Senior Network Design Lead Engineer

Recruiter: Daniel McCarthy

Hiring Manager: Phil Gwaspari 

Career Grade: C

Internal Closing Date: 13th March 2025

About us

BT is part of BT Group, along with EE, Openreach, and Plusnet.

Millions of people rely on us every day to help them live their lives, power their businesses, and keep their public services running. We connect friends to family, clients to colleagues, people to possibilities. We keep the wheels of business spinning, and the emergency services responding. 

We value diversity and celebrate difference. ‘We embed diversity and inclusion into everything that we do. It’s fundamental to our purpose: we connect for good.’

We all stick to the same values: Personal, Simple, and Brilliant. From day one, you’ll get stuck in to tough challenges, pitch in with ideas, make things happen. But you won’t be alone: we’ll be there with help and support, learning and development.  

This is your chance to make a real difference to the world: to be part of the digital transformation of countless lives and businesses. Grab it.

Why this job matters
The purpose of this role is to technically lead on all development of network designs for Global/UK Fabric.
The successful candidate will provide engineering leadership, will drive technical solutions and learning culture transformation within the team.
Specifically, this role is accountable for:

• Overall technical accountability for all VPN network designs of SDN/NAAS ecosystem (inc. configuration orchestration and underlay).
• Driving efficiency and scalability through the re-use of network design code both from a system design but also from a test perspective.
• Typically leading a matrix (virtual) team of technical experts/contractors to deliver features/integration solutions and provide technical thought leadership to a larger matrix team. The sphere of influence for the matrix team will be from a technical perspective.
• Acting as a technical ambassador for the company and providing expert technical consulting to customers at a platform and/or overall solution level.

What you’ll be doing – your accountabilities
The purpose of the Senior Network Design Engineer role is to be the technical lead for VPN network design development across Global/UK Fabric. 

Specifically, this role is accountable for:

• Engaging as a Network Design Technical Lead for a hybrid (open-source, in-house) SDN/NAAS ecosystem (OSS, BSS, compute, underlay)
• Ensures, engages in and improves (inc. hands on) the whole lifecycle of solution—from architecture and design, through to deployment, operation and refinement
• Establishes technical direction and oversees network design and automation quality 
• Leads feature level technical planning and technology development 
• Ensures successful integration of a variety of automation and orchestration systems/endpoints 
• Tracks progress, resolves dependencies, evaluates risks and communicates status to stakeholders
• Ensures optimal technical resources utilisation and provides input on optimisations

The skills you’ll need to succeed
Mandatory

• Engineering leadership and excellence
• Systematic problem-solving approach, coupled with effective verbal and written communication skills
• Expertise in designing, configuring, analysing, integrating and troubleshooting Cisco IOS-XR in a service provider setting.
• Extensive hand-on demonstratable experience with core routing technologies (IS-IS, BGP, BGP-LS, SR-TE, SR IGP, PCEP, MPLS-VPNs)
• In-Depth understanding and hand-on experience with Quality of Service (QoS).
• Expertise in developing frameworks for and automating test cases for systems in production
• Experience with data modelling with Yang (with a vendor neutral landscape in mind)
• Solid experience with gRPC, JSON.
• Experience with CICD methodologies (Robot, Gitlab, BDD)
• Solid hands-on experience with test tools such as Ixia IxNetwork, IxLoad, IxBreakingPoint

Expected

• Ability to debug, optimize code, and to automate routine tasks
• Open-source software experience and engagement with open-source development practices (e.g. Netbox, gNMIc)
• Understanding of Life-Cycle Management (devices, services, resources)
• Expertise in automating some operational aspects of systems in production 
• Hands-on experience with virtiualisaton and containerised routers (IOS-XRv, XRd9k)
• Experience with defect management.
• Specialist knowledge of relevant emerging network/software technologies.
• Software development skills specifically in solving network issues / activities.
• Experience in resolution of customer impacting network issues. 
   

Desirable

• Experience with Juniper Paragon Automation 
• Experience with Itential(IAP/IAG) expertise
• Experience with agile delivery
• Typical Certifications/Accreditations Attained or working towards include:
• Member of a professional body e.g. Institution of Engineering and Technology
• Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) and/or Cisco DevNet Expert or equivalent experience.
• ISTQB Certified Tester Advanced Level – Test Automation Engineer (CTAL-TAE)  or equivalent
• PCAT - Certified Associate Tester with Python
• PCAP - Certified Associate Python Programmer
• Robot Framework Certified Professional (RFCP) or equivilent

A FEW POINTS TO NOTE:

Although these roles are listed as full-time, if you’re a job share partnership, work reduced hours, or any other way of working flexibly, please still get in touch.

We will also offer reasonable adjustments for the selection process if required, so please do not hesitate to inform us.

DON'T MEET EVERY SINGLE REQUIREMENT?

Studies have shown that women and people who are disabled, LGBTQ+, neurodiverse or from ethnic minority backgrounds are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every single qualification and criteria. We're committed to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace where everyone can be their best, so if you're excited about this role but your past experience doesn't align perfectly with every requirement on the Job Description, please apply anyway - you may just be the right candidate for this or other roles in our wider team.