Network Infrastructure Engineer

The ICT Department is responsible for the continued support and development of the Network and Telecommunications infrastructure; supporting approximately 7000 users across the Fylde Coast and beyond.

Working with a wide range of networking, security and communications technologies; the primary function of this role is to work with the network infrastructure team to maintain all aspects of network infrastructure including wired, wireless, firewalls and network security, IP telephony, collaboration tools and all associated applications.

The post holder will assist in the delivery of projects that promote new and innovative ways of working, by implementing technology that can increase efficiency, improve communication, reduce cost and ultimately enable clinicians to provide better care for patients., The post holder will be responsible for analysing, installing, configuring, maintaining and repairing of network infrastructure, telephony, elements of cyber security and all associated applications. The post holder will work as part of the Network Infrastructure Team within the Digital division and will undertake the technical tasks required in providing comprehensive network and telephony services. The post holder will also be involved in project and technical support activities, * Develop and implement a wide range of new technologies to improve and develop services and to benefit from efficiencies.

• Use monitoring and capacity tools to maintain a healthy network and react to alerts ensuring permanent solutions to problems are put in place.

• Proactively identify potential issues and suggest solutions or improved ways of working.

• Maintain a good working knowledge of current infrastructure and future trends.

• Regularly upgrade infrastructure and its components working alongside vendors to develop, test, and evaluate correct operation, documenting all work.

• Manage own workload to complete all scheduled activities within agreed deadlines and communicate the status of work on a regular basis to line management and customers, including reasons for any unexpected delays.

• Adhere to all IT procedures relating to service delivery. Identify any opportunities to improve services, solutions and methods of working across the IT department and for any IT related systems affecting other departments (e.g. when working on IT projects for other department's systems etc.). Implement as much automation as possible to free up time for more complex activities.

• Follow all Health and safety precautions when lifting heavy equipment, cleaning PCs/servers etc., accessing IT cabinets in cramped/high spaces to avoid risk of personal injury etc.

• Ensure all faults are investigated in a timely manner and are solved within agreed SLAs.

• Provide networks and telephony advice and support for other ICT teams and projects.

• Monitor systems and identify performance issues proactively, producing reports or evidence to back findings and solutions.

• Train other ICT staff in the use or workings of network or telephony related applications.

• Work with other areas of ICT to understand support issues which may be complex and resolve problems within strict time frames elevating incidents within the defined timeframe where appropriate.

• Monitor logs for suspicious activities and recommend improvements to security.

• Develop and implement changes to the configuration of the network, firewall, telephony or any other maintained core infrastructure according to the change management process.

• Assist with escalated network problem diagnosis, isolation and resolution as needed in support of the network infrastructure team.

• Investigate and advise on technical specifications, requirements and solutions, evaluating network performance issues including availability, utilization, throughput and latency.

• Troubleshooting malfunctions of network hardware and software applications, telephones and security systems to resolve operational issues and restore services.

• Undertake daily system administration tasks, and checks, ensuring issues are dealt with proactively and all checks are documented accordingly including backup routines.

• Responsible for ensuring only legitimate and authorised users, including 3rd party suppliers, can log onto the systems that you are responsible for and to carry out regular audits of users.

• Handle confidential information in accordance with current policies and procedures.

• Communicate to colleagues and trust staff on any planned or unplanned changes affecting service availability.

• Ad-hoc training of users in use of network and telephony applications, and creation and provision of user guides to assist users in the use of systems.

• Liaise with a range of 3rd parties for support, troubleshooting, warranty and project related activities.

• Contribute to team meetings and give updates on current activities.

• Develop and maintain documentation regarding specific design and configuration of all hardware, software, network design etc, including work instructions and procedures for colleagues. Update documents whenever changes are made.

• Keep team manager informed on progress of all work activities.

• Ensure that work undertaken supports and does not adversely impact the availability of business-critical systems and essential maintenance and upgrades are organised to minimise impact on users.

• Keep inventory up to date with the location of ICT equipment in your possession for your use or following installation of equipment for users.

• Handle all equipment carefully, and safely as to not cause damage to expensive IT kit.

