Network Manager - Travel & Leisure

Hamilton Barnes Associates Limited; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 63,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading rail network company in the UK is looking for a Network Engineering Lead to guide a team in transforming from legacy networks to modern SD-WAN architecture. The role requires strong technical expertise, experience managing teams, and strategic oversight alongside hands-on responsibilities. Benefits include a competitive salary up to £75,000, hybrid working from London Bridge Station, and generous leave policies.

Benefits

Final salary pension scheme

25 days annual leave plus bank holidays

Free rail travel

Opportunity to lead transformation

Technology strategy involvement

Qualifications

• Experience managing a network engineering team in an enterprise or public sector setting.
• Deep technical understanding of network technologies.
• Experience with SD-WAN architectures and legacy migration.

Responsibilities

• Lead a global team of Network Engineers to manage IP/MPLS infrastructure.
• Drive transformation from MPLS to SD-WAN architecture.
• Develop and maintain connectivity technology roadmap.
• Manage vendor relationships to optimize network performance.

Skills

Network Engineering Management

Fortinet SD-WAN

Cisco Routing/Switching

IPSec VPNs

Automation Tools

NetDevOps Practices

Vendor Management

Network Performance Monitoring

Capacity Planning

Network Security

Job description

Are you looking for an exciting new opportunity? Join one of the UK’s busiest rail networks, operating around 1,600 trains a day and carrying over 400,000 passengers each weekday across 181 stations and 540 miles of track. The company is proud to run the nation’s first domestic high‑speed service with Javelin trains, setting new standards in efficiency and performance. With a dedicated team of more than 4,500 employees, they continue to play a vital role in keeping London and the surrounding regions connected every day.

If you would like to learn more about this opportunity, feel free to reach out and apply today!

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a global team of 4 Network Engineers responsible for delivering highly available IP/MPLS infrastructure.
• Drive the transformation from a legacy MPLS network to a modern Fortinet SD‑WAN architecture to improve resilience, performance, and cost efficiency.
• Develop and maintain the organisation’s connectivity technology roadmap, ensuring alignment with business goals and security standards.
• Manage key vendor relationships with Vodafone, BT, and other CSPs to optimise network performance and commercial value.
• Oversee design, configuration, and capacity management across the Fortinet and Cisco network estate.
• Implement NetDevOps methodologies and automation tools to streamline deployment and configuration management.
• Establish a robust observability and monitoring framework to ensure proactive performance management.
• Design and deliver Zero Trust network architecture principles, implementing segmentation and controls to meet regulatory and public sector compliance.
• Manage and secure LAN, WAN, and wireless networks across the business.
• Act as SME for networking in all major projects and transformation programmes.
• Own processes and procedures for network continuity, recovery, and governance.
• Represent the networking function in IT governance forums including CAB and IT Change Panels.
• Support the Head of IT in shaping infrastructure strategy and driving continuous improvement.

Skills / Must Have

• Proven experience managing or leading a network engineering team within an enterprise or public sector environment.
• Deep technical understanding of Fortinet SD‑WAN, Cisco routing/switching, and IPSec VPNs.
• Experience migrating from legacy MPLS to SD‑WAN architectures.
• Strong grasp of network security, segmentation, and Zero Trust concepts.
• Practical experience with automation tools and NetDevOps practices.
• Excellent vendor management and stakeholder communication skills.
• Strong understanding of network performance, monitoring, and capacity planning.
• Ability to operate strategically while remaining hands‑on when needed.

Benefits

• Final salary pension scheme
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
• Free rail travel across the organisation’s network
• Hybrid working (3 days onsite at London Bridge Station)
• Opportunity to lead a major network transformation programme
• Involvement in technology strategy at an enterprise and national level

Location

• 3 days a week onsite
• London Bridge Station

Salary

• Up to £75,000 per annum