Principal Network Engineer (SC Cleared)
New Today
Principal Network Engineer
to join a high-profile Government Digital function. In this role, you will act as the Technical Design Authority (TDA) for a national-scale digital infrastructure, providing strategic leadership for one of the most complex network estates in the UK. As a Principal Engineer, you won't just be managing technology; you will be managing the technical roadmap. You will bridge the gap between high-level policy requirements and low-level engineering execution, ensuring a secure-by-design, resilient, and automated network environment.
Key Responsibilities
Technical Design Authority:
Lead the architectural direction and serve as the final escalation point for complex network routing, switching, and security issues.
Strategic Transformation:
Drive the migration from legacy infrastructure to a modern, automated
SD-WAN
and
Multi-Cloud
ecosystem (AWS/Azure).
Leadership & Governance:
Manage technical relationships with Tier 1 Implementation Partners and internal delivery teams to ensure alignment with departmental standards.
Automation Strategy:
Champion 'Network as Code' initiatives, overseeing the deployment of CI/CD pipelines for network configuration and monitoring.
Stakeholder Influence:
Provide authoritative advice to Senior Civil Service (SCS) leaders on risk, budget, and technological investment.
Technical Stack & Requirements
Routing & Switching:
Expert-level knowledge of
Juniper (Mist/SSR)
and/or Cisco enterprise solutions.
SD-WAN:
Proven experience designing and implementing tunnel-less or session-smart routing architectures.
Public Cloud:
High proficiency in
AWS Cloud WAN ,
Azure ExpressRoute , and secure transit gateway connectivity.
Security:
Deep understanding of
Palo Alto
or Fortinet firewalls within a Zero Trust framework.
Infrastructure as Code:
Hands-on experience with
Terraform ,
Ansible , and Python for network automation.
Standards:
Strong familiarity with NCSC security principles and GDS service standards.
Essential Criteria
Current SC Clearance:
You must hold active SC clearance to be considered.
Principal Level Experience:
Demonstrable experience leading large-scale network departments at senior level
Communication:
Exceptional ability to translate complex technical jargon into strategic business value for non-technical leaders.
TPBN1_UKTJ
- Location:
- United Kingdom
- Job Type:
- FullTime
- Category:
- IT;IT