• Identify service improvements or efficiencies to deliver better care for patients and/or cost reduction.

• Ensure all communications cabinets and areas are fit for purpose and secure as directed by the Network Infrastructure Manager.

• Engage in out of hours work where necessary to reduce disruption to services.

• Complete all mandatory training.

• To undertake any other duties that may be required appropriate to the post holders' grade, experience.

• Undertake duties in accordance with all current legislative conditions particularly the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Computer Misuse Act 1990.

• Participate in the Networks On-Call Rota as required by the Head of Network Infrastructure and Telecoms.

• Maths and English GCSE
• Degree or equivalent experience
• CCNA or equivalent vocational experience, * Experience of implementing and maintaining Cisco network and telephony environments
• Experience of maintaining critical high availability systems
• Experience of successfully contributing to the delivery of ICT network, telephony and security related projects and programmes of work

Desirable criteria

• Experience of working within an NHS ICT environment
• Experience of working with Cisco SDA

Dear Potential Applicant

It is important you are made aware of the following as regards your application to East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust

• Please note that the salary advertised is for full time hours. If this post is less than 37.5 hours per week, the salary will be pro-rata. For posts on Agenda for Change pay-scales, new entrants to the NHS will normally commence on the first pay point of the relevant band.
• This vacancy may close before the closing date if the recruiting manager deems sufficient applications have been received. Therefore it is advised to complete your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.
• Please ensure you check the email account from which you apply regularly as we will use this to contact you regarding your application.
• Please note that shortlisting is completed anonymously with candidates being assessed against the essential criteria for the post. Therefore only applicants, who can clearly demonstrate how they meet our person specification criteria in their application, will be short-listed.

Disclosure and Barring Scheme (DBS)

If the role you are applying for is identified as either controlled or regulated activity as defined in in the Safeguarding vulnerable Groups Act (2006) any offer of employment is provisional upon a satisfactory DBS check being obtained.

The healthcare sector is exempted from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

In line with other NHS organisations in the North West Region, the Trust is now passing the charge for undertaking a DBS check on to candidates in the event they are successfully appointed into the post for which they have applied. Candidates can choose whether to pay this over 1-3 months as a deduction from the monthly salary. However, if you are applying for a post as a BANK worker, the payment must be made in full at the time of employment checks. By applying for this vacancy you are agreeing to this undertaking in the event you are successfully appointed.

The cost of an Enhanced Disclosure will be £55.38 and for a Standard Disclosure will be £27.38.

At East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust our vision is to be widely recognised for providing safe, personal and effective care. We currently provide high quality services and treat over 600,000 people across East Lancashire and the surrounding area. We employ over 9,500 staff, many of whom are internationally renowned and have won awards for their work., The Network Infrastructure Team are part of the Digital Division working to ensure connectivity for telephony and access to data and applications for NHS Staff across the region. The post holder will be working in the Blackpool locality as part of a wider regional One LSC organisation. One LSC stands for 'One Lancashire and South Cumbria' and reflects the ambition to have one team serving Lancashire and South Cumbria in a joined-up way. It is jointly run by the five Trusts as a collaborative partnership. The Trusts that make up One LSC are: · Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust · East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust · Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust · Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust · University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust One LSC brings together the Digital, Data and Technology teams from each of the provider Trusts to create one central community of professionals. The aim is to bring services more closely together so that we can deliver the best service possible to each of our partner organisations. At the core of One LSC delivery is eliminating duplication, removing unwarranted variation, realisation of the benefits of sharing common systems and processes and ensuring we deliver value for money for our partners, our system and, ultimately, for the communities we serve., The Trust is an equal opportunities employer, committed to improving the working lives of our staff and operates a 'Zero Tolerance' policy to aggression, violence, bullying and harassment. In addition, our aim is to help protect children and vulnerable adults by providing a first-class service to the recruitment of people into positions of trust. We aim to employ a workforce that reflects the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from everyone irrespective of ethnic origin, gender, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, marital status, disability or social background. We especially welcome applications from members of our black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities, as we have identified that ELHT has an under-representation of BAME employees. Appointments will be made on merit.