Principal Network Engineer - HO - G6
Government Digital & Data -
Location
Manchester M5 3LZ, Liverpool L3 9BP, Croydon CR0 2WF
About the job
Job summary
We are seeking seasoned Network Architects and Engineers with a proven track record in designing, delivering, and securing complex enterprise-grade network infrastructures.
As a Principal Network Engineer/Architect at the Home Office, you will play a pivotal role in leading the development, design, implementation, and ongoing operation of the enterprise network underpinning the Home Office’s critical systems and services.
In this leadership position, you will oversee the development of robust, secure, and scalable network solutions, you will take a lead role in developing the roadmaps for network technologies and core network services and lead internal teams including 3rd party suppliers in the design and delivery of our networks, overseeing the multitude of projects that deliver new capabilities to the Home Office.
This role requires a strategic and collaborative mindset. You will expected to lead or work within multi-disciplinary teams, including Civil Servant, suppliers, and third-party providers to ensure our network infrastructure is designed and implemented with security, scalability, resilience, reliability, and performance at its core. By embedding Secure by Design principles, you will safeguard our operations, data, and resources while ensuring seamless integration across digital programs.
This role demands deep, hands-on experience across large-scale environments, including LAN, WAN, SD-WAN, and Data Centre networking, and network security. Ideal candidates will have demonstrable expertise in translating business requirements into resilient, scalable, and secure network solutions, and will be comfortable operating in high-stakes, real-world scenarios.
Job description
A Principal Network Engineer is a technical leader, responsible for developing strategic and tactical engineering roadmaps for technologies and services. Ensuring they are future proofed and maximise value of technology investments. You define engineering best practice within the Home Office and inspire others to adopt them. You may be responsible for the operational relationships with suppliers ensuring network services align with industry best practice, regulatory and contractual requirements.
You will lead and direct network teams in building, managing, transitioning, supporting, and maintaining solutions according to departmental policy and strategy.
You will work with technical architects to ensure continuous improvement to the service catalogue, future designs, and service operability. You will lead overall management activities such as workforce planning, budgeting, technology roadmaps, projects, and tasks.
What you will do
Your main day to day responsibilities will be:
- Presenting verbal and written information clearly and accurately in language which is appropriate for different channels, and which meets the needs of the user.
- Leading internal teams, suppliers and departments in the design, implementation, administration and support of network solutions and services.
- Providing support to make sure that solutions and services are designed with security controls embedded, specifically engineered as mitigation against security threats.
- Ensuring that the right actions are taken to investigate, resolve and anticipate network problems, coordinating teams to investigate issues, implement solutions and establish preventative measures.
- Identifying the correct procedures and appropriate channels for resolution and monitor resolution activities and progress updates to users.
- Establishing standards and procedures across a service lifecycle including the development lifecycle and ensure that engineers adhere to this. You will manage resources to ensure that the networks integration function works effectively.
- Providing authoritative advice and guidance on test planning and identify network improvements to make decisions on standards and best practice.
Like many organisations we need to maintain our services 24/7, therefore, on occasions there may be a requirement to work out of hours, for which you will be paid an additional allowance.
Please note: occasional travel to other Home Office locations may be required.
Person specification
UK residency and security requirements - You need to have lived in the UK for the past 5 years.
You’ll have a demonstrable passion for Network Engineering with the following skills or proven experience in:
- Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) encompassing enterprise infrastructure; Or demonstrate substantial hands-on experience in leading network design and implementation in large scale private or public sector organisations.
- Core technical LAN and WAN concepts, including wireless connectivity, switching, routing, firewalling, load balancing, network segmentation and security.
- Key engineering principles and standards, and the ability to inspire others to follow these.
- Managing and delivering complex technologies within time, cost and quality targets.
- Ensuring all solutions are robust, resilient and appropriately implemented, secured, tested and documented.
- Advising on future technology changes and innovations and defining best practice for network improvements and information security.
SFIA capability framework
Skills for the Information Age (SFIA) is the technical framework that sets the standard capability and development of all engineering levels in the Home Office. This is a link to the capability framework: All skills A–Z — English (sfia-online.org)
We use set SFIA technical skills to form our interview questions and we will assess you against these technical skills during the selection process.
SFIA levels of responsibility – Use the SFIA Levels of responsibility to understand what would be expected for each Technical Skill listed below.
SFIA Technical Skills
The essential technical skills listed above are reflective of the Home Office Government Digital and Data Profession Career Framework. Please see below for the relevant skills required for your role.
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Specialist advice (TECH) - Level 4
- Network design (NTDS) - Level 5
- Testing (TEST) - Level 4
- Incident Management (USUP) - Level 4
- Systems installation and removal (HSIN) – Level 4
- Organisational facilitation (OFCL) - Level 5
