Network and Telecoms Technical Lead

RS UK & Ireland; Corby; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

RS is recruiting for a Network and Telecoms Technical Lead to oversee performance, availability and support of global network services. You will work with third parties, vendors and internal teams in a hands-on leadership role across Cisco, FMC, WLC, ISE and related platforms.

You will drive continuous improvement, manage supplier contracts, ensure security and risk controls, and align initiatives with business needs in a remote UK role.

Qualifications

• Experience maintaining large-scale network and telecom services.
• Ability to lead incident, problem, change and release management.
• Proven vendor and contract management capabilities.
• Strong communication skills, including board-level engagement.
• Experience with ITIL lifecycle management.
• Knowledge of Cisco Switching/Routing and FortiGate exposure.

Responsibilities

• Support BAU operations, incidents and projects with vendors.
• Ensure services are delivered per contractual, architectural, security and availability requirements.
• Manage supplier relationships, service reviews, renewals and performance.
• Act as liaison between IT Operations, Business Change, IT Delivery and providers.
• Review changes, attend CAB meetings, transition new services into support.
• Support governance, planning, patching and operational controls.
• Identify service improvements and cost-saving opportunities.

Skills

Cisco CLI experience

Firewalling experience

Multinational telecoms experience

ITIL processes (Incident/Problem/CH/RE

Vendor and contract management

Stakeholder management

Budget awareness

Matrix-management experience

Education

ITIL Practitioner

Tools

Cisco IOS/CLI tools

Job description

Location

This is a remote role, offering the flexibility to work virtually from anywhere within the UK.

Contract Type

Permanent

The Opportunity

As a Network and Telecoms Technical Lead, you will play a key role in ensuring the performance, availability and support of our global network, telephony, security, and fixed and wireless services. Working closely with third‑party vendors and service providers, you will be responsible for service delivery, supplier and contract management, and the ongoing operation of our network and telecommunications estate. This is a hands‑on technical leadership role within a complex multinational environment, offering the opportunity to work across a broad range of technologies. You will be actively involved in the Cisco ecosystem, including Switching & Routing, FMC, WLC, ISE and Catalyst Center, while also gaining exposure to platforms such as FortiGate. You will drive continuous improvement, support business‑critical projects, and help shape the future direction of our network and telecommunications services, ensuring they remain secure, resilient and aligned with business needs.

What You Will Be Doing

• Support BAU operations, projects and incident resolution, working with vendors and partners to minimise business impact.
• Ensure Network and Telecommunications services are delivered in line with contractual, architectural, security and availability requirements.
• Manage supplier and vendor relationships, including service reviews, contract renewals and service performance.
• Act as a key liaison between IT Operations, Business Change, IT Delivery, support teams and third‑party providers.
• Review and approve changes, attend CAB meetings, and support the successful transition of new and changed services into support.
• Support financial governance, resource planning, certificate management, vulnerability patching and other operational controls.
• Identify and implement service improvements, cost‑saving opportunities and continuous improvement initiatives.

What You’ll Bring

• Hands‑on experience of Cisco switching and routing CLI, with firewalling experience advantageous.
• Experience of multinational telecoms provision and support, including network infrastructure, WAN, LAN, mobile, telephony, data centres and cloud partners.
• Clear understanding of ITIL principles and Incident, Problem, Change and Release Management processes (ITIL Foundation preferred).
• Extensive experience of defining, supporting and managing the lifecycle of Network and Telecommunications services.
• Experience of managing outsourced support teams, suppliers and vendors, including contractual obligations, SLAs and formal supplier relationship management.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to translate technical information into business terminology, including engagement at board level.
• Experience of working in a matrix‑managed environment, with awareness of budgets and cost control processes.
• Strong decision‑making skills and the ability to maintain clear and focused thinking under high‑pressure situations.
• Ability to keep updated on technology trends and solutions within the Network and Telecommunications arena.

Desirable

• ITIL v3 Practitioner or ITIL 4 Managing Professional (or equivalent).

We Are RS

At RS, we are making amazing happen for a better world.

As a global product and service solutions provider, we help industrial customers operate more efficiently and sustainably. Operating in 33 markets, we support around one million customers worldwide with more than 875,000 stocked products, access to over five million additional products, and a range of service solutions designed to help businesses thrive.

What sets us apart is our people. More than 8,500 colleagues around the world bring technical expertise, digital innovation, and a customer first mindset to everything we do. Guided by our values – we are one team, we deliver brilliantly, we do the right thing, and we make every day better, we're creating an environment where our people can grow, contribute and make a meaningful impact.

Join us and help make amazing happen.

Rewards

Our Reward Strategy Philosophy is designed to offer market competitive base salaries and provide all of our people the opportunity to participate in a short‑term incentive, enabling them to share in the success of the Company.

Our total reward package is more than just the cash; our recognition and benefit offering provide the opportunity for us to recognise, reward and enable the wellbeing of our people at all stages of their journey with RS. Our rewards and benefits vary by country, but include:

• Financial - pension/retirement; life assurance; salary finance (payroll deduction loan scheme)
• Wellbeing - medical plans; health screening; critical illness; disability insurance; holiday / paid time off; employee assistance programme; discounted gym/health club membership
• Lifestyle - transportation assistance schemes (e.g., cycle to work, travel loans, car leasing); onsite catering/lunch vouchers; retail discounts
• Spotlight – our global recognition programme provides a platform to highlight and recognise people role modelling our values

Ready to Make Amazing Happen?

Join over 8,500 colleagues and help us shape the future of our industry. Whoever you are, wherever you are — it all starts here.