization.

#J-18808-Ljbffr