Graduate: Network Operations Engineer

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

The Graduate Network Operations Engineer is an entry-level technical role within the NAPAfrica Internet Exchange team. The successful candidate will support the operation of Africa's largest Internet Exchange Point and associated interconnection services, ensuring an exceptional customer experience through timely technical support, monitoring and incident management. This role provides an excellent opportunity for graduates to develop expertise in Internet infrastructure, routing technologies, cloud connectivity and data centre networking.

The role includes participation in a shift roster, including evenings, weekends and public holidays, to support the 24x7 operational requirements of the platforms under the NAPAfrica team.

This role offers structured technical mentoring and exposure to some of Africa's largest Internet infrastructure platforms, including Internet Exchange operations, cloud interconnection, carrier networks and hyperscale connectivity. Successful candidates will have opportunities to develop towards Network Engineer and Internet Infrastructure Engineer roles.

MAIN FUNCTIONS OF THE JOB

• Perform first-line technical support for NAPAfrica, ACX and ExtraConnect services.
• Monitor the health and availability of the NAPAfrica platform and supporting infrastructure using existing tools and systems.
• Escalate incidents to senior engineers where necessary and appropriate.
• Assist with scheduling and provisioning new customer connections and service activations.
• Validate customer configurations before implementation.
• Perform routine operational checks and preventative maintenance activities.
• Maintain accurate operational documentation and knowledge base articles.
• Participate in after-hours support and shift rotations.
• Assist with planned maintenance windows.
• Work closely with carriers, cloud providers, customers and internal engineering teams to resolve service issues.
• Contribute to the continual improvement of operational processes and documentation.

SKILLS REQUIREMENT

Essential

• Understanding of TCP/IP networking fundamentals
• Understanding of the OSI model
• Basic knowledge of routing and switching
• Familiarity with the Linux command line
• Good understanding of DNS and Internet fundamentals

Advantageous

• BGP
• VXLAN
• EVPN
• MPLS
• DWDM
• Python or another scripting language
• Virtualisation
• Cloud networking (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud)
• IPv6
• Network monitoring tools

Soft Skills

• Strong customer service orientation.
• Excellent time management and organisational skills.
• High attention to detail.
• Ability to communicate technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Demonstrates initiative and ownership.
• Passion for Internet technologies and continuous learning.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor's Degree or National Diploma in: Computer Science, Information Technology, Computer Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Telecommunications, or equivalent qualification
• Preferably:
  • Graduated within the last two years
  • Academic exposure to networking concepts