Principal Consultant

Spark NZAs New Zealand's largest telecommunications and digital services company, Spark's purpose is to help all of New Zealand win big in a digital world. We provide mobile, broadband, and digital services to millions of New Zealanders and thousands of New Zealand businesses.  We operate in an exciting and constantly evolving industry, where the pace of change brings new and unique challenges every day, so we operate using Agile ways of working to allow us to meet the fast-changing needs of our customers. Agile replaces the traditional hierarchical organisational structure to produce a transparent, collaborative environment with highly productive teams who are empowered to deliver better outcomes for our customers, communities, and all of New Zealand.About the Role:

As a Principal Consultant in our Network & Security practice, you'll play a pivotal role in delivering large-scale, complex solutions for enterprise and government clients. You'll lead technical engagements, mentor junior consultants, and collaborate across teams to shape successful outcomes.

You'll work closely with our Professional Services, Project Services, and Operations teams to deliver integrated technology solutions. You'll also partner with Sales on pre-sales opportunities, providing technical leadership and insight.

We invest in your growth with dedicated time for training, access to industry resources, tickets to key events, and opportunities to connect with thought leaders, so you stay ahead in a fast-evolving technology landscape.
About you
:

• You're passionate about network engineering and security, and thrive on architecting and delivering complex solutions.
• You're a strong communicator who builds trusted relationships with customers and internal teams.
• You're a subject matter expert and advocate for both current and emerging technologies.
• You bring energy and enthusiasm, inspiring those around you.
• You have excellent time management skills, able to juggle multiple projects and meet deadlines.
• You're adaptable, eager to learn new skills and embrace new challenges using available resources.

What experience you'll bring?

• A proven track record in consulting, designing, and delivering network and security solutions for enterprise customers
• Experience supporting pre-sales engagements, working closely with sales teams to shape technical solutions
• Strong presentation skills with the ability to communicate technical concepts clearly to customers and stakeholders
• Solid commercial acumen, with an understanding of business drivers behind technical decisions
• Ability to produce high-quality technical proposals, design documentation, RFP responses, and statements of work
• Leadership experience in guiding technical teams to diagnose and resolve complex issues
• Hands-on experience with solutions from one or more of the following vendors: Cisco, Fortinet, Aruba, Check Point, Palo Alto, Netskope
• Deep technical expertise in architecting and designing solutions across areas such as:
• WAN/SD-WAN
• Campus and Branch LAN & Wi-Fi
• Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFWs)
• SASE/SSE
• Data Centre Networking
• Familiarity with additional security technologies is a plus, including:
• WAF, DDoS Protection, SIEM, EDR/XDR, PKI, IAM
• Experience designing solutions in Azure and AWS environments is beneficial
• Relevant vendor certifications (e.g. Cisco, Fortinet, Aruba, Check Point, Netskope) are advantageous

WHY CHOOSE US:Diversity and Inclusion: Te Kanorau me te Whakawhāiti mai
At Spark, we are constantly looking for ways to build a more inclusive culture.  Our vision is for diversity and inclusion to be "how things are done at Spark", embedded into our day-to-day activities, standards, and business practices.  We want you to feel totally comfortable bringing your whole self to work regardless of your gender, ethnicity, orientation, age, or ability.Sustainability: Toitū
Sustainability is a key focus for us.  We are dedicated to supporting Aotearoa New Zealand's recovery and economic transformation.  The principle of equity is at the very heart of our approach, and we remain committed to working in partnership to make a positive contribution to digital equity in line with our focus on Diversity and Inclusion.Benefits: Awhina
Our people matter and we make sure we look after them. As a valued employee of Spark, we've got our people covered with a range of leading benefits including: 

• Wellbeing
   - Comprehensive medical insurance, life and income protection.  Access to wellbeing coaches, EAP and in-house Specialist Clinical support through our leading Mahi Tahi Wellness programme.

• Hybrid ways of working
   - for most teams at Spark this means being in the office for 4 days a week, and 1 day being flexible.

• Leave
   - in addition to four weeks annual leave, we offer purchased leave, enhanced parental leave support and study leave.

• Spark Credit
   - we provide permanent employees with $120 monthly Spark credit to use on any of our amazing products.

• Spark Share scheme
   - periodically we offer the opportunity to buy into our share scheme.

• Career development
   - access to an internal marketplace that connects employees with experiential, on the job learning across Spark.

Due to the nature and urgency of this role, we are only considering applicants that are based in New Zealand with permanent residency, citizenship, or a valid work visa (with at least 18 months remaining).