About the job

Job summary

The Opportunity

Join the Parliamentary Digital Service (PDS) and apply your technical expertise in a totally unique environment that is being transformed through the application of digital technology. The critical shared services and infrastructure delivered by our Digital Infrastructure team are central to helping UK Parliament function more efficiently and more transparently. As a Network Architect, you will play a critical role in the design delivery, lifecycle management and continuous improvement of network infrastructure services and projects.  Steering and guiding early-stage strategic decision-making, you can expect to:

 

• build an understanding of Parliament’s network architecture and business requirements in order to create scalable and resilient network service solutions
• provide expert technical guidance on network infrastructure, methodologies and best practices
• develop and maintain network infrastructure strategies, standards and guidelines
• evaluate emerging technologies and industry network infrastructure trends
• act as the technical lead for procurement, identifying relevant technical and cyber security requirements, and providing technical evaluations of products and options
• support working relationships with third-party suppliers and managed service providers

  What You Need

We’re looking for a technical subject matter expert with hands-on operational experience in network engineering.  With strong stakeholder management skills and the ability to translate business requirements into working solutions, you will have experience of supporting procurement. Your broad exposure to different technology delivery models, including private, public and hybrid cloud environments, will be matched by the following key technical knowledge:

• Local Area Network design and implementation including IP addressing schemas (IPv4 and IPv6), DHCP, VLANs and IP routing protocols
• Wide Area Network design and implementation including the use of MPLS, VPLS and VPNs
• wireless networking design and implementation
• application layer protocols including HTTP, SSL/TLS, FTP, SMTP, DNS (Domain Name System)
• firewalls/DMZs, web proxies, web application firewalls
• network security solutions including Network Access Control, 802.11x, Secure Web Gateway, Remote Proxy and SIEM
• familiarity with standards relevant to IT network security, such as ISO/IEC 27033, and their future direction
• usage of network and platform performance monitoring, analysis and troubleshooting tools
• developing network architectures to support the use of public cloud services including usage of virtual private cloud connections such as Express Route
• Splunk, SolarWinds and F5 products
• designing and implementing systems using Azure Active Directory and SSO
• zero trust architecture concepts for network, identity and access management, including remote solutions with control access

 

Job description

•    Work with the Head of Digital Infrastructure and other technical peers to optimise Parliament’s network architecture, ensuring that the delivery of Parliament’s digital capabilities is aligned with the Digital Strategy and meets Parliament’s goals and business strategies.
•    Select appropriate design and documentation standards, aligned with the department's strategic objectives, and focused on providing an excellent customer service.
•    Provide expert technical guidance on network infrastructure, methodologies, and best practices.
•    Develop and maintain network infrastructure strategies, standards, and guidelines to support the organisation's digital infrastructure. Input into roadmap activities.
•    Collaborate with stakeholders to understand business requirements and design scalable and resilient network service solutions.
•    Evaluate emerging technologies and industry network infrastructure trends, assessing their potential benefits and making recommendations for adoption.
•    Act as the technical lead for procurement, supporting market research activities, identifying relevant technical and cyber security requirements, and providing technical evaluations of products, options, and responses to tenders.
•    Produce and maintain the High-Level Design for a solution, engaging with relevant stakeholders to ensure key information is captured and present this, and other required documentation, to technical governance and assurance bodies (including Security Accreditation).
•    Support of strong working relationships with 3rd party suppliers and managed service providers contracted to deliver services to Parliament.
•    Represent Digital Infrastructure at PDS forums and liaise with other teams and 3rd parties as required.
 
The above list of key responsibilities is not exclusive or exhaustive and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks as may reasonably be expected within the scope and banding of the post.

Person specification

Criterion 1 

You are a technical subject matter expert with significant hands-on experience in Network architecture roles and can demonstrate this alongside the following key technical knowledge:

•    Local Area Network design and implementation including IP addressing schemas (IPv4 and IPv6), DHCP, VLANs and IP routing protocols.
•    Wide Area Network design and implementation including the use of MPLS, VPLS and VPNs.
•    Wireless networking design and implementation.
•    Application layer protocols including HTTP, SSL/TLS, FTP, SMTP, DNS (Domain Name System)
•    Firewalls/DMZs, Web Proxies, Web Application Firewalls.
•    Network Security Solutions including Network Access Control, 802.11x, Secure Web Gateway, Remote Proxy and SIEM.
•    Familiarity with standards relevant to IT network security, such as ISO/IEC 27033, and their future direction.
•    Usage of network and platform performance monitoring, analysis and troubleshooting tools.
•    Developing network architectures to support the use of Public Cloud services including usage of Virtual Private Cloud connections, such as Express Route.
•    Broad experience of different technology delivery models including Private, public and hybrid cloud environments.
•    Technical knowledge of Splunk, SolarWinds and F5 products.
•    Technical experience of designing and successfully implementing systems using Azure Active Directory and SSO.
•    Zero Trust Architecture concepts for Network, Identity and Access Management, including remote solutions with control access.

Criterion 2 

You provide technical direction, support developing strategy and collaborating roadmaps which strive for continuous improvement of network services. Experience of successfully leading the design, delivery and implementation of complex technical solutions in an inclusive and collaborative manner, influencing relevant parties during the process, and reconciling both business and technical considerations to identify and deliver optimal solutions.

Criterion 3 

You have experience in supporting digital infrastructure platform lifecycle and the ability to resiliently respond to cyber security threats. You can support the implementation of highly effective operational & BCDR plans, ensuring a robust and resilient approach for networks, utilising external suppliers where appropriate. Experience of cybersecurity design principles and industry standards and applying them to solution designs.

Criterion 4

First-hand experience of working with third-party solutions or managed service providers to deliver highly available and cyber secure solutions which are cost effective and sustainable. Experience of influencing and persuading at strategic/operational levels in a challenging and complex stakeholder environment, owning stakeholder relationships to ensure consensus is achieved.

Criterion 5

Experience of supporting procurement at various stages in the process, from market research, through to non-functional requirement definition and validation, through to supplier evaluation and selection.

Criterion 6

Have strong stakeholder management skills and evidence of your ability to translate business requirements and user/stakeholder needs into effective work plans and practical working solutions. 
Proactively forge collaborative working relationships with other digital leaders to deliver strategic outcomes. Influence people at all levels within the organisation including a challenging customer base.  

Benefits

Please refer to our Candidate Information Pack for a full list of our benefits which include:

• up to 35 days annual leave in addition to bank holidays
• generous maternity pay policy up to 6 months full pay
• great pension scheme options (contributory and non-contributory)
• on-site subsidised gym, nursery, catering, post office, travel office and GP
• flexible options including hybrid working and family friendly policies

Things you need to know

Selection process details

How To Apply

Please make sure you're clear on the requirements of the role. These can be found in the Job Description and Candidate Information Pack. You will need to upload a CV and show how you meet up to the first five criterion. Our application process is anonymous, so please remove any personal information from your CV.

Apply By: 29th January 2024 at 23:55

Interviews: 8th / 9th Feb 2024

Format: Panel Interview (Remote)

Our Culture

For our people, we provide an amazing opportunity to bring their talents to an institution that sits right at the heart of society in the UK. We are helping to change UK Parliament and strengthen democracy. What matters here is your potential for growth and your commitment to playing your part in our ongoing success.

We are passionate about providing an environment which promotes inclusion, diversity and equality. Regardless of your age, gender, ethnicity, beliefs or any of the other things that make you, you. We welcome applications from people who feel under-represented in the workforce. This includes those who may feel disadvantaged because of their socioeconomic circumstances.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.