Director of Network Engineering & Connectivity Solutions

Director of Network Engineering & Connectivity Solutions Dublin based - Hybrid arrangement ( 3 days per week in office). The network backbone behind critical national infrastructure needs a leader who delivers, not just designs. The Panel is partnering with a leading regulated organisation to appoint a Director of Network Engineering & Connectivity Solutions, owning the strategy for a large, complex network estate and being accountable for executing it. You will work in partnership with the external MSP. The role is closer to a traditional domain-head role, with strategy responsibilities layered on top, than the infra-transformation role is. The ideal candidate will have 10+ years in network engineering and telecoms (including regulated or critical-infrastructure environments), 5+ years in senior leadership with real delivery accountability, and genuine MSP-governance experience. This is a candidate who has IT leadership background combined with in depth technology background, hands-on technologist, close to delivery, owns the outcome. A very strong experienced network engineering leader, not a generalist infrastructure or DC candidate, who has also run a large outsourced network contract (ideally a Tier 1 telco or major MSP) inside financial services or another critical-infrastructure sector. You should have deep technical credibility in SDN/networking plus real commercial/contractual muscle managing a strategic supplier at scale Role / Function: a domain-owner role for networking and connectivity specifically (WAN, LAN, Wi-Fi, data centre and cloud networking, SDN), with a heavy and explicit emphasis on governing the organisation's Managed Network Service Provider. This person is accountable for the actual availability, resilience and performance of network services, and leads a hybrid team of internal SMEs plus the strategic service partner. Responsibilities include : - Own the end-to-end network and connectivity strategy, and deliver it. - Govern the key Managed Network Service Provider on performance, commercials and outcomes. - Drive the shift to intelligent, self-healing networks: SDN, automation, Zero Trust, cloud connectivity and AIOps. - Keep critical services secure, resilient and recoverable by design. Confidential discussion: Fergal Keys, The Panel, fergalk@thepanel.com