F5 Networking and Security Engineer

Context

Excited to work on a project for a key player in the energy landscape?

The Belgian, German and European energy landscape is in full swing. Did you know that a leading European transmission system operator plays a crucial role in this?

As part of this group, the Belgian and German subsidiaries ensure the reliability and sustainability of the electricity supply in both countries.

Side-by-side with other contingent workers and internal staff, you will play a part in building a sustainable, green and reliable energy infrastructure that stimulates economic growth and reduces our ecological footprint.

Only together can we make the biggest impact possible! We believe in the power of diversity: we are convinced that an inclusive and diverse work environment leads to more innovation, creativity and better results.

The Datacom department, which the IP Networks team is part of, is in charge of:

• The datacom transport network for the IP networks and IT networks in general. The company has an extensive network of fibre and copper cables, supplemented by rented connections. The technologies in use include PDH, SDH, DWDM, and IP/MPLS,

• The IP/Ethernet/WiFi networks used for telephony and core business needs (office network, real-time network, …) in all administrative sites, data centres and dispatching offices,

• Direct IP connections with other electricity transport, distribution and generation utilities,

• Internet connections,

• The protection and security of networks with firewalls, DMZs (Demilitarised Zones), VPN concentrators, load balancers,

• The networks connecting high-voltage substations and data centres for purposes of remote surveillance, telephony, meter readings, consulting disturbance recorders, ... These networks are also used for communication between the electrical protection devices at different stations,

• Connections with other TSOs for remote surveillance, remote protection, and telephony.

Missions

The F5 BIG-IP solution is an important central component within the datacenter infrastructure and is heavily used to implement application load balancing, high availability concepts, security features, …

The F5 Networking and Security Engineering Service consists of the following tasks:

• Load balancing and high-availability architecture design.

• Design and implementation of F5 BIG-IP solutions for application delivery and network traffic management.

• Configuration and administration of virtual servers, pools, nodes, monitors, iRules, SSL profiles, and traffic policies.

• SSL/TLS certificate management, SSL offloading, encryption configuration, traffic inspection and reporting.

• Web Application Firewall (AWAF) deployment and policy management (depending on needs).

• Authentication and access management integration using APM and enterprise identity services.

• Performance tuning, capacity planning, and service optimization.

• Incident, problem, and change management support.

• Security patching, software upgrades, and lifecycle management of F5 infrastructure.

• Root cause analysis and troubleshooting of application delivery, connectivity, and performance issues.

• Documentation, operational procedures, and knowledge transfer activities to stakeholders.

Working Conditions

• Work regime: 40 h/week

• Location: Brussels

• Remote working is allowed for max. 3 days/week and depends on the tasks

• Important: if the consultant will work in Belgium, for non-EU candidates, please present candidates who comply with the following criteria:

  • Possess a work permit allowing the individual to work in Belgium.

  • Hold a valid residence permit confirming the right of residence in Belgium.

1. Should hold a bachelor’s or master’s degree in electronics, ICT or telecommunications, or have equivalent technical experience in this field
2. Must have an all-round and in-depth conceptual, practical and operational knowledge of IP Networks and their management in multi-site environments and data centres
3. Must have advanced knowledge of F5 solutions and extended experience of designing and implementing them in complex environments
4. Should have an all-round knowledge and experience of IT security concepts, architectures and implementations (e.g. Checkpoint and Palo Alto firewall technology)
5. Must be willing to continuously refine and broaden his technical knowledge
6. Needs to be able to work independently and methodically, have a sense of responsibility and can assess risks accurately
7. Needs to be customer-oriented and cope well with stress
8. Needs to be flexible and approachable (tasks may be suddenly interrupted by urgent operational issues)
9. Must have good communication skills for interacting with other colleagues, departments, suppliers, service providers
10. You are able to speak, read and write Dutch, French and English