Principal Network Engineer | Cisco | CCIE / CCNP
Job Description
> Principal Network Engineer | Cisco CCIE / CCNP> Manchester> £75,000 to £95,000 + 15% Bonus> 10% Pension + Company Car or £5,500 Car Allowance> Private Family Healthcare + Share Equity + Life Assurance> Hybrid Working | 3 On Site | 2 Remote** We're looking for principal-level Cisco network engineers (CCIE / CCNP) operating at the top of their field. This is far more than a technical delivery role. You'll be a trusted technical authority , responsible for shaping technology roadmaps , influencing network transformation programmes , and guiding senior customer stakeholders on the future direction of their network estate. You'll combine deep technical expertise with the ability to translate business requirements into long-term technology strategy, ensuring network investments align with operational, security and commercial objectives. It's a Cisco, Aruba and Palo Alto environment, so if Aruba or Palo Alto aren't your strongest areas yet, funding will be provided to support the relevant accreditations and development. **** Sole UK passport holder required (no dual nationality). SC clearance is preferred; eligibility for SC will also be considered. **The Role In a NutshellThis role sits at the intersection of technical leadership, customer engagement and network transformation. Whilst retaining deep technical credibility, you'll operate at principal level, influencing architecture decisions, shaping technical roadmaps, driving service improvement initiatives and acting as the senior technical escalation point for both customer and external stakeholders.You'll work closely with Technical Directors, Solution Architects, Service Delivery teams and customer leadership, ensuring strategic technology decisions are aligned with business priorities, operational requirements and long-term network evolution.Own the end-to-end technical solution for a major UK enterprise managed service customer. This is a dedicated, principal-level Cisco network engineering role on a complex, multi-site data network, the technical authority the customer turns to. You'll be the senior technical voice the customer trusts during major incidents, the engineer who finds ways to improve the network and save money, and the person calm enough to stand the technical line when something sits outside the scope.The BusinessOne of the UK's most established communications and technology businesses, serving large enterprise and public-sector customers with mission-critical networks and managed services. Significant investment in R&D, a substantial UK engineering workforce, and genuine career development.Skills & ExperienceDeep, hands-onCiscoenterprise networking at principal level, ideally CCIE (CCNP minimum), with large-scale routing and switching as the core strength. This is a Cisco, Aruba and Palo Alto environment, so exposure to Aruba and Palo Alto is a bonus; accreditation funded and training provided where needed.Demonstrable third-line / senior engineer experience in a 24/7 managed services environmentConfident leading major incidents and articulating troubleshooting steps end-to-endComfortable acknowledging when you don't immediately know an answer, then taking a structured route to one (consult the team, apply vendor-registered knowledge, demonstrate depth around the topic)Customer-facing credibility: calm under pressure, able to put a demanding client at easeVendor accreditation to at least Professional standardStrong working knowledge of ITIL practicesThe following would be an advantage:Expert-level vendor accreditation in either: Cisco CCIE/CCNP, Aruba ACX/ACEX, Palo Alto PCNSE or Network Security ArchitectExisting SC clearance OR Sole UK passport holder (no dual nationality), eligible to obtain SC clearanceYour ResponsibilitiesOwn the end-to-end technical solution across the customer's data networkLead major incidents through to resolution, with direction, troubleshooting and customer-facing communicationPre-empt risks and engineer-out recurring issues before they impact the customerIdentify innovations that improve the network and save the customer moneyStand the technical line when a request sits outside agreed scope, articulating clearly and professionallyDocument and continuously improve operational runbooks aligned to ITIL practicesOther skills required:** Composure Under Pressure ** - Stays calm in major incidents and demanding customer moments** Professional Pushback ** - Strong enough technically and personally to advise when a request is genuinely outside scope, without damaging the relationshipBenefits£75,000 to £95,000 base salary15% annual bonusCompany car or £5,500 per annum cash allowancePrivate healthcare for self and family10% pension contributionShare equity and share-save schemeLife assuranceGenerous annual leave with bank holidaysFamily-friendly leave policiesWorld-class training and development opportunitieskeywords: principal network engineer, ccie, cisco network engineer, lead network engineer, senior network engineer, principal network architect, cisco network architect, lead network architect, network design authority, lead network engineer cisco, network technical authority managed services, cisco routing and switching, third line network engineer, third line engineer, network engineer, network technical authority, aruba network engineer, aruba specialist, aruba acex, telecoms, palo alto network engineer, palo alto pcnse, ccnp, Technical strategy, Technology roadmap ownership, Transformation programmes, Technical authority, Enterprise stakeholder management, Service evolution, Future state architecture, Technology investment decisions, Senior customer leadership engagement, network security engineer, managed services engineer, 24/7 managed services, data network engineer, enterprise network engineer, network operations, major incident management, troubleshooting, itil, sc clearance, customer-facing, manchester, preston, lancashireTPBN1_UKTJ