Network Automation Engineer x 3 (SC Cleared)

Costello & Reyes Group have been tasked by its client a central Government organisation, to identify three Snr Network Engioneers:

YOU WILL NEED TO HOLD SC CLEARANCE.

Senior Infrastructure Engineer Network Automation

Role Overview

We are seeking an experienced Senior Infrastructure Engineer Network Automation to join a high-performing engineering team responsible for the design, automation, delivery, and support of critical enterprise network services. This role is ideally suited to an individual who is passionate about Infrastructure as Code (IaC), NetDevOps and cloud networking, and who is committed to driving automation, operational excellence, and continual service improvement.

As a senior technical practitioner, you will act as a role model for engineering best practice, helping to shape the organisation's network automation strategy whilst mentoring engineers and promoting modern engineering principles across the department. You will work closely with Architecture, Engineering, Security and Operational teams to design, implement and support secure, resilient, and highly available network services across complex hybrid and multi-cloud environments.

The successful candidate will have responsibility for the complete life cycle of network services, from solution design through implementation, operational support, and continual improvement. You will champion automation to reduce manual effort, improve service reliability, and accelerate the delivery of infrastructure changes whilst maintaining the highest standards of security, governance, and operational resilience.

The role requires collaboration with a broad range of internal and external stakeholders, balancing operational priorities with strategic delivery, whilst ensuring network services remain secure, available, and aligned to organisational objectives.

Key Responsibilities

Network Automation & Engineering

Design, develop and maintain automated infrastructure solutions using Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and Configuration as Code (CaC) principles. Develop reusable automation frameworks to standardise network provisioning, configuration, compliance validation, and operational management. Lead the adoption of automation technologies to eliminate repetitive operational tasks and improve engineering efficiency. Develop and maintain automation scripts using Python, PowerShell, Bash, or similar Scripting languages. Promote engineering standards, coding practices, and automation governance across the network engineering function.

Infrastructure Design

Design secure, resilient, and scalable network architectures supporting both on-premises and multi-cloud environments. Collaborate with Enterprise and Solution Architects to ensure network services align with architectural principles and organisational standards. Produce high and low-level technical designs for complex infrastructure solutions. Ensure designs meet security, compliance, resilience, and operational support requirements.

Cloud Networking

Design, implement, and support network connectivity across cloud platforms including:

Microsoft Azure Amazon Web Services (AWS) Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI)

Responsibilities include:

Virtual networking Transit networking VPN connectivity ExpressRoute/Direct Connect DNS services Hybrid cloud networking Cloud security integration Network segmentation High availability and disaster recovery

NetDevOps

Develop and maintain CI/CD pipelines supporting automated infrastructure deployment. Integrate testing and validation into deployment pipelines. Implement Git-based version control and collaborative development practices. Support Continuous Integration, Continuous Delivery and Continuous Deployment methodologies. Work within Agile and DevSecOps delivery models.

Operational Excellence

Maintain responsibility for the operational health, availability, and resilience of enterprise network services. Manage technical incidents and problem investigations. Perform root cause analysis. Develop service improvements based upon operational metrics. Participate in out-of-hours support, change implementation and major incident response.

Service Management

Manage services throughout the complete life cycle including:

Service Design Service Transition Service Operation Continual Service Improvement

Working across:

ITIL practices Agile delivery Formal project management Continuous improvement initiatives

Leadership & Mentoring

Provide technical leadership across multi-disciplinary engineering teams. Mentor and coach engineers on automation, cloud networking and engineering best practice. Review technical designs and automation code. Encourage knowledge sharing and continuous professional development. Support the evolution of the organisation's Network Automation capability.

Stakeholder Management

Build strong relationships across engineering, architecture, and operational teams. Work collaboratively with suppliers, customers, and third-party organisations. Communicate complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences. Influence engineering direction and continuous improvement initiatives.

Essential Skills & Experience

The successful candidate should demonstrate significant experience in the following areas:

Network Engineering

Enterprise networking Routing & Switching TCP/IP BGP OSPF MPLS VXLAN EVPN DNS DHCP Load Balancing Firewalls Network Security SD-WAN

Multi-Cloud Networking

Practical experience designing and supporting networking solutions across:

Microsoft Azure AWS Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI)

Including:

Virtual networking Network security Connectivity Cloud Firewalls Hybrid cloud integration

Infrastructure as Code

Strong experience with technologies such as:

Terraform Ansible Puppet Chef

Including:

Infrastructure provisioning Configuration management State management Version control

Automation

Experience developing automation using:

Python PowerShell Bash REST APIs JSON YAML

CI/CD

Experience implementing and supporting:

Azure DevOps GitHub Actions Jenkins GitLab CI/CD

Including:

Automated deployments Testing pipelines Infrastructure validation Change automation

Operating Systems

Strong administration experience across:

Linux Unix Windows Server

Including Scripting and systems integration.

NetDevOps

Practical experience of:

Agile Scrum Kanban DevOps DevSecOps Infrastructure testing Continuous Integration Continuous Deployment

Leadership Criteria

Candidates should be able to demonstrate:

Extensive experience designing and supporting cloud-based networking solutions within complex hybrid and multi-cloud environments. Strong expertise in Infrastructure as Code and Configuration as Code methodologies. Experience implementing enterprise automation frameworks and operational tooling. Proven capability in developing and maintaining CI/CD pipelines supporting infrastructure deployments. Significant experience working within NetDevOps and Agile engineering environments. Experience leading engineers across multi-disciplinary technical teams. Ability to influence engineering standards, technical direction, and organisational best practice. Strong stakeholder engagement and communication skills. Excellent analytical and problem-solving abilities. Experience balancing operational support with strategic project delivery.

Desirable Skills

Cisco ACI Cisco Nexus Palo Alto Networks F5 VMware NSX Kubernetes networking Docker Service Mesh Zero Trust Architecture Software Defined Networking (SDN) Network Observability Network Telemetry AI-assisted Operations (AIOps) ITIL Foundation or Practitioner CCNP/CCIE Azure Network Engineer Associate AWS Advanced Networking Terraform Associate

Security Clearance

The successful candidate will be required to obtain and maintain the appropriate UK Government Security Clearance. This role will involve access to sensitive government systems and information, and appointment is subject to successful completion of the relevant vetting process.

Personal Attributes

The ideal candidate will be:

An excellent communicator with strong stakeholder management skills. Passionate about automation and continuous improvement. Highly analytical with excellent problem-solving abilities. Comfortable working in fast-paced operational environments. Collaborative, supportive and able to mentor others. Self-motivated with a strong customer focus. Committed to engineering excellence, innovation and delivering secure, resilient network services.

YOU WILL NEED TO HOLD SC CLEARANCE

These are Immediate needs so if you are interested, please do submit your profile and call for further information.

C&R Group Ltd operate as a recruitment partner for its clients.