Data Centre Firewall (Checkpoint) and Interconnect Specialist

BT Group; Birmingham, Manchester, Sheffield, Glasgow; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

10% on target bonus

Pension scheme

25 days annual leave

Flexible benefits

Training & development

BT Shares

Discounted broadband

Job summary

BT Group is seeking a Data Centre Firewall (Checkpoint) and Interconnect Specialist to join the Networks division. Based across Birmingham, Glasgow, Manchester or Sheffield, you will manage complex firewall infrastructure and ensure 24/7 network security and availability.

You will lead risk assessments, incident response, interconnect governance, and collaborate with senior stakeholders to balance business needs with security.

Qualifications

• Core firewall knowledge with Cisco and Checkpoint expertise.
• Experience in large-scale network environments and security.
• Ability to communicate security requirements to varied audiences.

Responsibilities

• Proactive risk management and incident response with clear stakeholder communication.
• Restore service within SLA and conduct fault investigations to prevent recurrence.
• Deploy mitigations across the data centre estate.
• Lead interconnect governance and security reviews with senior stakeholders.
• Provide guidance on interconnect tooling and automation needs.
• Collaborate with policy owners to ensure alignment with BT standards.
• Offer out-of-hours support as part of an on-call rota.

Skills

Firewall knowledge

Large-scale networks

Fault finding

Systems integration

Security assessment

Communication

Tools

Cisco

Checkpoint

Job description

Job Title: Data Centre Firewall (Checkpoint) and Interconnect Specialist

Req ID: 63610

Job Function: Engineering

Posting Start Date: 13/10/2026

Posting End Date: 27/10/2026

Division: Networks

Job Location: GBR Glasgow - Alexndr Bain Hse, GBR Sheffield Endeavour, GBR-Birmingham-Three Snowhill, GBR-Manchester-New Bailey

Advertised Salary: competitive with great benefits

Career Grade: CLD

Location: Birmingham, Glasgow, Manchester or Sheffield

About the role

In Networks our aim is to create brilliant converged services over the best network and they’ll be personal, simple and brilliant to use. Being part of the Data Centre Team in Networks the role holder plays a big part in this. BT’s core business traverses our Network and Firewall devices – we need to make sure our Network is up, accessible and functioning correctly 24/7 to meet the expectation of our customers.

This role is fundamental to maintaining the BT Network Management Systems Security posture. As a business we need to be proactive in identifying security issues, highlight concerns and reduce risk. This works in tandem with our ability to react quickly and effectively when operations are threatened by issues outside of BT’s risk appetite.

Ensuring the security of BT’s complex architecture, applications and services in-line with the expectations of our customers is a prime objective of our business. Appraising the risk BT faces from the wider connected world this role assures the protection of BT Group’s brands and reputation, supports improvements to our Security controls and helps maintain BT’s critical business operations.

This role requires the ability to understand and configure complex firewall infrastructure while supporting connectivity technologies and how they are applied in the context of the BT estate.

You will be able communicate issues and concerns to stakeholders with differing levels of technical ability and present arguments for change or mitigation. You will support BTs ability to connect its networks, applications and customers across and outside of the BT estate. As a result, you will be called upon to support time sensitive business critical deliveries with Senior stakeholders, working to deliver solutions that balance the business need with any additional risk.

Due to the operational nature of the work there will be a requirement to be part of an on call rota and out of hours working is available.

