Network Engineer

National Physical Laboratory; Teddington; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading scientific organization in the UK is seeking a Senior Network Engineer to design and implement network infrastructure for critical national services. The role requires hands-on experience with network equipment and a solid understanding of IT infrastructure. Ideal candidates should possess strong communication skills and a passion for technology in science, with possible opportunities for professional development in a collaborative environment.

Qualifications

• Hands-on experience installing and integrating network equipment.
• Experience with servers, switches, firewalls, WAN, LAN, and routers.
• Cyber security hygiene practices and technology knowledge.

Responsibilities

• Develop comprehensive network designs ensuring robustness.
• Oversee specification and procurement of networking equipment.
• Provide expert-level troubleshooting for complex network issues.

Skills

Hands-on experience of installing, testing and integrating network equipment

Experience with IT and network infrastructure

Exceptional written and oral communication skills

Education

Relevant academic and professional qualifications

Tools

Network monitoring software/tools

Microsoft Azure DevOps

Job description

Our world-leading Time & Frequency department are seeking a Senior Network Engineer with hands‑on infrastructure and network design and implementation experience.

ABOUT THE ROLE:

You will be joining our team at an exciting time - we maintain the UK’s National Time Scale, UTC (NPL), and are currently developing a new resilient Time Scale facility that will underpin our Critical National Infrastructure. This will address the risks associated with our dependency on global navigation satellite systems (such as GPS) that are vulnerable to both natural and intentional interference.

You’ll enjoy collaborating with prominent Scientists, Engineers, and Specialists in Cyber Security, to design and implement network infrastructure to time, quality, and cost.

Key responsibilities:

• Design and Architecture: Develop comprehensive network designs that support the unique needs of scientific and engineering capabilities, ensuring robustness, scalability, and security.
• Build and Specification: Oversee the specification, selection, and procurement of networking equipment, ensuring compatibility and integration with existing and future scientific instruments.
• Configuration and Implementation: Configure and deploy networking solutions, including routers, switches, firewalls, and other network devices, tailored to the specific requirements of each project.
• Security Hygiene: Keep up to date with and apply best practice, collaborating with security specialists.
• Testing: Execute integration tests where appropriate, meticulously documenting, and analysing results to identify potential vulnerabilities and areas for improvement.
• Troubleshooting and Support: Provide expert-level troubleshooting for complex network issues, ensuring minimal downtime and optimal performance of scientific equipment and IT infrastructure.
• Collaboration and Leadership: Work closely with scientific, engineering and IT leadership to ensure technology solutions align with research objectives. Mentor junior staff and lead by example in technical excellence.
• Quality Assurance Coordination: Maintain meticulous records to support quality assurance processes.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Engage with a diverse array of stakeholders, to ensure networking requirements are met and understood.

ABOUT YOU:

Essential:

• Hands‑on experience of installing, testing and integrating network equipment
• Relevant academic and professional qualifications, or equivalent hands‑on experience
• Experience with IT and network infrastructure (servers, switches, firewalls, WAN, LAN, routers, proxy servers), their management software, IT, security tooling setup, and applying policy‑based processes
• Design and commission of systems, aligned with standards and certifications
• Cyber security hygiene practices and technology
• Experience with network monitoring software/tools
• Cloud‑native products, virtualisation, containerisation, and databases technologies installation and management
• Exceptional written and oral communication skills, with the ability to simplify complex technical concepts

Highly‑desirable:

• Experience of Microsoft Azure DevOps
• Agile working practices

It is also desirable if you have interest in Physics, measurements, and communications, for example:

• Time and frequency measurement and time scale steering
• Real‑time monitoring and control of electronic hardware
• Satellite communication, optical fibre and GNSS‑based systems

We actively recruit citizens of all backgrounds, but the nature of our work in specific departments means that nationality, residency and security requirements can be more tightly defined than others. You will be asked about this throughout the recruitment process. To work at NPL, you will need to obtain BPSS security clearance. However, to work in this role in the Time & Frequency department, you will need to have an SC clearance with no restrictions, or you must have the ability to obtain an SC clearance.

Please note: Applications will be reviewed, and interviews conducted throughout the duration of this advert therefore we may at any time bring the closing date forward. We encourage all interested applicants to apply as soon as practical.