IP Engineering Manager

We are seeking an experienced IP Engineering & Service Transition Manager to lead our third-line engineering and network build teams. You’ll play a critical role in standardising the delivery of new services, managing resource allocation, ensuring technical consistency, and enabling seamless handover into live operations.

You’ll be responsible for ensuring that infrastructure and project delivery align with operational readiness, compliance, and business efficiency, with a strong focus on SD-WAN deployment, Fortinet estate management, licensing, and vendor engagement.

Responsibilities:

• Lead and manage the third-line (IP Engineering) and build teams responsible for network delivery and technical escalations.
• Drive consistency in build quality and configurations through gold standards and SD-WAN rollout playbooks.
• Oversee performance, training, and progression of the team, including skills planning for Juniper to Fortinet transition.
• Conduct regular 1:1s, appraisals, and maintain a dynamic training matrix aligned to certification goals (e.g., NSE certifications).
• Act as the technical lead for major incidents, chairing tiger teams and coordinating cross-functional comms with SDMs, engineers, and vendors.
• Oversee root cause analysis (RCA) and implement technical fixes to avoid repeat issues.
• Support the Network Operations Manager in bridging project and live operational gaps.
• Own the end-to-end technical delivery of infrastructure projects into live service.
• Work with Solution Architects and Technical Design Authority to ensure new technologies meet through-life support standards.
• Validate configuration templates and ensure accurate metadata for ITSM and monitoring platforms.
• Ensure robust service transition processes with full documentation, operational readiness, and support protocols.

Essential Skills / Qualifications

• Proven leadership in managing engineering teams within telecoms or network service providers.
• Strong understanding of SD-WAN architectures and secure network delivery.
• Hands-on experience with Fortinet products, including FortiGate, FortiManager, FortiAnalyzer, and ideally FortiPortal.
• Experience delivering projects into operational service with clear documentation and handover.
• Confident in chairing technical incident bridges and leading cross-functional teams.
• Knowledge of ITIL v4, particularly in incident management, problem management, and service
• transition.
• Strong communication skills — capable of translating technical complexity into business-level language.
• Experience in managing and tracking licensing for network and security platforms.
• Familiarity with external circuit providers (BT, Virgin, Neos) and vendor engagement.

Desirable

• Public sector experience, especially in secure or regulated environments.
• Technical background in Juniper routing or Fortinet transitions.
• Certifications: ITIL v4, Fortinet NSE (preferably 4+), Juniper, Prince2/Agile awareness.
• Budget and commercial experience managing OPEX and CAPEX considerations.

Apply now for an immediate interview.