Principal IP Network Engineer (3rd Line Support) - PuneVOIS

Who we are

VOIS (Vodafone Intelligent Solutions) is a strategic arm of Vodafone Group Plc, creating value for customers by delivering intelligent solutions through Talent, Technology & Transformation.
As the largest shared services organisation in the global telco industry with 30,000 FTE, our portfolio of next-generation solutions and services are designed in partnership with customers across Vodafone Group, local markets, and partner markets to simplify and drive growth. With our strategic partner Accenture, we work alongside our Vodafone customers, other Telco and tech companies to drive transformation, meet the challenges of our industry and ensure we stay relevant and resilient. This partnership is a unique, industry-first model which brings together the best of in-house and 3rd party capability.
We work with customers across 28 countries from 10 VOIS locations: Albania, Egypt, Hungary, India, Romania, Spain, Turkey, UK, Germany, Ireland, and with a network of teams in Czech Republic, Italy, Greece, and Portugal.
#VOIS #BeUnrivalled #CreateTheFuture

About this Role

We are seeking an experienced Principal IP Network Engineer to provide expert-level 3rd Line support for complex IP/MPLS and transport network environments. This role is responsible for leading the technical resolution of major incidents, critical core network outages, and customer-impacting service disruptions across multi-vendor service provider networks.

The successful candidate will act as the highest operational escalation point before vendor engagement, taking ownership of service restoration, root cause analysis, stakeholder communication, and continuous service improvement. This opportunity is ideal for a networking professional with deep expertise in IP routing, MPLS technologies, Segment Routing, transport networks, and customer-facing incident management within Telecom, ISP, or Service Provider environments.

What you’ll do

Incident Management & Service Restoration
•Lead the technical resolution of major incidents and critical core network outages.
•Take end-to-end ownership of incidents until full service restoration is achieved.
•Perform advanced troubleshooting across IP/MPLS, transport, and optical network domains.
•Provide Level 3 escalation support to Network Operations Centre (NOC), Service Operations, Engineering teams, and customers.
•Lead technical bridge calls during critical incidents and provide regular stakeholder updates.
•Ensure adherence to incident management, escalation, and communication processes.
•Conduct post-incident reviews, root cause analysis (RCA), and corrective action planning.
•Identify recurring faults and drive long-term problem resolution initiatives.
•Participate in on-call support during evenings, weekends, holidays, and emergency situations.
Customer & Stakeholder Engagement
•Act as a senior technical point of contact for customer escalations.
•Participate in customer reviews, incident discussions, and service improvement activities.
•Communicate complex technical issues clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
•Build confidence through proactive communication, accountability, and ownership during critical incidents.
•Support customer audits, technical reviews, and optimisation initiatives.
Technical Operations & Troubleshooting
Provide expert operational support and troubleshooting across:
•IS-IS
•BGP
•MPLS L2VPN and L3VPN
•Segment Routing (SR-MPLS)
•Traffic Engineering including LDP, RSVP, SR-TE and MPLS-TE
•IPv4 and IPv6
•QoS and Traffic Management
•Multicast technologies
•API-based network automation
•Virtualised networking platforms
Virtual Networking Expertise
Support and troubleshoot:
•Nokia VSRa (22.10R1)
•VSRa platform architecture
•Virtual routing infrastructure environments
•Control plane and forwarding plane diagnostics
•Performance and capacity-related issues
Supported Technology Platforms
•Nokia 7750 SR-12e, 7210 and VSRa platforms
•Huawei NE8000-M8, CX600-X2-M8A and CX600-X8A
•Cisco NCS560-7 and ASR9910
Operational Excellence
•Ensure compliance with ITIL Incident, Problem, Change, and Major Incident Management practices.
•Drive proactive service improvement initiatives to enhance network reliability and operational efficiency.
•Develop and maintain troubleshooting guides, knowledge articles, and operational procedures.
•Mentor and support Level 1 and Level 2 engineers as a technical subject matter expert.
•Collaborate with Engineering and Architecture teams during new service introductions and network transformations.
•Support software upgrades, vulnerability remediation, and lifecycle management activities.

