Senior Specialist Engineer - Networks

Network Architecture, Design & Delivery

• Act 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 Management

• Provide 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 Leadership

Lead 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 criteria

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.

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 criteria

Experience 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 process

This 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: Interview

You 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 pace

Making effective decisions

Communicating and influencing

Managing a quality service

Interviews 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.

Location

This 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 criteria

Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including by definition internal applicants).

Security clearance level requirement

Successful 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.