Principal Engineer

STR Group Limited; Portsmouth; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading tech recruitment company in the UK is seeking a Principal Hardware Engineer to oversee the physical delivery and management of infrastructure in critical environments. The ideal candidate will have over 5 years' experience in data centre operations, strong technical knowledge, and the ability to lead projects effectively. Responsibilities include managing hardware installations and ensuring compliance with safety standards. The role may require travel and working flexible hours.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of experience in data centre operations or infrastructure engineering.
• Strong knowledge of storage, networking hardware, and data centre best practices.
• Experience with RAMS in critical environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead physical installations and manage infrastructure delivery.
• Maintain documentation and ensure compliance with standards.
• Work with project teams to support infrastructure projects.

Skills

Methodical approach

Strong communication

Ability to prioritize workload

Calm under pressure

Job description

Principal Hardware Engineer

Senior hands-on role responsible for the physical delivery and lifecycle management of infrastructure across data centres, build labs, and office environments. This role combines deep technical expertise with on-site leadership, risk ownership, and responsibility for engineering standards in critical environments.

Key Responsibilities

Infrastructure Delivery

• Lead and execute physical build, installation, relocation, and decommissioning of servers, storage, and network hardware
• Own rack layouts, structured cabling, patching, labelling, and cable management standards
• Coordinate power, cooling, and space planning with facilities and design teams
• Oversee logistics, manual handling, and on-site hardware movements

Risk, Safety & Change

• Produce and maintain RAMS for engineering activities
• Identify operational risks and implement mitigations
• Operate within formal Change Management processes, including CAB participation for data centre works
• Enforce health and safety standards on site

Documentation & Compliance

• Maintain accurate asset records and site documentation
• Support audits and compliance requirements including ISO 9001, ISO 27001, and PCI-DSS

Project Support

• Work with project managers, architects, and third parties to deliver infrastructure projects
• Provide technical input for data centre migrations, expansions, and refresh cycles

Experience & Skills Required

Experience

• 5+ years in data centre operations or infrastructure engineering
• Strong knowledge of commodity compute, storage, and networking hardware
• Advanced understanding of data centre best practice
• Experience producing and working to RAMS in critical environments
• Structured cabling expertise (Cat6/6a, OM3/OM4, fibre)
• Working knowledge of power distribution, PDUs, and load balancing

Skills

• Methodical, accurate, and calm under pressure
• Clear communicator with engineers, customers, and stakeholders
• Takes ownership of on-site decisions and outcomes
• Able to prioritise workload across multiple activities

Vetting & Practical Requirements

• Clean manual driving licence
• Valid passport
• Ability to pass BS7858 vetting
• Eligibility for UK SC clearance (5 years UK residency)
• Willingness to travel to UK and overseas sites
• Flexibility to work nights and weekends when required