Senior Specialist Engineer - Networks
2 days ago
Birmingham
Job summaryThe Senior Specialist Engineer - Networks, is a senior technical role responsible for delivering and maintaining excellence across the network infrastructure estate. The post holder acts as a subject matter expert and network architect, driving the design and evolution of the network environment, providing expert-level technical leadership during major incidents, and working across multi-disciplinary teams to ensure network services underpin the organisation's operational and scientific mission.Working alongside the Network Manager, the post holder ensures all systems are optimally configured, resilient, secure, and performant. Beyond day-to-day operational responsibilities, the role carries explicit accountability for network architecture, strategic design, and cross-functional incident response.This role also attracts a market pay supplement of 6650 per annum (to be reviewed in February 2027).Main duties of the jobOwn and maintain a comprehensive and current understanding of the network architecture, acting as an authoritative technical reference for network design decisions.Maintain consistent availability and performance across specialist network systems, collaborating with other specialist engineers and ICT colleagues as required.Act as a primary network technical authority during major incidents, coordinating resolution activity across multi-disciplinary teams including infrastructure, security, application, and service management functions.Act as a technical point of expertise, providing advice, guidance, and training to improve and enhance services for end users.Support the Network Team in ensuring hardware, software, and associated technologies are designed, procured, and delivered efficiently and cost-effectively.Contribute to and lead the production of network architecture documentation, including High Level Designs (HLD), Low Level Designs (LLD), and As-Built records.About usWe pride ourselves as being an employer of choice, where Everyone Matters promoting equality of opportunity to actively encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce.UKHSA ethos is to be an inclusive organisation for all our staff and stakeholders. To create, nurture and sustain an inclusive culture, where differences drive innovative solutions to meet the needs of our workforce and wider communities. We do this through celebrating and protecting differences by removing barriers and promoting equity and equality of opportunity for all.Please visit our careers site for more information https://gov.uk/ukhsa/careersDetailsDate posted09 September 2026Pay schemeOtherSalary 56,185 to 70,566 a year per annum, pro rata (plus MPS of 6650 per annum up to 01/02/27) ContractPermanentWorking pattern Full-time, Part-time, Job share, Flexible working Reference number919-JP-633000992-EXTJob locationsCore HQsBirmingham, Leeds, Liverpool or London (Canary Wharf)E14 4PUUnited KingdomJob descriptionJob responsibilitiesNetwork Architecture, Design & DeliveryAct as the senior technical lead for UKHSA network architecture, owning and maintaining High Level Designs (HLD), Low Level Designs (LLD), topology diagrams and As-Built documentation.Lead the design, implementation and lifecycle management of resilient, scalable and secure LAN, WAN, WLAN and cloud-connected infrastructure, ensuring alignment with NCSC Secure by Design principles.Provide technical assurance across estate modernisation, science campus, data centre and hybrid cloud programmes, while collaborating with infrastructure, security, application and cloud teams.Manage routing, switching, wireless, WAN, load balancing, IPAM, DNS and DHCP services, alongside Extreme Networks Fabric Engine, Site Engine and wireless platforms.Network Security, Resilience & Incident ManagementProvide technical leadership for network security and operational resilience across the UKHSA estate.Administer Palo Alto NGFW, Panorama, VPN, micro-segmentation, DMZ and Zero Trust architectures, ensuring compliance with security standards and evolving threat landscapes.Act as the senior network authority during Major Incident Response Team (MIRT) activities, leading diagnosis, resolution, communication, Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and Post Incident Reviews (PIR).Develop incident runbooks, continuity plans and mitigation strategies to reduce risk, improve service resilience and support secure cloud and on-premises environments.Service Management, Automation & Technical LeadershipLead the monitoring, observability, performance and capacity management of network services, integrating operational and security monitoring with ITSM and SIEM platforms.Drive network automation and Infrastructure as Code using tools such as Ansible and Python to improve consistency and efficiency.Manage vendor relationships, technology lifecycles, procurement planning and proof-of-concept evaluations.Produce technical documentation, support ITIL Incident, Problem, Change and Request Management processes, contribute to CAB activities, mentor engineers, provide expert stakeholder advice, maintain compliance with ICT standards and deliver high-quality customer support, including participation in on-call and out-of-hours services.This is not an exhaustive list.Essential criteriaFormal technical qualification equivalent to CCNP level or above, or substantial experience in a senior network engineering role, with advanced knowledge of enterprise routing and switching, network security, wireless technologies, and large-scale network infrastructure management.Proven experience producing and maintaining network architecture artefacts, including High Level Designs (HLDs), Low Level Designs (LLDs), topology diagrams, reference architectures, and As-Built