Principal Hardware/Datacentre Engineer in Portsmouth

Job Type: Full Time, Permanent

Location: Portsmouth, Hants (travel to end client sites UK wide as required)

Salary: Up to £50k basic + benefits

Are you an experienced Principal Hardware/Data Centre Engineer looking for a new challenge? Do you have a background in datacentre + IT hardware including storage, commodity compute, RAMS and structured cabling along with a thorough understanding of troubleshooting, repairing, replacing, installing and configuring datacentre hardware and components, as well as a full UK driving licence?

Overview: To manage, provide, oversee and execute the build, deployment, maintenance, and decommissioning of infrastructure (compute, storage, network) in ours and our clients build labs, data centres and office environments. The ideal candidate will lead by example, ensuring best practices in installations, patching, labelling, and asset tracking, while also taking a proactive approach to risk assessment and team management. This position requires a strong technical background, operational discipline, and proven leadership skills.

Responsibilities:

• Technical Operations: Manage, lead and execute the physical build, installation, relocation, and decommissioning of IT hardware. Design and implement rack layouts, and cabling solutions, ensuring clean, labelled, and logically routed installations. Manage patching schedules, cable trays, and labelling schemes in line with client/site standards. Coordinate with design teams and facilities on power and space planning. Understand logistics, manual handling and vehicle loading.
• Documentation & Compliance: Produce and maintain Risk Assessments and Method Statements (RAMS). Ensure documentation is kept up to date for all physical assets and site procedures. Support audits, process and compliance checks (ISO 9001, ISO 27001, PCI-DSS, etc.).
• Risk & Safety Management: Proactively identify potential risks and implement mitigations. Ensure all health and safety standards are adhered to and promote a safety-first culture. Participate in Change Management processes including CAB representation for data centre works.
• Team Leadership: Manage and mentor field engineers, providing technical guidance, support, feedback PDR's and training plans. Plan and allocate tasks based on project needs and personnel strengths. Act as the point of escalation for technical and logistical issues in the day-to-day operations.
• Project Delivery & Coordination: Coordinate with project managers, infrastructure architects, and third-party vendors to deliver projects on time and within budget. Provide technical input during planning phases for data centre migrations, expansions, and refresh cycles.

Qualifications:

• 5+ years of experience in data centre operations or infrastructure engineering.
• Advanced understanding of commodity compute, storage, network and standard configurations, firmware and software.
• Advanced understanding of data centre best practices.
• Experience managing RAMS and risk within critical environments.
• Knowledge in structured cabling standards (Cat6/6a/OM3/OM4, fibre, etc.).
• Familiarity with power and cooling systems, including PDU configurations and load balancing.
• Excellent organizational and communication skills.
• Demonstrated leadership or team management experience.
• Experience participating in large scale projects and teams.

Skills:

• Able to work accurately, precisely and in an organised manner even under pressure.
• Good communication skills, able to maintain good communications with customers to ensure full understanding of customers’ needs and issues.
• Teamwork skills, works well with and assists other team members, shares information and knowledge and willingly takes on new tasks.
• Produces high quality and accurate work under time pressure or volume of work.
• Able to apply customer care skills when dealing with both external and internal customers.
• Able to anticipate and respond appropriately to customer issues.
• Able to demonstrate delivery of services to a standard required by the customer.
• Recognises own limitations and knows when to ask for assistance.
• Takes personal ownership for addressing problems and acts appropriately.
• Able to effectively prioritise own workload and schedule tasks and activities daily to meet deadlines.
• Keen to learn new skills and take on new tasks.

Vetting:

• Clean manual driving license.
• Valid passport.
• Ability to pass BS7858:2012 vetting.
• Ability to hold UK NSV SC clearance - need to have lived in the UK for the past 5 years.
• Ability to travel to domestic & overseas customer sites, including overnight stays.
• Able to work out of hours including night and weekend work.

Some of the benefits include:

• Healthcare and dental insurance.
• Company pension is matched up to 5%.
• 25 days annual leave entitlement plus bank holidays and the option to purchase 5 extra days.
• Life assurance - 4 x annual salary.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Client prioritises internal development opportunities and offer access to our Udemy training platform with over 5000 training courses.