Mid-Level Network Engineer

Job Description

THE ROLE

We are looking for a hands-on Mid-Level Network Engineer to help run and improve the network, firewall, and load-balancing estate that underpins our payment platforms. You will maintain the availability and performance of a multi-site, partner-connected network, troubleshoot incidents end to end, and steadily migrate our network to automated and AI-assisted ways of working.

This is a genuine growth role. We care more about aptitude, curiosity, and a strong automation mindset than about years on a CV or certificates. We welcome engineers early in their network careers who are analytical, methodical, and already using scripting and AI tools to replace repetitive manual work.

You will join a fast-moving ICT Services function running on world-class infrastructure, reporting to the Chief Information Officer. You will collaborate day to day with systems, security, and database colleagues, and act as a point of network expertise for the wider business. The role is on-site in Harare, with travel across ZSS sites and participation in a shared on-call / change-window rota.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

Networks, routing & connectivity

• Operate, monitor, and troubleshoot the multi-site LAN/WAN estate and partner (PWAN/VPN) connectivity.
• Support BGP routing and prepend-driven failover between primary, secondary, and tertiary paths.
• Manage switching, VLANs, IP addressing/IPAM, and DNS (including external DNS on Route 53).

Firewalls & security

• Administer and troubleshoot the firewall estate, including NAT, ACLs, and security zones.
• Help implement segmentation and zero-trust principles appropriate to a PCI-DSS cardholder-data environment.
• Work with the security function on monitoring, root-cause analysis, and incident response.

Load balancing & service publishing

• Configure and maintain load balancers and reverse proxies that publish internal services to partners and customers.
• Keep service-publishing flows healthy, observable, and well documented.

Operations, monitoring & documentation

• Own business-as-usual tasks, planned changes, and escalated incidents under an ITIL-aligned process.
• Use monitoring and analytics tooling to track utilisation, capacity, and emerging risks.
• Keep network documentation accurate and evidence-based.

AI-AWARE & AUTOMATION MINDSET

• Use AI as a daily working tool - to draft and review configurations, scripts, processes and SOP documentation, accelerate troubleshooting, interrogate documentation, and generate clear write-ups.
• Default to automation: Reach for scripts, APIs, and infrastructure-as-code (Python, Bash, Ansible) rather than repeating manual GUI work, and use AI to help write, test, and review that automation.
• Apply judgement: Treat AI as an accelerator, not an authority, and verify what it produces in a regulated, change-controlled environment.

You do not need to be an AI specialist. You do need to be genuinely curious about these tools and already using them to work more effectively.

Qualifications

Essential

• 2–4 years hands-on experience in networking or infrastructure (we weight aptitude and automation mindset over raw tenure).
• CCNA certification (or equivalent demonstrating solid networking fundamentals).
• Strong TCP/IP fundamentals: Routing (esp. BGP + OSPF), switching, VLANs, NAT, DNS, DHCP, VXLAN/EVPN.
• Practical firewall experience (Cisco, SonicWall, Fortinet, Palo Alto, or similar).
• Working knowledge of load balancers / reverse proxies (HAProxy, NGINX, NetScaler, F5, or similar).
• Some scripting / automation ability (Python, Bash, Ansible, or comparable) - or clear evidence you are building it.
• Comfortable using AI assistants in your workflow.
• Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills, attention to detail, and clear written communication.
• Willingness to work on-site, travel between sites, and take part in an on-call / change-window rota.

Desirable

• Exposure to banking, payments, fintech, or another PCI-DSS / regulated environment.
• Previous experience managing network infrastructure on AWS and Azure environments.
• Familiarity with BGP and multi-site WAN / partner connectivity.
• Vendor or security certifications.
• Experience with infrastructure-as-code, monitoring/observability stacks, or SIEM.
• Awareness of zero-trust networking and AI/ML-driven detection in modern security tooling.
• Familiarity with security frameworks such as PCI-DSS and NIST SP 800.

Additional Information

• Employment type: Permanent, full-time.
• Location: On-site, Harare, Zimbabwe, with travel across ZSS sites.
• Reports to: Chief Information Officer.
• Package: Competitive, commensurate with experience. Highly competitive remuneration and benefits, with excellent opportunities to progress.