documentation across enterprise LAN, WAN, WLAN, and security environments.Demonstrable ability to lead or contribute to network architecture initiatives, provide technical assurance and design reviews, and ensure solutions align with organisational standards, security-by-design principles, and best practice methodologies.Significant experience acting as a senior technical authority during major incidents, leading network diagnosis and resolution activities, collaborating within multi-disciplinary Major Incident Response Teams, and managing complex, high-pressure situations.Experience producing Root Cause Analysis (RCA) reports, Post-Incident Reviews (PIRs), and maintaining incident runbooks, playbooks, and escalation procedures while driving continuous service improvement and reducing recurrence of critical incidents.Skilled in monitoring network infrastructure to optimise performance, support capacity planning, identify risks, and proactively address technical issues to maintain service availability and resilience for large user populations.Excellent written, verbal, reporting, and presentation skills, with the ability to communicate complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences, work effectively across multidisciplinary teams, deliver outstanding customer service, and manage competing priorities under changing timescales.Desirable criteriaExperience with network Function Virtualisation (NFV) and Software Defined Networking (SDN) architectures, including overlay/underlay design models and virtual network appliance deployment.Experience with advanced network automation toolchains including Terraform, Ansible, or Python-based frameworks applied to infrastructure provisioning and compliance enforcement.Hands-on experience with SIEM platforms (e.g. Splunk, Microsoft Sentinel) in the context of network security monitoring, alert triage, and threat hunting.Experience with Zero Trust technologies such as Zscaler ZIA/ZPA, Illumio, or equivalent ZTNA platforms in an enterprise deployment context.Familiarity with network observability tools such as ThousandEyes, NetBrain, or Datadog Network Performance Monitoring for advanced path analysis and synthetic monitoring.Experience with ITSM platforms (e.g. ServiceNow or equivalent) including use of the platform for major incident management, problem records, and change advisory workflows.Familiarity with HPC or scientific network environments, including high-throughput storage networking or research network interconnect requirements.Skills for communication on complex matters and difficult situations, requiring persuasion and influence across organisational boundaries.Selection processThis vacancy is using Success Profiles and will assess your behaviours, experience and technical skills.Stage 1: Application & Sift You willbe requiredto complete an application form. You will be assessed onthe listed7essentialcriteria,and this will be in the form of:an application form(Employer/ Activity history section on the application)a 1000wordsupporting statement.This should outline how you consider your skills, experience and knowledgeprovide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria.You will receive a joint score for your application form and statement. (The application form is the kind of information you would put into your C.V please beadvisedyou will not be able to upload your CV. Please complete the application form in as much detail as possible). Please do not email us your CV.HealthjobsUK has a word limit of 1500, but your supporting statement must be no more than1000words. We will not consider any words over1000words.Longlisting: In the event of a large number of applications we will longlist into 3 piles of:Meets all essential criteria Meets some essential criteria Meets no essential criteria Only those meeting all essential criteria will be taken through to shortlisting.Shortlisting: In the event of a large number of applications we will shortlist on:Formal technical qualification equivalent to CCNP level or above, or substantial experience in a senior network engineering role, with advanced knowledge of enterprise routing and switching, network security, wireless technologies, and large-scale network infrastructure management.Desirable criteria may be used in the event of a large number of applications / large amount of successful candidates.If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview and assessment.Feedback will not be provided at this stage.Stage 2: InterviewYou will be invited to a remote interview via MS Teams.Behaviours, technical skills and experience will be tested at interview. The Behaviours tested during the interview stage will be:Leadership (Lead behaviour)Delivering at paceMaking effective decisionsCommunicating and influencingManaging a quality serviceInterviews are to be confirmed.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.LocationThis role is being offered as hybrid working based at any of our Core HQs in Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool or London (Canary Wharf).We offer great flexible working opportunities at UKHSA and operate using a hybrid working model where business needs allow. This provides us with greater flexibility about how and where we work, to get the best from our workforce. As a hybrid worker, you will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of your contractual working hours (approximately 3 days a week pro rata, averaged over a month) on-site.Our core HQ offices are modern and newly refurbished with excellent city centre transport link and benefit from benefit from co-location with other government departments such as the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC).Eligibility criteriaOpen to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including by definition internal applicants).Security clearance level requirementSuccessful candidates must pass a basic Disclosure and Barring Security check before they can be appointed.