Australia’s Academic and Research Network (AARNet), founded in 1989, has played a pivotal role in shaping Australia’s digital landscape as the pioneers of the country’s Internet. Our mission extends beyond mere connectivity; we are the architects, builders, and operators of a world-class network infrastructure that fuels critical research and learning. At AARNet, innovation thrives within a vibrant community.
Connecting a Million Minds: Our extensive reach interconnects over one million users—from researchers and faculty to staff and students—across institutions throughout Australia. Whether it’s high-energy physics, climate science, genomics, radio astronomy, or the arts, we serve as the backbone supporting education and research across diverse disciplines.
National and International Collaboration: Nationally, AARNet links Australian universities, the CSIRO, and other organizations with a research and education mission. But our impact extends beyond borders. Internationally, we bridge the Australian Research and Education (R & E) community to the world, continuously developing capabilities and forging partnerships for seamless data access and transfer.
Supporting Innovation: While our core mission revolves around network infrastructure, we also offer a suite of supporting applications enabling collaborative research and education.
Our Culture: At AARNet, we’re a dynamic team of innovators, doers, and courageous thinkers. We don’t settle for the status quo; instead, we anticipate the future needs of our customers and build solutions today. If you share our imagination, foresight, and drive to shape the future, consider joining us on this exciting journey.
The Network Field Technician role will be work in the Technical Operations team focused on maintaining AARNet’s network and delivering new services to new and existing customers.
The role will involve field work components of various network activities including: installation, commissioning, upgrades, configurations, patching, service provisioning, audit, supporting service design, integrations, fault diagnostics & restoration, service commissioning, spares management, and other engineering/design activities to build, support and maintain the AARNet Network. The role involves being part of an on-call roster and performing work during maintenance windows.
This role will require an independent, self-sufficient worker that has the ability to think on their feet and solve problems as they arise. The applicant will receive ongoing training in the technologies relevant to the role, and will at times need to travel for this training.
The work in this role is generally field based and will require extensive travel around Australia. Applicants should be able to be on call to support AARNet’s network after hours and be willing to travel, at times, with limited notice.
Network Deployment
- Equipment installation and commissioning works as part of AARNet Network expansion and upgrade projects.
Service Testing & Commissioning
- Testing and commissioning of fibre optic and network equipment installation projects.
- Network configuration and network service provisioning.
- Preparation and execution of testing and commissioning plans and procedures.
Service Migration
- Able to lead and prepare service migration independently
- Conducting after-hours service migration on site or remotely
- Documenting service changes in relevant systems
Fault Diagnostics & Service Restoration:
- Provide on the ground assistance to diagnose and restore services in a fault condition.
- Work with other AARNet staff and third parties to identify the cause of faults and work towards a resolution
- Perform post fault analysis and reports to assist in identifying areas of concern and benefit faster resolution of future network issues.
Documentation
- Preparation of service hand-over documentation at the completion of each project.
- Complete internal service documentation and update relevant systems.
Expertise, Experience & Qualifications
- Field experience in the Telecommunications or IT industry.
- 2-5 years telecommunications experience as a network technician. (Required)
- Experience working as part of a network engineering and broader field team.
- Experience in deploying customer network solutions.
- Experience working in large colocation Data Centre environments.
- Experience working with optical fiber networks, OTDRs, and power meters.
- Experience with DWDM Transmission Technologies will be highly regarded.
- A diploma in Engineering/Telecommunications or a related field or relevant industry experience.
- Valid Australian Driver’s Licence.
- Australian citizen and resident.
Important skills
- Strong written and oral communication skills.
- Appropriate level of computer skills for an office and technical environments are essential.
- Solution and action oriented.
- Adaptable to different technical issues and environments.
Why Work at AARNet?
At AARNet, we’re passionate about advancing global education and critical research. Our Australia-wide network, with global reach, supports some of the most demanding network-based applications. If you’re looking for a purpose-driven workplace where you can make a difference, consider joining our team.
Make an impact: By working with us, you’ll directly contribute to critical research in fields like astronomy, physics, earth observation, environment, health, and medicine. Our mission matters, and we’re committed to providing equal opportunities for all.
Competitive Benefits and Conditions:
- Superannuation: Enjoy a 17% superannuation contribution.
- Parental/Adoption Leave: We offer 24 weeks of paid parental leave and superannuation top-up.
- Secondary Carer Leave: 16 weeks of paid parental leave for secondary caregivers.
- Wellness Leave: 2 days per month paid Women’s wellness leave.
- Family & Domestic Violence Leave: 20 days of paid leave.
- Other Supportive Leaves: Paid leave for various life events such as weddings, deaths, trauma, and disasters.
- Purchased Leave: Options to purchase additional Annual Leave.
- Flexible Work Options: We support work-life balance.
- Equal Opportunity Focus: We value diversity and inclusion.
- Social Responsibility and Ethics: We lead by example.
- Cutting-Edge Technologies: Access to work with the latest industry technology.
