Lead Specialist Engineer - Networks

Job overview

The role holder is responsible for delivering a consistent level of availability and performance for their specialist systems and, where necessary, to work with other specialist engineers and ICT team members to deliver this. They will respond to incidents and outages and take necessary steps to secure the service and minimize disruption to the UKHSA business areas.

They will act as a point of expertise for their specialist area and will provide advice, guidance and training as required, especially where this improves or enhances the service provided to end users.

This role offers a non-consolidated, non-pensionable Market Pay Supplement (MPS) of up to £10,000 per annum, dependent on capability assessment. The MPS is payable until December 2026 or until the Government Digital and Data (GDD) Framework is implemented within UKHSA, whichever is sooner.

Main duties of the job

Lead Specialist Engineers are responsible for supporting the delivery of technical excellence in their field of network specialisms and assisting the Senior Specialist Engineer in ensuring that all systems are optimally configured to provide a high-quality service to UKHSA users.

They may be required to supervise the activity of junior staff, but will mainly be responsible for undertaking the configuration, management and maintenance of all hardware and software components of UKHSA’s network infrastructure.

Please note, the above is not exhaustive.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Assisting the Senior Specialist Engineer to ensure that any hardware, software, operating systems or associated technology is designed, procured and delivered in the most efficient and cost-effective manner and that all resources are used in such a way that maximizes the benefit to UKHSA.
• Work in a collaborative manner with other colleagues to deliver tasks successfully.
• Plan, configure, manage and maintain all hardware and software components of specialist area to deliver optimum system availability to users, and ensuring all supplier provided patches and upgrades to the operating system, database, tools and utilities are applied in a timely manner.
• Maintain the security and integrity of all systems related to specialist area including managing all user access rights and implementation of backup regimes and other disaster recovery procedures.
• Providing technical and administrative support for specialist systems, including the production of system specification documentation and the production of relevant procedures and protocols.
• Monitoring and managing system performance and capacity growth, providing advice on necessary upgrades and replacement of hardware and software so as to maintain the reliability of the systems. Implement hardware changes and upgrades and database upgrades and migrations to maintain system performance and growth capacity.
• Ensuring compliance with UKHSA ICT and other relevant policies.
• To maintain awareness of technical developments and research new technologies with a view to providing advice to the Senior Specialist Engineer on suitable deployment strategies for UKHSA.
• To conduct such work as directed by the Senior Engineer or Team Manager consistently with departmental standards and to agreed timescales
• Responsible for maintaining own specialist skills with appropriate professional training.
• To provide the Senior Specialist Engineer or Team Manager with estimates of effort and timescales for tasks as required.
• Carry out support and service to all customers during the agreed working hours, including any out of hours working
• To comply with departmental and UKHSA requirements for the reporting of all absences.
• Provide a level of work that adheres to the high standards and best practices in line with the SLAs as agreed with UKHSA Users.

Essential Criteria

• This is a role that demands detailed knowledge and considerable experience of specialist technologies. Therefore, each candidate must be able to demonstrate qualification and expertise in multiple integral technologies as indicated on the list below:
• Extreme Networks and Cisco network equipment
• Network routing and TCP/IP protocols
• Palo Alto Firewalls
• Extreme Networks (or equivalent) Wireless access point technologies
• VPN deployment and configuration
• NCSC requirements for the implementation, management and administration of secure networks.
• Familiarity with NCSC Secure by Design Principles.
• Understanding of network security principles and practices, data encryption and remote access technologies
• WAN/LAN/WLAN Architectures
• Application Delivery Controllers and/or Load Balancing technologies
• Must have previous experience of undertaking a specialist role and of managing systems for a large user base.
• Experience with monitoring a network infrastructure to optimize performance and support capacity planning
• Ability to analyse and interpret information, pre-empt and evaluate issues, and recommend and appropriate course of action to address the issues
• Ability to work on own initiative and organise own workload without supervision working to tight and often changing timescales
• Formal technical qualification, eg Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) or equivalent

Desirable Criteria

• Experience with Network Function Virtualisation and Software Defined Network architecture
• Skills for communication on complex matters and difficult situations, requiring persuasion and influence

Selection Process Details (Success Profiles)

This vacancy is using Success Profiles and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

Stage 1: Application & Sift

Success profiles Success Profiles - GOV.UK

You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the listed 6 essential criteria, and this will be in the form of a:

• Application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)
• 1000 word supporting statement.

This should outline how you consider your skills, experience and knowledge provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria. You will receive a joint score for your application form and statement. (The application form is the kind of information you would put into your C.V –please be advised you will not be able to upload your CV. Please complete the application form in as much detail as possible). Please do not email us your CV.

Healthjobs UK has a word limit of 1500, but your supporting statement must be no more than 1000 words. We will not consider any words over 1000 words.

Longlisting:

In the event of a large number of applications we will longlist into 3 piles of:

• Meets all essential criteria
• Meets some essential criteria
• Meets no essential criteria

If used, the pile ‘Meets all essential criteria’ will proceed to shortlisting.

Shortlisting:

In the event of a large number of applications we may conduct an initial sift, on the lead criteria of:

• This is a role that demands detailed knowledge and considerable experience of specialist technologies. Therefore, each candidate must be able to demonstrate expertise in multiple integral technologies as indicated on the list below:

Desirable criteria may be used in the event of a large number of applications or large amount of successful candidates.

If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview & assessment.

Feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Stage 2: Interview

You will be invited to a single face to face interview at our Scientific Campus at Manor Farm Road, Porton Down Wiltshire SP4 0JG.

If face to face interviews are planned, in exceptional circumstances, we may be able to offer a remote interview.

Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills will be tested at interview.

Technical skills will be assessed via a technical test. The assessment will consist of a series of technical based questions.

Experience will be assessed through experience-based interview questions

The Behaviours tested during the interview stage will be:

• Leadership (Lead behaviour)
• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Making Effective Decisions

Interview dates are to be confirmed.

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Location

This role is being offered as office based at our Scientific Campus in Porton.

When based at our scientific campus, you will be required to have a Counter Terrorism Check security vetting check as a minimum. For meaningful National Security Vetting checks to be carried out individuals need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time. You should normally have been resident in the United Kingdom for the last 3 years as the role requires Counter Terrorism Check (CTC) clearance. In exceptional circumstances UK residency less than the outlined periods may not necessarily bar you from gaining national security vetting and applicants should contact the Vacancy Holder/Recruiting Manager listed in the advert for further advice.

This role is based at our Scientific Campus in Porton. Please note hybrid working is not available for this role.

Security Clearance Level Requirement

Successful candidates must pass a basic disclosure and barring security check before they can be appointed.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is Security Clearance.

Eligibility Criteria

External: Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service as well as internal applicants.

Salary Information

If you are successful at interview, and are moving from another government department, NHS, or Local Authority, the relevant starting salary principles for level transfers or promotions will apply. Otherwise, roles are offered at the pay scale minimum for the grade, but in exceptional circumstances there may be flexibility if you are able to demonstrate you are already in receipt of an existing, higher salary. Pay increases are through the relevant annual pay award for the role and terms.