What you’ll be doing

• Accountable for Operational Service Delivery including
  • Proactive risk management – identify issues and take personal action to mitigate the risk
  • Reactive incident management – take personal action to act with a sense of urgency to minimise business impact with clear stakeholder communication throughout
• Responsible for ensuring any loss of service is restored within SLA following an infrastructure incident and completion of a comprehensive fault investigation to prevent reoccurrence;
• Manage deployment of prevention of reoccurrence mitigations across the estate.
• Ability to make decisions even when faced with ambiguity
• First delivery of new infrastructure technology into the BT’s data centre estate. Evaluating technology and developing best practices for further builds and support, ensuring all relevant security standards are adhered to.
• Develop and implement operational support model for new technology deployments, including delivery of comprehensive training both inside and outside the immediate technical team.
• Vendor interaction for management of complex support issues
• Responsible for relationships with senior BT Management, up to Board level, on systems issues relating to risk compliance, incident management affecting BT
• Responsible for the management of commercially viable IT solutions that support LoB performance and client relationships
• Engage in stakeholder reviews for complex interconnect issues, managing interdependencies between applications and security domains.
• Provide technical advice and guidance Pan BT for Interconnect Security Governance, approvals and policy for all of BT’s Corporate Applications and Firewall Estate
• Due to BTs complex network structures you will need to be able to identify where the requested interconnect requirements will not produce the expected outcome. You are able to provide guidance and recommendations for alternate solutions.
• Collaborate with wider stakeholders, policy and standard owners to ensure interconnect alignment and review in a changing environment. Provide feedback on automation requirements for interconnect tooling, enabling the interconnect workflow to mature
• Responsible for Identifying security risks, developing mitigation controls that reduce the possibility of the risks occurring.
• Provide out of hours support and consultancy for incident resolution (on call rota)

Essential Skills / Experience

• Technical Expert Knowledge of core Firewall devices - Primary Vendors Cisco & Checkpoint.
• Technical background in large scale network & IT environments.
• Excellent Fault finding across the Network Security estate
• Experience of connecting different technologies, networks, systems and applications both internally & externally
• Understanding of complete End to End assessment of system security, from end user access to server technical compliance.
• The ability to communicate technical requirements either verbally or written to a diverse group of customers with differing technical skill levels

Desirable Skills / Experience

• A very good understanding of BT Networks and the application of security controls within these environments.
• Professional level experience of Network Devices – Routers, Switches, Load Balancers, routing protocols
• An interest in automation and it’s uses within a technical environment
• Proven strong customer facing skills.
• Efficient problem solver in enterprise environment.

Our Package

Tailored benefits make a real difference. That’s why we offer a comprehensive range to support your growth, wellbeing, and everyday life.

• 10% on target bonus
• A BT Pension scheme, minimum 5% Employee contribution, BT contribution 10%
• From January 2025, equal family leave: receive 18 weeks at full pay, 8 weeks at half pay and 26 weeks at the statutory rate. It’s for all parents, no matter how your family is made up.
• 25 days annual leave (not including bank holidays), increasing with service
• Huge range of flexible benefits including cycle to work, healthcare, season ticket loan
• World-class training and development opportunities
• Option to join BT Shares Saving schemes.
• Discounted broadband, mobile and TV packages
• Access to 100’s of retail discounts including the BT shop
• You can select additional benefits, including healthcare, dental, gym memberships and more when you’re ready.

BT Group is the UK’s leading communications group and the holding company behind some of the country’s most recognised brands – including BT, EE, Openreach and Plusnet. Our purpose is as simple as it is ambitious: we connect for good. Our customers include consumers, small, medium and large businesses, public sector organisations and other communications providers.

BT Group’s role is about setting direction, unlocking value and creating the conditions for our brands and businesses to thrive.

Having come through the most capital-intensive phase of our fibre investment, our focus now is on what comes next – simplifying how we operate, using technology and AI to work smarter, and organising ourselves to serve customers better and grow sustainably. Group teams shape strategy, policy, brand, capital allocation and transformation, helping the whole organisation perform at its best.

We have a singular culture that unites all our people: we are customer-first challengers, who are committed, clear and connected. These behaviours unite us as one team to deliver for our colleagues, our customers, our stakeholders and the country. Joining BT Group means working at the heart of a business that matters to the UK, with the opportunity to shape decisions, influence outcomes and help set the future course of one of the country’s most important companies.