Who you are

•8 to 12+ years of experience within Telecom, ISP, managed services, or Service Provider environments.
•Strong background in Network Operations, Incident Management, and Service Assurance.
•Experience managing customer-facing technical escalations and critical incidents.
•Demonstrated expertise in troubleshooting complex multi-vendor IP/MPLS networks.
Technical Knowledge
Expert-level knowledge of:
•IS-IS
•BGP
•MPLS
•Segment Routing
•Traffic Engineering
•Multicast
•IPv4 and IPv6
•QoS
Additional expertise in:
•Nokia, Huawei, and Cisco service provider platforms
•Network automation and API-driven operations
•Virtualised networking technologies and infrastructure
Professional Skills
•Strong ownership and accountability for service outcomes.
•Excellent analytical and troubleshooting capabilities.
•Ability to remain composed and solution-focused during high-severity incidents.
•Effective stakeholder and customer engagement skills.
•Strong verbal and written communication abilities.
•Ability to collaborate across multiple teams to achieve service restoration and operational objectives.
Preferred Qualifications
•CCNP Service Provider or Enterprise
•CCIE Service Provider or Enterprise
•Nokia NRS Certifications
•Huawei HCIP or HCIE Routing & Switching
•ITIL Foundation or ITIL Practitioner
•Python or Network Automation Certifications
Measures of Success
•Major Incident Resolution Time (MTTR)
•Average Handling Time (AHT)
•Customer Satisfaction (CSAT)
•SLA Achievement
•Reduction of Repeat Incidents
•Problem Management Effectiveness
•Knowledge Management Contributions
•Automation and Operational Improvement Outcomes
•Technical Mentoring and Tea

Not a perfect fit?

Concerned you may not meet every requirement? Vodafone is committed to creating an inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive. If you are excited about this role but your experience does not align exactly with every aspect of the job description, you are encouraged to apply. You may be the right candidate for this or another opportunity, and the recruitment team will support you in exploring where your skills fit best.

What's in it for you

• Opportunity to work on business-critical global IP core and transport networks.
• Exposure to complex multi-vendor service provider environments across Nokia, Huawei, and Cisco platforms.
• Ownership of high-impact technical incident resolution and operational excellence initiatives.
• Collaboration with global engineering, architecture, operations, and customer teams.
• Opportunities to contribute to network transformation, automation, and service improvement programmes.
• Technical leadership opportunities through mentoring and subject matter expert responsibilities.
• Broad exposure to network lifecycle management, upgrades, security remediation, and optimisation activities.

What skills you will learn

• Advanced IP/MPLS service provider network troubleshooting.
• Segment Routing and Traffic Engineering technologies.
• Multi-vendor operational expertise across Nokia, Huawei, and Cisco ecosystems.
• Advanced incident leadership and service restoration practices.
• Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and Problem Management methodologies.
• ITIL-aligned operational excellence and service assurance processes.
• Network automation, API integration, and programmability techniques.
• Customer communication, stakeholder engagement, and technical leadership skills.
• Virtualised networking and cloud-ready routing infrastructure management.

VOIS Equal Opportunity Employer Commitment

Vodafone recognises and celebrates the value of diversity in building a workforce that reflects the customers and communities it serves. No form of discrimination is tolerated. This includes, but is not limited to, discrimination based on race, colour, age, veteran status, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, pregnancy, maternity or parental status, ethnicity, disability, religion or belief, political affiliation, trade union membership, nationality, citizenship, indigenous status, medical condition, HIV status, neurodiversity, social origin, cultural background, marital or civil partnership status, or socio-economic background. 

Join Us

At Vodafone, we’re working hard to build a better future. A more connected, inclusive and sustainable world. As a dynamic global community, it's our human spirit, together with technology, that empowers us to achieve this.
We challenge and innovate in order to connect people, businesses, and communities across the world. Delighting our customers and earning their loyalty drive us, and we experiment, learn fast and get it done, together.
With us, you can truly be yourself and belong, share inspiration, embrace new opportunities, thrive, and make a real difference.

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