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed Security Check vetting.For meaningful National Security Vetting checks to be carried out, individuals need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time. You should normally have been resident in the United Kingdom for the last 5 years to obtain Security Check (SC) clearance. UK residency less than the outlined periods may not necessarily bar you from gaining national security vetting at this higher level and applicants should contact the Vacancy Holder / Recruiting Manager listed in the advert for further advice. Job description Job responsibilitiesNetwork Architecture, Design & DeliveryAct as the senior technical lead for UKHSA network architecture, owning and maintaining High Level Designs (HLD), Low Level Designs (LLD), topology diagrams and As-Built documentation.Lead the design, implementation and lifecycle management of resilient, scalable and secure LAN, WAN, WLAN and cloud-connected infrastructure, ensuring alignment with NCSC Secure by Design principles.Provide technical assurance across estate modernisation, science campus, data centre and hybrid cloud programmes, while collaborating with infrastructure, security, application and cloud teams.Manage routing, switching, wireless, WAN, load balancing, IPAM, DNS and DHCP services, alongside Extreme Networks Fabric Engine, Site Engine and wireless platforms.Network Security, Resilience & Incident ManagementProvide technical leadership for network security and operational resilience across the UKHSA estate.Administer Palo Alto NGFW, Panorama, VPN, micro-segmentation, DMZ and Zero Trust architectures, ensuring compliance with security standards and evolving threat landscapes.Act as the senior network authority during Major Incident Response Team (MIRT) activities, leading diagnosis, resolution, communication, Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and Post Incident Reviews (PIR).Develop incident runbooks, continuity plans and mitigation strategies to reduce risk, improve service resilience and support secure cloud and on-premises environments.Service Management, Automation & Technical LeadershipLead the monitoring, observability, performance and capacity management of network services, integrating operational and security monitoring with ITSM and SIEM platforms.Drive network automation and Infrastructure as Code using tools such as Ansible and Python to improve consistency and efficiency.Manage vendor relationships, technology lifecycles, procurement planning and proof-of-concept evaluations.Produce technical documentation, support ITIL Incident, Problem, Change and Request Management processes, contribute to CAB activities, mentor engineers, provide expert stakeholder advice, maintain compliance with ICT standards and deliver high-quality customer support, including participation in on-call and out-of-hours services.This is not an exhaustive list.Essential criteriaFormal technical qualification equivalent to CCNP level or above, or substantial experience in a senior network engineering role, with advanced knowledge of enterprise routing and switching, network security, wireless technologies, and large-scale network infrastructure management.Proven experience producing and maintaining network architecture artefacts, including High Level Designs (HLDs), Low Level Designs (LLDs), topology diagrams, reference architectures, and As-Built documentation across enterprise LAN, WAN, WLAN, and security environments.Demonstrable ability to lead or contribute to network architecture initiatives, provide technical assurance and design reviews, and ensure solutions align with organisational standards, security-by-design principles, and best practice methodologies.Significant experience acting as a senior technical authority during major incidents, leading network diagnosis and resolution activities, collaborating within multi-disciplinary Major Incident Response Teams, and managing complex, high-pressure situations.Experience producing Root Cause Analysis (RCA) reports, Post-Incident Reviews (PIRs), and maintaining incident runbooks, playbooks, and escalation procedures while driving continuous service improvement and reducing recurrence of critical incidents.Skilled in monitoring network infrastructure to optimise performance, support capacity planning, identify risks, and proactively address technical issues to maintain service availability and resilience for large user populations.Excellent written, verbal, reporting, and presentation skills, with the ability to communicate complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences, work effectively across multidisciplinary teams, deliver outstanding customer service, and manage competing priorities under changing timescales.Desirable criteriaExperience with network Function Virtualisation (NFV) and Software Defined Networking (SDN) architectures, including overlay/underlay design models and virtual network appliance deployment.Experience with advanced network automation toolchains including Terraform, Ansible, or Python-based frameworks applied to infrastructure provisioning and compliance enforcement.Hands-on experience with SIEM platforms (e.g. Splunk, Microsoft Sentinel) in the context of network security monitoring, alert triage, and threat hunting.Experience with Zero Trust technologies such as Zscaler ZIA/ZPA, Illumio, or equivalent ZTNA platforms in an enterprise deployment context.Familiarity with network observability tools such as ThousandEyes, NetBrain, or Datadog Network Performance Monitoring for advanced path analysis and synthetic monitoring.Experience