Principal Network Engineer 2

Ocho People; Belfast; Remote; GBP 100,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

A technology-focused company is seeking a Principal Network Engineer to lead the design and implementation of complex network systems in a remote capacity across the UK & Ireland. With a focus on cloud environments and mentorship, the ideal candidate will have over 10 years of experience and a strong background in both networking and leadership. This role offers a competitive salary up to £115,000 based on experience.

Qualifications

• 10+ years' experience in enterprise network/system design and support.
• 10+ years working across cloud environments (AWS/Azure/GCP).
• 5+ years in a technical lead or architect role.
• Deep expertise with Palo Alto Firewalls & Panorama, Juniper routing & switching.
• Strong background in DR planning, monitoring, and observability tooling.

Responsibilities

• Provide senior leadership on design and standards across network engineering.
• Evaluate, design, and implement advanced technical solutions.
• Support core infrastructure across lifecycle management.
• Act as a key liaison between Engineering, Security, and Architecture functions.
• Ensure system availability, performance, and operational integrity.

Skills

Enterprise network/system design

Cloud environments (AWS/Azure/GCP)

Technical leadership

Palo Alto Firewalls

Networking protocols (OSPF, BGP)

Scripting (Bash, PowerShell, Python)

Disaster recovery planning

Communication and leadership

Tools

Palo Alto Firewalls

Juniper equipment

Ansible

Terraform

Job description

Overview

Principal Network Engineer - Remote UK & Ireland - up to £115,000

At Ocho, we partner with forward-thinking organisations who share our obsession with doing things differently. They believe in empowering small, highly skilled teams to tackle big challenges, providing autonomy, support, and the tools you need to succeed without unnecessary processes getting in the way. They encourage growth, curiosity, and collaboration - where solving real-world problems the right way is the focus, and where ideas are shared openly to drive innovation.

The Role

We are seeking a Principal Network Engineer to lead on the design, implementation, and stewardship of complex enterprise network and hosting environments across multi-cloud (AWS, Azure, GCP) and on-premise infrastructures. You\'ll balance hands-on engineering with leadership responsibilities, guiding peers across TechOps, DevOps, and InfoSec while ensuring observability, high availability, security, and infrastructure-as-code practices are embedded.

You\'ll also play a critical role in modernising legacy platforms and migrating them to next-generation infrastructure.

Responsibilities

• Provide senior leadership on design and standards across network engineering, mentoring and guiding peers
• Evaluate, design, and implement advanced technical solutions, ensuring alignment with business outcomes
• Support core infrastructure (switches, routers, load balancers, firewalls, wireless, compute, storage, virtualisation) across lifecycle management, capacity planning, incident/change/problem resolution
• Act as a key liaison between Engineering, Security, and Architecture functions
• Ensure system availability, performance, and operational integrity at enterprise scale
• Drive adoption of emerging technologies that improve productivity and reduce cost
• Lead capacity planning, DR strategy, and preventative maintenance planning
• Produce high-quality documentation, policies, and standards for network operations
• Report on network performance, security posture, and service levels to senior leadership
• Operate with autonomy, setting priorities and driving deliverables end-to-end

Requirements

• 10+ years\' experience in enterprise network/system design and support
• 10+ years working across cloud environments (AWS/Azure/GCP)
• 5+ years in a technical lead or architect role
• Deep hands-on expertise with Palo Alto Firewalls & Panorama, Juniper routing & switching, VXLAN & EVPN
• Advanced knowledge of OSPF, BGP, VPNs, wireless (Juniper preferred), and network security concepts (ACLs, NAC, 802.1x)
• Experience with authentication (LDAP/AD, RADIUS), Windows/Linux OS, scripting (Bash, PowerShell, Python), and IaC tools (Ansible, Terraform)
• Strong background in DR planning, monitoring, and observability tooling
• Excellent communication and leadership skills - able to influence at Principal to VP level
• Proven record of delivering complex projects in dynamic environments

Desirable

• Certifications such as PCNSE, JNCIP/JNCIE, CCSP, ITIL
• Exposure to configuration management (Chef, Puppet, Ansible)
• AWS/Azure/GCP certifications highly advantageous

Package

• Salary: up to £115,000 depending on experience
• Location: Remote UK & Ireland
• Culture: Empowered teams, real ownership, focus on outcomes

Apply here or reach out to Aaron Somers at Ocho for more information via LinkedIn.