Netwerking Engineer (interim)

Join Damen Naval, the naval division of the family-owned Damen Shipyards Group, where 12,000 professionals work worldwide. Damen Naval delivers advanced naval vessels to clients all over the globe. By implementing the most innovative technological developments in practice, we continue to push the boundaries of the shipbuilding industry.

The role

As the interim Network Engineer, you are responsible for designing, implementing, and maintaining secure and resilient network infrastructures that support our critical business operations. You ensure reliable connectivity across core and edge systems, enforce robust cybersecurity measures, and contribute to disaster recovery planning. Acting as a key link between internal teams and external partners, you align IT solutions with organizational needs while maintaining compliance with industry standards and DN policies. You play a central role in performance monitoring, capacity planning, and the continuous improvement of IT processes to support our evolving maritime and defense projects. Given the mission-critical nature of our solutions, commitment to our 24/7 standby rotation is essential.

Key accountabilities

In this interim role, your responsibilities will include:

• Core Connectivity: Deploy and maintain the organization’s core and edge connectivity, including LAN switching, enterprise Wi-Fi, WAN links, and VPN solutions.
• Security Orchestration: Implement NAC platforms, firewall orchestration, and IP address management to protect systems from unauthorized access and cyber threats.
• Business Support: Provide technical support to key users by resolving networking and infrastructure issues, ensuring continuity through prompt incident response.
• Compliance & Audits: Collaborate with architecture and security departments to ensure IT solutions meet industry regulations and support security audits/assessments.
• Performance & Capacity: Analyze network performance, anticipate future capacity needs, and recommend upgrades or expansions to meet evolving demands.
• Disaster Recovery: Develop and implement disaster recovery plans to ensure the reliability and availability of the IT landscape for critical operations.
• Vendor Management: Advise on the procurement and deployment of hardware and software solutions in close collaboration with external vendors.
• Documentation & Knowledge: Create comprehensive technical documentation and contribute to the development and retention of knowledge within the department.

Skills & experience

We are looking for candidates with the following qualifications:

• A Bachelor’s degree (HBO) in IT or a related field. Candidates with an MBO-4 diploma and 3–5 years of relevant experience are also encouraged to apply.
• Mastery of the OSI model, TCP/IP suite, and routing protocols (OSPF, BGP). Proficiency in LAN switching (STP, LACP) and WLAN architectures is essential.
• Hands-on experience with 802.1X NAC solutions and in-depth knowledge of VPN technologies (IPsec, SSL/TLS), preferably involving military-grade encryption.
• Experience with WAN/SD-WAN platforms and familiarity with IPAM tools and network monitoring analytics.
• Cisco CCNA is required (CCNP preferred). Equivalent certifications from vendors such as Juniper, Fortinet, Aruba, or Palo Alto are highly valued. ITIL Foundation is a plus.
• Basic scripting and automation abilities (Python, Ansible, or REST APIs) to drive efficiency.
• Industry Context: Previous experience in IT operations or security within a maritime and/or defense-related environment is an advantage.
• Communication: A good command of both the English and Dutch language, both written and verbal.
• Available to participate in our 24/7 standby rotation schedule.
• Excellent references, as a security screening is part of the hiring process.
• Permanent EU citizenship and passport are both required. Candidates with EU (work) visa or with both an EU and non-EU nationality and/or passport are not eligible in accordance with the requirements imposed by the military nature of our projects.

What we offer

• Travel allowance of 23 cents per kilometre.
• Flexibility to work from home up to two days a week.
• Challenging and innovative projects.