Senior Network Administrator – Technical Pre-Sales

Overview

We invite applications for a Senior Network Administrator with a focus on Technical Pre-Sales to enhance our System Integration division. This role integrates advanced network engineering skills with pre-sales solution design, serving as the primary technical liaison among customers, vendors, and internal teams throughout the pre-sales journey. Hands-on networking expertise paired with confident client interaction is vital.

Primary Responsibilities

• Design, configure, and troubleshoot enterprise-wide LAN, WAN, WLAN, SD-WAN, VPN, and security infrastructures.
• Oversee routing protocols such as BGP, OSPF, and EIGRP, manage VLANs, Spanning Tree Protocol, LACP, QoS, ACLs, NAT, DHCP/DNS, and handle IPv4/IPv6 environments.
• Monitor network performance, conduct root cause analyses, assist with migration and upgrade initiatives, deliver level 2 and 3 support.
• Qualify sales opportunities by engaging clients and conducting discovery workshops to gather requirements.
• Develop high-level and low-level design documents, architecture diagrams, bills of materials, proposals, statements of work, and compliance matrices.
• Respond to RFPs, RFQs, and RFIs; deliver solution presentations, demonstrations, and proof of concepts; support negotiation processes.
• Collaborate with vendors including Cisco, Fortinet, Palo Alto, Aruba/HPE, Juniper, VMware, Microsoft, AWS, and Azure for product validation, sizing, and specification alignment.
• Track vendor certifications and product roadmaps while fostering strong partner relationships.
• Lead technical segments of bids and tenders, manage compliance responses, identify risks, coordinate internal and vendor inputs, and assist with bid reviews and approvals.
• Transition technical requirements, architecture, scope, and risks to project management and assist implementation teams with clarifications and design validation.
• Work closely with Group companies and IT/security/cloud teams to identify cross-business and cross-group selling opportunities.

Required Expertise

• Comprehensive knowledge of networking including LAN/WAN concepts, routing and switching protocols (BGP, OSPF, EIGRP), VLANs, STP variations, LACP, QoS, DHCP/DNS, NAT, subnetting, and IP addressing.
• Experience with security technologies such as Next-Generation Firewalls, IPS/IDS, VPNs (site-to-site and remote), segmentation, Access Control Lists, and Network Access Control.
• Familiarity with enterprise technologies like SD-WAN, enterprise Wi-Fi, network monitoring, high availability setups, load balancing, and data center/cloud networking.
• Exposure to cloud networking platforms including Azure and AWS, hybrid network connectivity, network automation, and software-defined networking principles is advantageous.

Pre-Sales and Solution Design Skills

• Capable of technical discovery, creating solution architectures, and producing detailed HLDs, LLDs, BOMs, proposals, and tender documents.
• Skilled in delivering solution presentations and demos, breaking down complex technology into business-relevant language.
• Adept at managing multiple vendors while balancing technical requirements with commercial and client needs.

Educational Background and Certifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Computer Engineering, Telecommunications, or related field.
• Preferred certifications include Cisco CCNP/CCNA, Fortinet FCP, Palo Alto, Aruba/HPE, Juniper, Microsoft Azure, AWS certifications, or ITIL.

Professional Experience

• 6 to over 10 years of experience in network engineering, administration, infrastructure, or technical pre-sales roles.
• A minimum of 2 to 4 years of customer-facing pre-sales and solution design experience is preferred.
• Prior experience at system integrators, managed service providers, IT service companies, or technology vendors is highly desirable.

Behavioural Attributes

• Strong communication, presentation, and negotiation skills.
• Excellent analytical thinking, documentation ability, and problem-solving aptitude.
• Commercially savvy, solution-oriented, and capable of independently managing multiple priorities.
• Collaborative across sales, projects, operations, finance, and group functions; willingness to travel as required.

Performance Indicators

• Quality and success rate of proposals and technical wins.
• Accuracy and quality of HLD/LLD/BOM documentation.
• Successful execution of proofs of concept and demos resulting in customer satisfaction.
• Effective handover coordination between pre-sales and project delivery teams.
• Productive engagement with vendors and partners.
• Contribution towards new solutions and strategic group-wide initiatives.

Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate is a Senior Network Engineer or Administrator who has progressed into a client-facing Solutions Engineer or Technical Pre-Sales role. They are comfortable managing complex network troubleshooting, designing solutions, preparing bills of materials and proposals, presenting to clients, and facilitating seamless handoffs to delivery teams. This opportunity suits professionals aiming for advancement as Solutions Architects or heads of solution departments.