Lead Network Architect – Arista & Fortinet (Extranet / Security)

SUMMARY:  We are looking for a highly skilled Arista Lead with deep expertise in Arista Networks and Fortinet Firewalls, to join our IT Infrastructure & Operations team. This senior leadership role is ideal for a professional with 7–10 years of enterprise networking experience who can architect, implement, and lead the migration from Cisco to Arista platforms, while supervising and mentoring a team of network engineers.

PRIMARY DUTIES:

• Lead the design, implementation, and optimization of Arista-based network infrastructures and Fortinet NGFW & SD-WAN solutions.
• Architect Layer 2/3 topologies using Arista EOS, Cloud Vision, and spine-leaf architecture.
• Configure, manage, and fine-tune Fortinet firewalls, policies, and HA deployments.
• Supervise and mentor a team of network engineers, ensuring quality project delivery.
• Drive automation initiatives using Python, Ansible, and Fortinet APIs.
• Collaborate with cybersecurity, infrastructure, and cloud application teams to ensure secure and scalable solutions.
• Implement Zero Trust segmentation across Arista and Fortinet platforms.
• Designed and governed secure extranet architectures using VRFs, VLANs, and VXLAN, ensuring strict network segmentation and adherence to zero-trust security principles.
• Led end-to-end onboarding of external partners (banks, regulators, institutional clients), including connectivity design, secure access provisioning, and validation of MFA and RBAC controls.
• Managed network configurations through Arista CloudVision using configlets, Studios, and Change Control workflows, ensuring controlled, auditable, and risk-free production deployments.
• Implemented and enforced security policies including ACLs, micro-segmentation, and VRF isolation, ensuring compliance with global regulatory frameworks such as GDPR, SEC, and FCA.
• Monitored extranet environments using streaming telemetry and Network Data Lake, proactively identifying anomalies, managing incidents, and performing root cause analysis.
• Automated extranet provisioning and lifecycle management using Ansible, Terraform, and REST APIs, improving deployment efficiency, scalability, and consistency.
• Troubleshoot complex network and security events using Forti Manager and Forti Analyzer.

COMPENTENCY:

• Expertise in BGP, OSPF, VXLAN, EVPN.
• Proficiency in Cisco IOS & NX-OS configuration and troubleshooting.
• Strong knowledge of FortiOS rule base management, threat mitigation, HA deployment.
• Automation with Python, Ansible, RESTful APIs.
• Hybrid cloud integration experience (Azure, AWS, GCP).
• Strong understanding of SDN architecture and micro-segmentation.

REQUIRED EDUCATION:

• Mandatory: Arista Certified Engineering Expert (ACE Level 3+).
• Preferred: Cisco CCNP/CCIE or Juniper JNCIP/JNCIE.
• Bonus: Fortinet NSE Level 4 or higher.

EXPERIENCE:

• 7–10 years in enterprise network engineering.
• Minimum 5 years of hands-on experience with Arista Networks.
• Minimum 5 years of senior-level experience with Fortinet Firewall technologies.
• Proven leadership/supervisory experience managing network engineers.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Strategic thinker with a security-first mindset.
• Strong leadership and mentoring abilities.
• Detail-oriented, adaptable, and able to thrive in dynamic enterprise environments.
• Passionate about innovation and network performance optimization.

WORK ENVIRONMENT: Onsite London England

EXPECTED HOURS OF WORK: 40 hours/ week; occasional weekends

TRAVEL: None

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