Wireless Architect
Job Title: Wireless Architect
Location: Warwick
Employment type: contract (Inside Ir35)
Detailed job Description:
Position Overview
We are seeking a Senior Technical Architect - Wireless to join our Technical Architecture team and help design, standardize, and evolve a large-scale global enterprise wireless environment.
This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced wireless engineer with CWNE or CCIE Wireless-level expertise who is looking to transition into architecture, as well as an architect who is relatively early in their architecture career.
The Senior Technical Architect - Wireless will work closely with Network Engineering and other Technical Architects to develop wireless architectures, high-level designs, standards, LLD templates, golden configurations, and implementation guidelines.
The organization is currently transitioning from Aruba to Cisco Meraki, providing the successful candidate with an opportunity to play a significant role in the architecture and standardization of the future wireless environment.
This is a Senior-level architecture position. The successful candidate will have meaningful technical ownership while working alongside experienced Principal Technical Architects who will provide mentorship and guidance.
Responsibilities
Wireless Architecture & Design:
Develop high-level designs for enterprise wireless LAN (WLAN) environments.
Develop and maintain wireless reference architectures, standards, and design patterns.
Design enterprise wireless solutions addressing coverage, capacity, RF performance, resiliency, security, and operational requirements.
Evaluate wireless technologies and designs for scalability, performance, security, and operational effectiveness.
Support the organization's transition from Aruba to Cisco Meraki through architecture, design, standards, and technical guidance.
Participate in wireless technology evaluations, proof-of-concepts, and architecture assessments.
Contribute to wireless technology roadmaps and life cycle planning.
Wireless Engineering Standards
Develop and maintain wireless LLD templates, golden configurations, and configuration standards.
Establish standardized WLAN design and deployment practices that can be consistently implemented by Engineering.
Develop standards for RF configuration, SSIDs, authentication, roaming, RF management, channel utilization, power, and other WLAN parameters.
Partner with Network Engineering to validate and continuously improve wireless standards and configurations.
Validate wireless configurations and implementations against approved architecture, standards, HLDs, LLDs, and golden configurations.
Identify standards deviations and work with Engineering to resolve or formally document exceptions.
Wireless Security & Access Control
Provide architecture and technical guidance for enterprise wireless authentication and access control.
Design and support integration between wireless infrastructure and Aruba ClearPass and Cisco ISE.
Develop standards for 802.1X, WPA2/WPA3-Enterprise, guest access, device onboarding, and network access policies.
Work with Security and Network Engineering to ensure wireless solutions meet enterprise security requirements.
Technical Leadership
Own assigned wireless architecture initiatives and deliverables.
Review engineering designs and provide architectural guidance.
Mentor wireless engineers and share technical knowledge.
Create Architecture Decision Records (ADRs) and maintain architecture documentation.
Collaborate with LAN/WAN, Security, Cloud, End User Computer, and other technical architects.
Work with vendors and technology partners on wireless capabilities and solutions.
Required Qualifications
10+ years of enterprise wireless networking experience or equivalent depth of wireless engineering experience.
Strong hands-on experience designing, implementing, troubleshooting, and optimizing enterprise WLAN environments.
CWNE or CCIE Wireless-level expertise strongly preferred.
Strong knowledge of:
o Enterprise WLAN architecture and design
o RF fundamentals and 802.11 technologies
o WLAN security and authentication
o 802.1X and RADIUS
o WPA2/WPA3-Enterprise
o RF management, channel planning, power management, and capacity
o Wireless roaming and client behavior
o WLAN troubleshooting and performance analysis
Significant experience with Cisco Meraki wireless.
Significant experience with Aruba AOS 8 wireless environments.
Experience with Aruba ClearPass and/or Cisco ISE, with strong preference for experience with both.
Experience developing or working with wireless standards and design documentation.
Strong analytical, communication, and problem-solving skills.
Ability to work effectively across Architecture, Engineering, and Security teams.