Senior Network Specialist

British Transport Police; United Kingdom; Hybrid; GBP 56,000 - 68,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

28 days annual leave

Bank holidays increase after 5 years

Blue Light Card access

Salary sacrifice schemes for cycles, e

Rail season ticket loan

Job summary

British Transport Police (BTP) is the national police force for the rail network across Great Britain. This role sits in the Networks Team to design, implement and maintain robust voice, data, video and wireless services across the organisation.

You will work with senior network engineers to configure network systems, monitor performance, and ensure secure operation. Requires degree in IT/engineering and relevant certifications, plus strong vendor experience.

Qualifications

• Degree in IT, engineering, or equivalent hands-on experience.
• Working towards or holding entry-level networking certifications (e.g., CCNA, Network+)
• Strong experience with enterprise-grade vendors (Cisco, Juniper, Palo Alto Fortinet, etc.).
• Solid networking knowledge and understanding (TCP/IP, BGP, OSPF, VLANs SD-WAN, VPN)
• Knowledge of cloud networking (AWS VPC, Azure VNet).
• Familiarity with SDN and network virtualisation.
• In-depth understanding of network security principles and best practices.
• Proficiency with network monitoring, management tools and diagnostics, able to quickly pinpoint and resolve issues.
• Analytical approach to troubleshooting, with a methodical and calm style under pressure.
• Proactive in identifying risks, performance issues, and areas for improvement.
• Collaborative team player who works effectively across IT, security, and business teams.
• Strong documentation skills (designs, runbooks, diagrams, configurations).
• Clear communicator, able to translate complex technical concepts for non-technical stakeholders.
• Committed to continuous learning, staying up to date with emerging technologies.

Responsibilities

• Support the design and deployment of network infrastructure.
• Monitor network reliability and troubleshoot issues.
• Assist with upgrades to hardware, software, and firmware.
• Document configurations, processes, and changes.
• Collaborate with IT colleagues and third‑party partners.
• Stay up to date with emerging technologies.
• Support users and help maintain strong Wi‑Fi performance.

Skills

Degree in IT/Engineering

Networking certifications (CCNA/Net+/J

Enterprise networking experience

Cloud networking (AWS/Azure)

SDN & network virtualization

Network security best practices

Monitoring & diagnostics tools

Analytical troubleshooting mindset

Collaborative cross-team player

Education

Degree in IT, engineering, or equivalent

Tools

Cisco

Juniper

Palo Alto

Fortinet

Job description

Salary: Up to £61,932.44 per annum (£52040.92 basic salary, plus a Skills Framework for the Information Age Supplement of up to £5116.52 and £4775.00 London Allowance, payable to London based candidates onlyContractType: PermanentLocation: To be based at any of our main hubs, with additional travel to Force Headquarters in London required occasionallyType of Working Arrangement: Blended approach of home and office-working is availableHours: This is full-time role (37 hours per week)

British Transport Police (BTP) is the national police force for the rail network throughout Great Britain. We are the ‘Guardians of the Railway,’ putting passenger safety at the heart of what we do. Our values are simply: We Care, We Do the Right Thing, We Strive to Be Better Every Day, We Are One BTP, and We Are Proud to Protect. Join us and help create an environment where we can all be our best every day.

The Opportunity

British Transport Police have an opportunity for a Senior Network Specialist to join the Networks Team. As a Senior Network Specialist with BTP, you will help us build and support the cutting‑edge network infrastructure that keeps our organisation connected. As part of our team, you’ll work alongside experienced senior network engineers to design, implement, and maintain robust voice, data, video, and wireless services. You’ll play a key role in setting up and configuring network systems, monitoring performance, and ensuring our technology runs smoothly and securely.

What you’ll be doing

• Support the design and deployment of network infrastructure
• Monitor network reliability and troubleshoot issues
• Assist with upgrades to hardware, software, and firmware
• Document configurations, processes, and changes
• Collaborate with IT colleagues and third‑party partners
• Stay up to date with emerging technologies
• Support users and help maintain strong Wi‑Fi performance

What you’ll bring to the team

• Degree in IT, engineering, or equivalent hands‑on experience.
• Working towards or holding entry‑level networking certifications (e.g., CCNA, Network+, JNCIA).
• Strong experience with enterprise‑grade vendors (Cisco, Juniper, Palo Alto Fortinet, etc.).
• Solid networking knowledge and understanding (TCP/IP, BGP, OSPF, VLANs SD‑WAN, VPN)
• Knowledge of cloud networking (AWS VPC, Azure VNet).
• Familiarity with SDN and network virtualisation.
• In‑depth understanding of network security principles and best practices.
• Proficiency with network monitoring, management tools and diagnostics, able to quickly pinpoint and resolve issues.
• Analytical approach to troubleshooting, with a methodical and calm style under pressure.
• Proactive in identifying risks, performance issues, and areas for improvement.
• Collaborative team player who works effectively across IT, security, and business teams.
• Strong documentation skills (designs, runbooks, diagrams, configurations).
• Clear communicator, able to translate complex technical concepts for non‑technical stakeholders.
• Committed to continuous learning, staying up to date with emerging technologies.

What we offer

• 28 days annual leave plus bank holidays, increasing to 30 days after 5 years.
• Family‑friendly policies, including up to 26 weeks paid maternity and adoption leave.
• Bespoke benefits platform and Blue Light Card access.
• Salary sacrifice options for cycles, home technology, gym membership, and electric vehicles.
• Interest‑free annual rail season ticket loan after 6 months. (Remove if FTC)
• Access to the Transport Benevolent Fund for health, welfare, and financial support.
• Development opportunities, including fully funded apprenticeships.
• Excellent Pension scheme: We offer the BTP GPP Police Staff Pension Scheme, administered by Royal London. This group personal pension plan is available to all police staff and is a defined contribution scheme. It provides the flexibility to vary your pension contributions from 4.4% to 12% of your salary. For more information, visit the Royal London dedicated pension page or email us at [e-mail]. Note: If you are an existing member of Police Staff in the RPS, your pension will not be affected.

Additional Information

Further information about this vacancy can be found in the attached job description.

Vetting

Successful applicants will be required to pass MV and SC vetting - 5 years minimum UK residency required, including full background and financial disclosure.

Medical

We’ll ask for relevant health and medical history details to support employee wellbeing.

References

We’ll ask for references to cover the past 5 years.

Inclusion & Diversity

We are committed to building a workforce where everyone feels they belong.

We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, identities and lived experiences. Diversity strengthens our teams, improves our services and helps us better represent and support the communities we serve.

We are proud to be an inclusive employer and strive to create a workplace that is fair, respectful and accessible to all. We actively work to challenge discrimination, remove barriers and ensure equity throughout our recruitment and employment practices.

If you need any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment or selection process, please let us know - we are happy to support you.

Your talent, your potential, and your unique perspective matter here.

Contact

For further information, please contact our Resourcing Team [e-mail].