Head of Network Infrastructure Operations

Job Description

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.

Network Automation & Innovation
- 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.

Financial & Vendor Management
- 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.
- Proven experience managing large-scale, multi-vendor enterprise network environments.
- 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.

Benefits

- Competitive Salary + Benefits Package