Site Reliability Engineering Principal (1 Braham Street, London, United Kingdom)

ZipRecruiter; London; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in telecommunications is seeking a Site Reliability Engineering Principal in London. This key role involves building innovative network solutions, mentoring engineers, and ensuring optimal service performance. If you have senior network engineering experience and a passion for technical excellence, we encourage you to apply.

Qualifications

• Significant senior network engineering experience in operational and design roles.
• Experience mentoring SRE/Network engineers.
• Experience managing large-impact incidents in a 24x7 environment.

Responsibilities

• Building a next-generation Network as a Service platform.
• Defining the strategy and framework for network automation tools.
• Providing operational consultancy and driving new ways of working.

Skills

Expertise in network technologies

Model-driven network programmability

Network automation software

Data center infrastructure skills

Understanding of cybersecurity best practices

Interpersonal skills

Technical requirements translation

Prioritization skills

Mentoring skills

Job description

Job Description

Site Reliability Engineering Principal (1 Braham Street, London, United Kingdom)

Recruiter: Danel McCarthy

Career Grade: C

About us

BT is part of BT Group, along with EE, Openreach, and Plusnet. Millions of people rely on us every day to help them live their lives, power their businesses, and keep their public services running. We connect friends to family, clients to colleagues, people to possibilities. We keep the wheels of business spinning, and the emergency services responding. We value and celebrate difference.

‘We embed and into everything that we do. It’s fundamental to our purpose: we connect for good.’ We all stick to the same values: Personal, Simple, and Brilliant. From day one, you’ll get stuck in to tough challenges, pitch in with ideas, make things happen.

But you won’t be alone: we’ll be there with help and support, learning and development. This is your chance to make a real difference to the world: to be part of the digital transformation of countless lives and businesses. Grab it.

Why this job matters

The Site Reliability Engineering Principal is a key technical member of the Network Services line of business that ensures BT is in the best position to deliver the service performance, reliability, and availability that internal and external customers expect. This role involves leading cross-functional engineering discussions to achieve scalable, measurable, fault-tolerant, and cost-effective network solutions.

What you’ll be doing – your accountabilities

1. Building a next-generation Network as a Service platform that is software-driven from day one, enabling BT to revolutionize how customers consume services.
2. Defining the strategy and framework for building network automation tools for delivering network change, focusing on consistency and building a reusable and scalable software suite.
3. Leading the implementation of complex technical solutions across multiple network domains, from initial scoping to delivery, integration, and support.
4. Providing operational, design, and deployment consultancy to BT teams, offering technical insights.
5. Participating in a 24x7 callout rota, providing technical expertise on BT’s critical infrastructure.
6. Mentoring and coaching a team of experienced SRE/Network engineers to develop capabilities and ensure peak performance.
7. Driving new ways of working aligned with BT’s security commitments, promoting a “secure by design” culture.
8. Operating as an SME to ensure service assurance across BT’s Fixed Network estate.
9. Designing and implementing monitoring and alerting systems for BT’s Fixed Networks.
10. Engaging with other engineering communities within BT’s network and CFU teams.

The skills you’ll need to succeed

• Expertise in network technologies such as MPLS (SR, LDP), OSPF, IS-IS, BGP-VPN/L3VPN, eBGP.
• Strong understanding of model-driven network programmability (RESTCONF, NETCONF, GNMI, YANG models).
• Proficiency in network automation software (Ansible, Jinja2, Python).
• Solid data center infrastructure skills, including virtualization, containerization, VXLAN/EVPN, network attached storage, and firewalls.
• Understanding of cybersecurity best practices, promoting a “secure by design” approach.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and stakeholder relationship-building abilities.
• Ability to translate technical requirements into scalable network solutions.
• Strong prioritization skills aligned with BT’s product roadmaps.
• Mentoring skills and experience.

Experience you’d be expected to have

• Significant senior network engineering experience in operational and design roles.
• Experience mentoring SRE/Network engineers.
• Experience managing large-impact incidents in a 24x7 environment.
• Experience communicating with stakeholders up to C-suite level.

Additional notes: We welcome flexible working arrangements and are committed to diversity and inclusion. If your experience doesn’t match every requirement but you’re excited about the role, please apply — you might be the perfect fit for this or other roles in our team.