Consultant Engineer

Employment type: Contract. Sword is a leading provider of business technology solutions within the Energy, Public and Finance Sectors, driving transformational change within our clients. We use proven technology, specialist teams and domain expertise to build solid technical foundations across platforms, data, and business applications. We have a passion for using technology to solve business problems, working in partnership with our clients to help in achieving their goals. About the role: Candidates must have excellent communication skills and be able to lead technical projects from design stage through to implementation and take ownership of the solution end to end Design and deliver enterprise network solutions across routing, switching, firewall, and where required wireless technologies, with a strong emphasis on project implementation rather than BAU administration Produce high-quality low-level designs, implementation plans, migration plans, and build documentation to support project delivery Deploy, configure, test, and optimise network infrastructure using strong Cisco networking knowledge at CCNP/CCIE level or equivalent Support the design and implementation of modern network architectures, including traditional three-tier campus designs and spine-leaf or fabric-based architectures using technologies such as Cisco ACI or VXLAN EVPN Apply strong working knowledge of core network protocols and services, including BGP, OSPF, IS-IS, VXLAN, VLANs, HSRP/VRRP, routing policy, multicast, and related enterprise services Undertake hands-on build, proof-of-concept, lab validation, and technical testing activity to de-risk delivery and validate designs before deployment into production Troubleshoot and resolve complex technical issues encountered during project delivery, implementation, migration, or testing phases Work closely with project managers, security teams, and customer stakeholders to ensure solutions are aligned to agreed design principles, standards, and governance requirements Support change execution through the preparation, rehearsal, and implementation of changes within controlled project and operational environments Produce and maintain accurate technical documentation, including configuration baselines, as-built records, network diagrams, test results, and support handover material Contribute to technical workshops, design reviews, and customer discussions, with the confidence to explain technical decisions clearly and credibly Understand how network infrastructure integrates with wider platform components, including compute and storage environments built on VMware, Nutanix, and Hyper-V Requirements Strong enterprise networking background with hands-on experience in project delivery, implementation, and design Cisco networking expertise to CCNP/CCIE level preferred; with strong relevant experience Strong understanding of modern data centre and campus network design patterns Experience with Palo Alto firewalls and centralised management through Panorama is desirable Ability to produce detailed technical and low-level design documentation to a high standard Experience of delivering technical solutions in structured and governed environments Strong troubleshooting and diagnostic skills across complex network environments Comfortable working directly with customers, including large enterprise or blue-chip organisations Experience in regulated or critical infrastructure sectors such as energy, utilities, oil and gas, defence, or OT environments would be beneficial Cisco ISR and ASR Routers Datacentre technologies, Cisco Nexus, VXLAN, VPC’s & End User Compute Campus Switching Catalyst 9XXX series switches, Stackwise virtual IPSec VPN’s & Cisco SDWAN Cisco Secure firewall / FTD SASE solutions, Palo Alto Prisma Access, Cisco Secure Connect Cisco Wireless – WLC’s (C9800 series) Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) Experiences with Azure and AWS cloud environments Cisco Meraki Wireless, Security and Switching technologies Cisco ACI - Application Centric Infrastructure HP and Aruba Platforms DevNet Principles, Automation, Ansible, Python