IT Network Engineer

<p><strong>PORTWEST</strong>, a leading global manufacturer of safety wear, workwear and PPE is currently seeking applications for the position of <strong>IT Network Engineer</strong> in<strong> Westport, Ireland </strong>on a <strong>permanent basis</strong> reporting to<strong> </strong>the Infrastructure Manager. Founded in 1904, Portwest has become one of the fastest growing workwear companies in the world currently employing over 6,000 staff worldwide. With 1400 styles across more than 20 ranges, we design, manufacture and distribute market leading workwear, safety wear and PPE in fully owned production facilities. We’re on a mission to become the world’s most requested PPE and Safety Wear Brand. <br><br><br><strong>JOB SUMMARY:</strong></p> <p><span data-contrast="auto">We are seeking an experienced and proactive IT Network Engineer to take ownership of our global network infrastructure, ensuring secure, resilient and reliable connectivity across our international operations.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p> <p><span data-contrast="auto">Working within a mixed-vendor environment, the successful candidate will manage day-to-day network operations and security, deliver infrastructure upgrades and drive the standardisation and modernisation of our network. The role requires a continuous-improvement mindset, identifying recurring issues, technical risks and opportunities to automate repetitive operational tasks.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p> <p><span data-contrast="auto">The role works closely with our Infrastructure and Cyber Security teams.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p> <p><br><strong>KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:</strong></p> <p><strong><span data-contrast="auto">Network Infrastructure & Security</span></strong><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p> <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="8" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">Take operational ownership of the global network environment, including firewalls, switches, wireless access points, controllers, VPNs and associated management platforms</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li> </ul> <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="8" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">Configure and maintain network infrastructure, proactively monitoring health, capacity, performance and security to address emerging issues before they cause service disruption</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li> </ul> <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="8" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="3" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">Administer FortiGate, SonicWall and other firewalls, including security policies, rules, network objects, VPN connections and secure remote access</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li> </ul> <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="8" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="4" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">Support routing, switching, VLANs, network segmentation, DNS, DHCP and connectivity between global sites, cloud platforms and third-party services</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li> </ul> <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="8" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="5" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">Manage the lifecycle of network equipment, including firmware updates, support renewals and end-of-life replacement</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li> </ul> <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="8" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="6" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">Work with the Cyber Security team to regularly review firewall rules, VPNs, administrative access and network configurations, identifying obsolete, insecure or unnecessary configuration</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li> </ul> <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="8" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="7" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">Own network issues from initial investigation through root cause analysis, resolution, communication and closure</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li> </ul> <p><strong><span data-contrast="auto">Infrastructure Projects & Improvements</span></strong><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p> <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">Design and deploy secure, resilient and supportable network solutions for new sites, warehouse developments, infrastructure upgrades, and technology refreshes.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li> </ul> <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">Standardise the global network environment, reducing unnecessary technical variation between locations</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li> </ul> <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="3" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">Contribute to network architecture, topology planning, capacity planning and infrastructure roadmaps</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li> </ul> <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="4" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">Coordinate with internal teams, local IT resources, telecommunications providers and technology partners during implementations and upgrades</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li> </ul> <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="5" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">Assist with wider IT infrastructure activities, including servers, cloud platforms, virtualisation and warehouse technologies, where required</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li> </ul> <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="6" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">Maintain accurate and current network documentation, including configurations, diagrams, IP addressing, circuits, support information and standard operating procedures</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li> </ul> <p> </p> <p><strong><span data-contrast="auto">Requirements</span></strong><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p> <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="4" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">At least 3 years' relevant experience in network engineering or a similar IT infrastructure role.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li> </ul> <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="4" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">A recognised networking certification, such as CCNA, Fortinet Certified Professional or an equivalent qualification, or proven hands-on experience </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li> </ul> <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="4" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="3" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">Demonstrable hands-on experience managing enterprise firewalls, switches, wireless access points and associated management platforms, including Fortinet (FortiGate and centralised management or reporting platforms), SonicWall, HP Aruba and Cisco.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li> </ul> <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="4" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="4" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">Ability to manage technical work independently while collaborating across Infrastructure, Cyber Security, service providers and global teams.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li> </ul> <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="4" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="5" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">Knowledge of firewall policies, network security, segmentation, and secure remote access.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li> </ul> <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="4" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="6" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">A proactive and structured approach to continuous improvement, documentation, and operational risk reduction.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li> </ul> <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="4" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="7" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">General IT infrastructure knowledge and willingness to support wider technical activities.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li> </ul> <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="4" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="8" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">Strong troubleshooting, analytical, problem-solving and decision-making skills</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li> </ul> <p> </p> <p>#LI-CO1</p> <p> </p> <p><strong><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WAkl88qoO38" width="560" height="314"></iframe></strong></p> <p> </p><div class="content-conclusion"><p><strong>COMPANY </strong><strong>AWARDS</strong></p> <ul> <li>Great Place To Work 2024 </li> <li><span class="TextRun Highlight SCXW194267799 BCX0" lang="EN-IE" data-contrast="none"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW194267799 BCX0">Private Irish Business of the year – Export </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW194267799 BCX0">Indu</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW194267799 BCX0">s</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW194267799 BCX0">try</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW194267799 BCX0"> Awards 2025</span></span></li> <li><span class="EOP SCXW194267799 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{}">Gold Ecovadis Sustainability Rating 2026</span></li> </ul> <p> </p> <p>Applicants must have a right to live and work in the relevant jurisdiction.</p> <p>Portwest is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to age, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, civil status, veteran status, family status, disability status or membership of a minority group.</p> <p> </p></div>