(SC cleared) Senior Network Architect - Cisco

Methods; Gloucester; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

LinkedIn Learning access

Wellness programme

Breakfast Tuesdays

Pension Salary Exchange with employer/

Life Assurance

Private Medical Insurance

Worldwide Travel Insurance

Meal events

Job summary

Methods in the United Kingdom is seeking a Senior Network Architect to assess, document and improve enterprise network architecture in a secure defence environment. You will produce current-state designs, roadmap recommendations and ensure true active/active connectivity between two data centres.

The role requires hands-on Cisco ACI, routing, ASA firewalls and F5 load balancers, strong writing and stakeholder communication skills, and a UK SC clearance.

Qualifications

• Senior enterprise network architecture experience with documented designs.
• Hands-on Cisco ACI experience across data centres, including tenants and contracts.
• Strong routing knowledge and IP addressing, with data centre connectivity experience.
• Experience reviewing Cisco ASA configurations, firewall rules and NAT.
• F5 load balancers experience with traffic management and resilience.
• Defence or regulated environments with controlled data handling.

Responsibilities

• Review live network implementations across two data centres and identify gaps.
• Produce current-state High Level and Low Level Designs using company templates and diagrams.
• Review network components (ACI, routing, firewalls, load balancers) with Architecture teams.
• Produce a Network Review and Recommendation Report with practical, low-risk improvements.
• Assess Cisco ACI app-centric capabilities and policy design; plan active/active readiness.
• Lead technical review discussions and secure sign-off of design documentation.
• Maintain controlled technical documentation and contribute to risk and issue reporting.

Skills

Enterprise network architecture

Cisco ACI

Cisco routing

Cisco ASA

F5 load balancers

DR/Active-Active design

Technical writing

Regulated environments

Education

CCNP

CCIE

Tools

Cisco ACI

Cisco routers

Cisco ASA firewalls

F5 load balancers

Job description

DescriptionWe are seeking a Senior Network Architect to assess, document and improve enterprise network architecture in a secure defence environment. You will combine detailed technical investigation with clear design documentation and practical recommendations for operational resilience. Your initial assignment will support bridging the Gap programme and its Network team. The estate spans two data centres and includes Cisco ACI, Cisco routers, Cisco ASA firewalls and F5 load balancers. Working alongside Architecture and Network support teams, you will establish an accurate view of the existing network, recommend improvements with minimal operational risk and assess the changes needed to support true active/active connectivity between the two data centres. Salary: between 70,000 to 80,000Location: Bristol (no remote working)Clearance: a minimum of UK SC clearance

What you will do:

• Review the live network implementation, configurations and legacy design material across both data centres,
  identifying gaps between documented and actual operation.
• Produce accurate current-state High Level Designs and Low Level Designs using company templates, supported by clear topology diagrams, connectivity flows and technical dependencies.
• Review Cisco ACI, routing, firewall and load-balancing arrangements with the Architecture and Network support teams to understand service connectivity and operational constraints.
• Produce a Network Review and Recommendation Report identifying practical improvements that can be made without significant redesign and with minimal risk to live services.
• Assess opportunities to make better use of Cisco ACI application-centric capabilities, including application relationships, segmentation and policy design.
• Present recommended improvements as a prioritised roadmap showing sequencing, interdependencies, implementation considerations and service impact.
• Produce a Network Disaster Recovery Capability Report assessing the changes required for true active/active
  connectivity between the two data centres.
• Explain current connectivity limitations, proposed implementation approaches, risks to existing services and any additional hardware, software or licensing requirements.
• Lead technical review discussions, resolve design comments and secure review and sign-off of design documentation from Architecture and Network teams.
• Maintain controlled technical documentation and supporting evidence, contribute to risk and issue reporting, and submit deliverables through agreed secure channels.

Requirements

• Strong enterprise network architecture experience, including assessing existing implementations and producing accurate High Level Designs and Low Level Designs.
• Hands-on Cisco ACI experience, including fabric architecture, tenants, VRFs, bridge domains, endpoint groups and contracts, with an understanding of application-centric policy design.
• Strong Cisco routing knowledge and practical understanding of IP addressing, routing protocols, segmentation and connectivity between data centres.
• Experience reviewing Cisco ASA firewall configurations, traffic flows, access policies, NAT and high-availability arrangements.
• Experience with F5 load balancers, including traffic management, health monitoring, resilience and dependencies on surrounding network services.
• Experience assessing network disaster recovery and active/active designs, including failure scenarios, failover behaviour, routing symmetry and stateful service dependencies.
• Ability to investigate live configurations safely, identify technical constraints and recommend proportionate changes with clear implementation and operational impacts.
• Strong technical writing, diagramming and stakeholder communication skills, with experience taking designs through formal review and approval.
• Desirable experience Cisco ACI deployments spanning multiple data centres and migration towards application-centric policies.
• Network resilience testing, recovery planning and assessment of hardware, software and licensing options.
• Defence, government or other regulated environments with controlled technical data and formal configuration management.
• Relevant Cisco, F5 or network architecture certifications, such as CCNP or CCIE.

Benefits

By joining us you can expectAutonomy to develop and grow your skills and experienceBe part of exciting project work that is making a difference in societyStrong, inspiring and thought-provoking leadershipA supportive and collaborative environmentAs well as this, we offer:

• Development access to LinkedIn Learning, a management development programme and training
• Wellness 24/7 Confidential employee assistance programme
• Social - Breakfast Tuesdays, Thirsty Thursdays and Pizza on the last Thursday of each month as well as commitment to charitable causes
• Time off 25 days a year; plus the opportunity to purchase extra leave per year
• Pension Salary Exchange Scheme with 4% employer contribution and 5% employee contribution
• Life Assurance of 4 times base salary
• Private
  Medical Insurance which is non-contributory (spouse and dependants included)
• Worldwide Travel Insurance which is non-contributory (spouse and dependants included)

Job SummaryID: 55FA38E458Department: CapabilitiesType: full time