Network Solution Architect

Sanderson Government and Defence; Salisbury; On-site; GBP 126,000 - 154,000; Full time

Job summary

Sanderson Government and Defence is seeking an experienced Network Solutions Architect to design and assure secure network architectures for a major Defence and National Security programme. This role focuses on delivering secure, resilient network designs that underpin critical services and operations.

You will provide technical leadership, collaborate with engineering and security teams, and support accreditation and governance activities, ensuring alignment with Defence standards.

Qualifications

• Experience designing secure networks for Defence or national security environments.
• Ability to apply Secure by Design principles across the solution lifecycle.
• Proven track record leading technical projects and communicating designs to stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Design and assure secure network architectures within Defence environments.
• Apply Secure by Design principles throughout the solution lifecycle.
• Assess and mitigate security risks across network and infrastructure platforms.
• Provide technical leadership and architectural guidance to project teams.
• Support security accreditation and governance activities.
• Collaborate with engineering, security, and programme teams to deliver robust and resilient solutions.
• Ensure architectures align with Defence security standards and operational requirements.

Skills

Cisco routing & switching

Cisco ASA

Cisco ACI

IOS/NX-OS

Wireless networking

IP networking

Security governance

Stakeholder management

Leadership

Security clearance

Tools

Windows Server

Active Directory

Exchange

SharePoint

Group Policy

Job description

Network Solutions Architect

Salisbury - 2-3 days per week on site

£750 a day Inside IR35

Requires Active DV Clearance

Join a Critical Defence Programme

We are seeking an experienced Network Solution Architect to support a major Defence and National Security programme. This is an opportunity to play a pivotal role in designing, assuring, and evolving secure network architectures that underpin important services and operational capabilities.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and assure secure network architectures within Defence environments.
• Apply Secure by Design principles throughout the solution lifecycle.
• Assess and mitigate security risks across network and infrastructure platforms.
• Provide technical leadership and architectural guidance to project teams and stakeholders.
• Support security accreditation and governance activities.
• Collaborate with engineering, security, and programme teams to deliver robust and resilient solutions.
• Ensure architectures align with Defence security standards and operational requirements.

Essential experience

• Strong experience with core Cisco networking technologies, including:
• Routing & Switching
• Cisco ASA Firewalls
• Cisco ACI
• Cisco IOS & NX-OS
• Wireless Networking
• Good knowledge of network orchestration and automation technologies.
• Concrete understanding of vendor-independent IP networking concepts and associated technologies such as:
• DHCP
• DNS
• Core Network Services
• Experience leading technical projects and collaborating within multi-disciplinary teams.
• Proven ability to prepare, present, and communicate technical designs to a high standard.
• Experience working with Microsoft technologies including:
• Windows Server
• Active Directory
• Exchange
• SharePoint
• Group Policy
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Active Security Clearance with ability to gain DV clearance.

Desirable Experience

• Previous experience working within Defence, National Security, Government or Critical National Infrastructure environments.
• Experience of virtualisation platforms and associated infrastructure technologies.
• Knowledge of architecture and project delivery frameworks such as TOGAF and PRINCE2.
• Familiarity with SIEM technologies and wider network security tooling.
• Cisco Unified Communications and/or Asterisk PABX experience.
• Experience with cloud technologies including Microsoft Azure, AWS and Microsoft 365.

Reasonable Adjustments:

Respect and equality are core values to us. We are proud of the diverse and inclusive community we have built, and we welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and perspectives. Our success is driven by our people, united by the spirit of partnership to deliver the best resourcing solutions for our clients.