Senior ISP Core Network Engineer

Department: Network Engineering / Technology
Reporting structure: GM: Network Systems

Job purpose:
Our client is seeking a highly experienced Senior ISP Core Network Engineer with a minimum of 10 years
of hands-on technical expertise to manage and optimize their core routing architecture. You will be
responsible for public and private peering operations, regional regulatory/registry compliance, Broadband
Network Gateway (BNG) management, capacity planning across IP Transit (IPT) and Internet Exchange
Points (IXPs), and complex escalation handling. Additionally, strong operational expertise in Linux-based
Open-Source Support Systems (OSS) is required to support core automation and network monitoring
infrastructure.

Critical outputs:
Peering and transit operations:

Manage end-to-end public peering at major IXPs and establish bilateral private peering agreements.
Monitor, engineer, and optimize traffic paths across IP Transit (IPT) and IXP sessions to minimize latency and transit costs.
Handle Tier-3/4 customer, peering, and upstream capacity escalations promptly.

Regulatory, registry and routing security:

Maintain and update regional internet registry data (AFRINIC) including IP allocation, ASN management, and WHOIS records.
Ensure full compliance with ISPA guidelines and local regulatory frameworks.
Manage Internet Routing Registry (IRR) objects, maintain accurate RPSL, and implement RPKI ROAs to maintain strict routing hygiene.

Core infrastructure and BNG management:

Configure, scale, and maintain Broadband Network Gateways (BNGs/BRAS) for subscriber management and session termination.
Conduct continuous capacity management, forecasting bandwidth requirements, and upgrading IPT/IXP interconnects before saturation occurs.

OSS and Linux infrastructure support:

Maintain, support, and customize Linux-based OSS tools (e.g., netflow collectors, syslog servers, monitoring stacks like Prometheus/Grafana, or custom network automation scripts).
Develop lightweight Linux/Python tools and scripts to automate registry updates, session monitoring, and operational workflows.

Minimum requirements:

Experience: Minimum 10 years of direct experience working in an ISP or Large Enterprise Service Provider environment.
Routing and Peering Depth: Master-level understanding of BGP, MP-BGP, ISIS, MPLS/SRv6 (L2VPN/L3VPN), and traffic engineering.
Registry & security expertise: Hands-on experience with AFRINIC portal management, ISPA operational compliance, IRR object creation, and RPKI implementation.
BNG operations: Solid experience managing BNG platforms (e.g., Juniper MX, Nokia and MikroTik) and subscriber protocols (PPPoE, IPoE, RADIUS/TACACS+).
Linux / OSS systems: Proven track record supporting Linux-based OSS platforms, system administration, and shell scripting/automation.

Preferred certifications:

CCNP / CCIE (Service Provider)
JNCIP / JNCIS-SP
Linux Professional Institute (LPIC) or RHCE