Senior Executive - Work Place Technology (Network Engineer)

Job description / Role

Job Summary

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced network administrator to manage, maintain, and optimize our organization's network infrastructure. The ideal candidate should have a deep knowledge of network architecture, security best practices, and troubleshooting techniques to ensure optimal performance and availability of all network systems.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, configure, and maintain LAN/WAN infrastructure, firewalls, VPNs, switches, and routers.
• Monitor network performance and ensure system availability and reliability.
• Implement and manage network security protocols, policies, and procedures.
• Troubleshoot network issues and outages and provide timely resolution.
• Perform network upgrades and maintenance, including patches and firmware updates.
• Conduct regular network capacity and performance assessments.
• Collaborate with IT teams to support server, cloud, and application infrastructure.
• Maintain up-to-date documentation of network architecture and procedures.
• Lead network-related projects and provide guidance to junior IT staff.
• Ensure compliance with internal and external security regulations and standards.
• Evaluate new technologies and make recommendations for system enhancements.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, information technology, or related field.
• Minimum of 5-7 years of experience in network administration or a similar role.
• In-depth understanding of networking protocols (e.g., BGP, OSPF, EIGRP, TCP/IP).
• Hands-on experience with Cisco, Juniper, Fortinet, Huawei, or equivalent network hardware.
• Strong knowledge of firewalls, VPNs, VLANs, and network segmentation.
• Experience with network monitoring tools (e.g., SolarWinds, Nagios, PRTG, Manage Engine).
• Proficiency in managing Windows/Linux server environments.
• Familiarity with cloud networking (AWS, Azure, GCP, OCI) is a plus.
• Relevant certifications such as CCNP, CCNA, CompTIA Network+, or equivalent preferred.

Soft Skills

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal abilities.
• Ability to prioritize tasks and work independently or as part of a team.
• High attention to detail and strong organizational skills.

Preferred

• Experience in managing SD-WAN environments.
• Exposure to network automation tools and scripting (Python, Ansible, etc.).
• Knowledge of VoIP systems and wireless networking solutions.
• Certifications such as ITIL, MCSE, CCNA, CCNP.
• Administrative knowledge on multi-cloud platforms (OCI, Microsoft Azure, and AWS).

About the Company

The Apparel Group is a global fashion and lifestyle brand conglomerate residing on the crossroads of a modern economy - Dubai, UAE. The mercurial growth in the last 17 years has been by acquiring a host of world class fashion labels from around the world - Nine West, Tommy Hilfiger, Kenneth Cole, Aldo & Tim Hortons just to name a few.

Today the group caters to thousands of eager shoppers through its over 1530 stores, 75 International brands and employing 12,000 multi cultural staff in over 4 continents. Apparel believes in turning dreams in to reality and we give everyone - our customers, our stakeholders, our employees - an equal opportunity to do so.

Apparel group has carved its strong presence not only in the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, and Saudi Arabia but opened thriving gateways to market in India, South Africa, Poland, Singapore, Jordan, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia. Additionally, clear strategies are in place to enter emerging markets such as Hungary, Pakistan, Egypt and Philippines.