with ITSM platforms (e.g. ServiceNow or equivalent) including use of the platform for major incident management, problem records, and change advisory workflows.Familiarity with HPC or scientific network environments, including high-throughput storage networking or research network interconnect requirements.Skills for communication on complex matters and difficult situations, requiring persuasion and influence across organisational boundaries.Selection processThis vacancy is using Success Profiles and will assess your behaviours, experience and technical skills.Stage 1: Application & Sift You willbe requiredto complete an application form. You will be assessed onthe listed7essentialcriteria,and this will be in the form of:an application form(Employer/ Activity history section on the application)a 1000wordsupporting statement.This should outline how you consider your skills, experience and knowledgeprovide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria.You will receive a joint score for your application form and statement. (The application form is the kind of information you would put into your C.V please beadvisedyou will not be able to upload your CV. Please complete the application form in as much detail as possible). Please do not email us your CV.HealthjobsUK has a word limit of 1500, but your supporting statement must be no more than1000words. We will not consider any words over1000words.Longlisting: In the event of a large number of applications we will longlist into 3 piles of:Meets all essential criteria Meets some essential criteria Meets no essential criteria Only those meeting all essential criteria will be taken through to shortlisting.Shortlisting: In the event of a large number of applications we will shortlist on:Formal technical qualification equivalent to CCNP level or above, or substantial experience in a senior network engineering role, with advanced knowledge of enterprise routing and switching, network security, wireless technologies, and large-scale network infrastructure management.Desirable criteria may be used in the event of a large number of applications / large amount of successful candidates.If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview and assessment.Feedback will not be provided at this stage.Stage 2: InterviewYou will be invited to a remote interview via MS Teams.Behaviours, technical skills and experience will be tested at interview. The Behaviours tested during the interview stage will be:Leadership (Lead behaviour)Delivering at paceMaking effective decisionsCommunicating and influencingManaging a quality serviceInterviews are to be confirmed.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.LocationThis role is being offered as hybrid working based at any of our Core HQs in Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool or London (Canary Wharf).We offer great flexible working opportunities at UKHSA and operate using a hybrid working model where business needs allow. This provides us with greater flexibility about how and where we work, to get the best from our workforce. As a hybrid worker, you will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of your contractual working hours (approximately 3 days a week pro rata, averaged over a month) on-site.Our core HQ offices are modern and newly refurbished with excellent city centre transport link and benefit from benefit from co-location with other government departments such as the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC).Eligibility criteriaOpen to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including by definition internal applicants).Security clearance level requirementSuccessful candidates must pass a basic Disclosure and Barring Security check before they can be appointed.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed Security Check vetting.For meaningful National Security Vetting checks to be carried out, individuals need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time. You should normally have been resident in the United Kingdom for the last 5 years to obtain Security Check (SC) clearance. UK residency less than the outlined periods may not necessarily bar you from gaining national security vetting at this higher level and applicants should contact the Vacancy Holder / Recruiting Manager listed in the advert for further advice.Person Specification Application form and supporting statement EssentialApplication form and supporting statement Behaviours EssentialLeadership (Lead behaviour)Delivering at paceMaking effective decisionsCommunicating and influencingManaging a quality service Person Specification Application form and supporting statement EssentialApplication form and supporting statement Behaviours EssentialLeadership (Lead behaviour)Delivering at paceMaking effective decisionsCommunicating and influencingManaging a quality serviceDisclosure and Barring Service CheckThis post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.Certificate of SponsorshipApplications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).UK Registration Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window). Additional information Disclosure and Barring Service CheckThis post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.Certificate of SponsorshipApplications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).UK Registration Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).Employer detailsEmployer nameUK Health Security AgencyAddressCore HQsBirmingham, Leeds, Liverpool or London (Canary Wharf)E14 4PUUnited KingdomEmployer's websiteEmployer detailsEmployer nameUK Health Security AgencyAddressCore HQsBirmingham, Leeds, Liverpool or London (Canary Wharf)E14 4PUUnited KingdomEmployer's website
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