Lead Network Engineer

Hamilton Barnes ?; Greater London; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Central London

Primarily onsite with some flexibility

Standard hours: 9am-5:30pm

No on-call requirement

Job summary

Lead Network Engineer role in London for a prominent UK media organisation. You will own architecture and provide technical leadership for both broadcast and corporate networks, with a focus on live events and zero-downtime delivery.

The position requires deep multicast expertise, robust BGP/OSPF routing, and hands-on leadership of a small engineering team. You will design and operate mission-critical IP networks supporting live broadcast, streaming, and corporate services, while collaborating

Qualifications

• Broadcast networking background essential for role.
• Multicast expertise specific to live broadcast/streaming.
• Strong BGP/OSPF routing in production environments.
• EVPN/VXLAN overlay architecture experience.
• Proven track record delivering networks for live events.
• Experience leading or mentoring a small technical team.
• Familiarity with SMPTE ST 2110, PTP and NMOS is a advantage.
• Arista ACE or Cisco CCNP certification preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide architectural oversight and technical leadership for corporate and broadcast network infrastructure across all sites.
• Design, implement, and operate mission-critical IP networks supporting live broadcast, streaming, and corporate services.
• Lead multicast routing design and optimisation - PIM, SSM, IGMPv2/v3, Rendezvous Points - for streaming and broadcast workflows.
• Plan and deliver network services for large-scale live events - elections, major outside broadcasts, high-profile transmission where zero downtime is essential.
• Own network performance, capacity, resilience, and security across broadcast and corporate environments.
• Collaborate with broadcast engineering and production teams to integrate new systems into the IP production environment.
• Line manage and mentor a small team of network engineers.
• Act as senior escalation point for complex network incidents and high-risk project delivery.
• Manage external suppliers and carriers on circuit provisioning, SLA management, and connectivity projects.

Skills

Broadcast networking background

Multicast expertise

BGP & OSPF routing

EVPN/VXLAN overlay

Leadership / mentoring

SMPTE ST 2110 / PTP / NMOS familiarity

Communication skills

Tools

Arista network hardware

Cisco networking gear

Palo Alto firewalls

Job description

Lead Network Engineer - technical authority at one of the UK's most recognised media organisations

Our client is one of the UK's most established and trusted media and content production organisations - producing live programmes, award-winning journalism, and streaming content watched by audiences across the world. They're looking for a Lead Network Engineer to take technical ownership of the networks that make all of it possible.

This is a genuinely rare role. You need to be as comfortable discussing BGP route policy as you are navigating multicast in a live broadcast environment. You'll lead a small team, own the architecture, deliver for high-profile live events where failure isn't an option, and bridge the gap between enterprise IT networking and the real-time demands of IP broadcast production. If this is your world, there isn't a more interesting place to do it.

WHAT YOU'LL BE DOING

• Provide architectural oversight and technical leadership for corporate and broadcast network infrastructure across all sites
• Design, implement, and operate mission-critical IP networks supporting live broadcast, streaming, and corporate services
• Lead multicast routing design and optimisation - PIM, SSM, IGMPv2/v3, Rendezvous Points - for streaming and broadcast workflows
• Plan and deliver network services for large-scale live events - elections, major outside broadcasts, high-profile transmission where zero downtime is essential
• Own network performance, capacity, resilience, and security across broadcast and corporate environments
• Collaborate with broadcast engineering and production teams to integrate new systems into the IP production environment
• Line manage and mentor a small team of network engineers
• Act as senior escalation point for complex network incidents and high-risk project delivery
• Manage external suppliers and carriers on circuit provisioning, SLA management, and connectivity projects

TECH STACK

• Arista - core broadcast and data centre fabric
• Cisco - corporate and campus networking
• Palo Alto - firewalls and security
• BGP / OSPF | EVPN / VXLAN

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

• Broadcast networking background - this is essential, not a nice-to-have
• Deep multicast expertise - specifically in broadcast or streaming environments, not just general enterprise multicast
• Strong BGP and OSPF routing experience - Cisco and Arista in a production environment
• Solid EVPN/VXLAN overlay architecture experience
• Proven track record delivering networks for live, high-pressure events where availability is non-negotiable
• Experience leading or mentoring a small technical team
• Familiarity with SMPTE ST 2110, PTP (IEEE 1588), and NMOS is a significant advantage
• Arista ACE or Cisco CCNP certification preferred
• Confident communicator - able to bridge IT and broadcast engineering teams clearly

THE PACKAGE

• Central London
• Primarily onsite with some flexibility
• Standard hours: 9am-5:30pm
• No on-call requirement

WHY THIS ROLE STANDS OUT

• One of the most recognisable media organisations in the UK - work with genuine national significance
• Broadcast networking at this level is rare - live elections, royal events, and major outside broadcasts on your CV
• Technical authority with team leadership - architecture, delivery, and people in one role
• No on-call requirement - serious role, sensible working hours
• Broad collaboration across broadcast engineering, production, and cyber security