Principal Hardware Engineer

Insignis Talent; Newcastle upon Tyne; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading recruitment firm is seeking a Principal Hardware Engineer in Newcastle upon Tyne. This senior, hands-on role demands expertise in managing data centre infrastructure, including the installation and relocation of hardware. The ideal candidate will have over 5 years of experience in infrastructure engineering, strong knowledge of data centre practices, and the ability to lead teams. Responsibilities include ownership of cabling standards and coordinating with facilities on power and cooling requirements.

Qualifications

• 5+ years’ experience in data centre operations or infrastructure engineering.
• Strong knowledge of compute, storage, and networking hardware.
• Solid understanding of data centre best practice.

Responsibilities

• Lead physical build, installation, and relocation of hardware.
• Own rack layouts and cable management standards.
• Coordinate power and cooling with facilities teams.
• Ensure compliance with health and safety standards.

Skills

Experience in data centre operations

Knowledge of compute hardware

Knowledge of storage hardware

Knowledge of networking hardware

Understanding of data centre best practice

Structured cabling knowledge (Cat6/6a, OM3/OM4, fibre)

Knowledge of power distribution

Experience in lead engineer roles

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 position combines deep technical expertise with on‑site leadership, risk ownership, and accountability for engineering standards in critical environments.

What you’ll be doing

• Leading physical build, installation, relocation, and decommissioning of servers, storage, and network hardware
• Owning rack layouts, structured cabling, patching, labelling, and cable management standards
• Coordinating power, cooling, and space planning with facilities and design teams
• Producing and maintaining RAMS and operating within formal Change Management processes
• Identifying operational risks and enforcing health and safety standards
• Acting as senior technical authority and escalation point for physical infrastructure
• Mentoring field engineers and allocating work based on capability and project needs
• Supporting data centre migrations, expansions, and refresh programmes

What you’ll need

• 5+ years’ experience in data centre operations or infrastructure engineering
• Strong knowledge of compute, storage, and networking hardware
• Solid understanding of data centre best practice
• Experience working to RAMS in critical environments
• Structured cabling knowledge (Cat6/6a, OM3/OM4, fibre)
• Working knowledge of power distribution, PDUs, and load balancing
• Proven experience operating as a senior or lead engineer

Practical requirements

• Clean manual driving licence and valid passport
• Able to pass BS7858 vetting
• Eligible for UK SC clearance (5 years UK residency)
• Willing to travel and work out of hours when required