Network Architect / Engineer

Role Purpose

Responsible for the production of low level network architecture designs for Digital Technology and business product lines, and for the engineering and support of the network estate, ensuring that all network standards are defined and met during delivery phases.

What will you be doing?

• Input into the technical design authority for networking across both infrastructure and business led proj
• Produce low level network designs (IP addressing, VLANs, routing, firewall policy and connectivity) across both infrastructure and business led projects
• Define and maintain network standards, configuration baselines and documentation, and ensure they are followed during build and change.
• Build network proof of concepts as required for the FA roadmap.
• Ensure network designs and projects are aligned with the wider enterprise architecture as part of the IT Strategy.
• Identify network opportunities for innovation, resilience and performance improvement based on technical knowledge, best practice and industry trends.
• Act as point of resolution for 3rd level network and connectivity issues
• Collaborate with third party suppliers, carriers and partners to implement architectural changes to the network infrastructure
• Maintain a knowledge base of emerging networking technologies and products.
• Leverage vendor relationships to increase awareness of networking technology trends and assess the potential benefits to the FA
• Executes additional tasks as required to meet the FA's changing priorities.
• Comply with all company policies and procedures to ensure that the highest standards of health, safety, and well-being can be maintained.
• As part of the FA's commitment to ensuring a safe environment for everyone in football, every employee will be required to complete a DBS check. The level of the check required will be based on the activity of the specific job role and in line with legislation and government guidance.

What are we looking for?

Essential for the role:

• In depth knowledge of enterprise networking (LAN, WAN/SD-WAN, routing and switching including BGP, OSPF, VLANs and spanning tree), preferably CCNP/CCIE certified or equivalent
• Experience in facilitating meetings with project stakeholders to capture requirements
• Experience of logical and physical design of secure, efficient, resilient network architectures
• Experience of network security technologies, specifically firewalls, VPN, network segmentation, DDoS mitigation and web application firewalls, and industry security methodologies.
• Experience of developing and documenting necessary network security policies and procedures.

Beneficial to have

• Good working knowledge of wired and wireless networking, including wireless LAN design.
• Working knowledge of Azure networking (VNets, ExpressRoute, VPN Gateway, Virtual WAN), preferably AZ-700 certified.
• Experience of network automation, monitoring and troubleshooting tools (e.g. Python, Ansible, packet capture, flow analysis).
• Must be able to identify risks inherent to technology solutions
• Must understand project management methodologies and will be expected to contribute to technical projects
• Must be able to break down technical projects into discrete tasks to assist in the creation of a project plan
• Must have good time-management skills and be able to report progress on projects to a project manager

What's in it for you?

We pride ourselves on offering a competitive salary as well as great opportunities to develop and grow in your role. But that is not all; we also have a range of exciting benefits, some of which can be found below:

• Access to event day tickets at Wembley Stadium, alongside a host of regular internal events throughout the season, encourages you to connect and learn with your colleagues and look after your mental health and well-being.
• Free, nutritious lunches at Wembley Stadium and St. George's Park.
• Private medical cover funded by The FA.
• A contributory pension scheme.
• An additional 'Thank You' day's leave, volunteering days, as well as 25 days of annual leave (based on a full-time, permanent contract)
• A hybrid working model which offers greater flexibility.

For more information on what it is like to work at The FA, please visit our FA Careers page, https://www.thefa.com/about-football-association/careers

The role is based in Wembley with a requirement to be on site 2 days per week; this may change depending on projects, but this will be discussed in advance.

We are a diverse workplace, aspiring to represent football across the country. The Football Association actively promotes inclusion and diversity, encouraging you to be the best version of yourself at work.

We welcome applications from everyone and are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. If you have any particular requirements in respect of the recruitment or interview process, please mention this during your application.

As part of the FA's commitment to ensuring a safe environment for everyone in football, every employee will be required to complete a DBS check. The level of the check required will be based on the activity of the specific job role and in line with legislation and government guidance.