A major Belgian public security organisation operates specialised technical units that support investigations and real-time telecommunications interception. This Senior Network Administrator role exists to design, secure and optimise the network estate that supports 24/7 interception and tactical operations, working with Cisco and Fortinet platforms and managing firewalls, VPNs, load balancers and IDS/IPS.
The mission
The team supports mission-critical network services that carry sensitive real-time traffic for tactical and judicial operations. The current technical landscape includes on-premise and virtualised infrastructure, hybrid network services, SDN pilots and a requirement for high availability, segmentation and strict security controls. Your work matters because network stability and security directly affect operational capability and legal evidence collection.
Day to day you will own the end-to-end network architecture for assigned domains, from LAN/WAN/WLAN design through routing and switching, MPLS, BGP/OSPF and QoS tuning. You will collaborate with telecom interception engineers, system administrators and security specialists to implement changes, participate in migration projects to virtualised network services and provide second/third line troubleshooting for critical incidents.
Your responsibilities
- Design and deliver secure, resilient network solutions that meet operational requirements, using Cisco and Fortinet equipment to enforce segmentation and access controls.
- Harden and operate perimeter and internal security components, managing firewalls, VPNs, IDS/IPS and load balancers to reduce risk and ensure continuous service.
- Troubleshoot and resolve high-severity network incidents, diagnosing routing, switching, MPLS and performance issues under 24/7 operational constraints.
- Implement and tune routing protocols and QoS policies, driving measurable improvements in latency, throughput and service stability.
- Contribute to network modernisation projects, including SDN and virtualised network services, producing clear designs, migration plans and rollback procedures.
- Maintain accurate network documentation, runbooks and configuration baselines, and share knowledge to raise team capability.
Your profile
Essential skills
- 5–7+ years of experience in network administration in hybrid or critical environments, with responsibility for design and operations.
- Proven experience with Cisco and Fortinet platforms, including firewall and VPN configuration and lifecycle management.
- Strong protocol and architecture knowledge: TCP/IP, VLAN, BGP, OSPF, MPLS, routing and switching, QoS.
- Practical experience with IDS/IPS, load balancers and segmentation strategies for sensitive environments.
- Familiarity with SDN concepts and virtualised network services, and hands-on experience with network monitoring tools.
- Ability to explain complex technical issues clearly in writing and in meetings, and to work independently under operational pressure.
Languages
- French: C1 (or equivalent fluency) where applicable
- Dutch: C1 (or equivalent fluency) where applicable
- English: B2, technical written and spoken
Education
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in IT, networking or equivalent professional experience
Note: a TOP SECRET security clearance is required for this position.