Lead Network Engineer in Woking

WELCOME TO KFC, HOME OF THE REAL ONES. We sell the world’s best chicken. Seriously. And we’ve done it since 1939, when the idea of crispy, original recipe chicken took Kentucky by storm. Now, we’re proud to serve 1000+ communities across the UK and Ireland, bringing the grit, pride and iconic reputation that we started with, all those years ago.

Across the Restaurant Support Centre (RSC), we come to work to be ourselves, and to make something of ourselves. We want to see our potential go that little bit further, as part of one of the world’s most iconic brands. What’s the gig? Well, you support our restaurants — and we’ll support you every step of the way. Simple. Our doors are open — and they can take you anywhere. All we ask is that you be you. Because that makes us, us.

What’s In It For You

• Hybrid working from our Woking RSC (just 24 mins from London)
• Up to 11% company pension contributions
• 25 days’ holiday (plus bank hols)
• 5 Live Well Days a year, just for you
• Bonus scheme linked to company & personal performance
• Private healthcare, Digital GP access & mental health coaching
• Enhanced parental leave and flexible return options
• Study support, income protection, life cover & more
• And yes — 25% off the chicken

About The Role

Accountable for the design, ownership, and continuous improvement of KFC UK&I’s network solutions, ensuring secure, resilient, and high-performing connectivity across 1,000+ restaurants and corporate environments. Responsible for leading the network engineering team, mentoring two network engineers, and managing the delivery and lifecycle of network technology and services. Vendor collaboration is a key part of this role as KFC have partnered with various organisations to assist with the day-to-day operation.

What Will You Spend Your Time Doing?

• Network Solution Design & Authority: Owner of network architecture and design, accountable for developing and maintaining scalable, secure, resilient, and innovative solutions that align with business and security requirements. Responsible for evaluating emerging technologies, driving adoption of best practices, and ensuring all network solutions are future-proof and cost-effective.
• Team Leadership & Mentoring: Lead, mentor, and develop a team of network engineers, managing their workload, performance, and professional growth. Allocate tasks, set priorities, and ensure the team delivers high-quality support and project outcomes within agreed SLAs.
• Operational Excellence: Accountable for the operational integrity of WAN, LAN, Wi-Fi, and cloud-based network services. Oversee incident response, troubleshooting, and root cause analysis for complex network issues, ensuring timely resolution and minimal business impact. Owner of network device configuration management, backup, and disaster recovery processes.
• Security & Compliance: Responsible for enforcing network security baselines, compliance with internal policies, and external standards (e.g., ISO 27001, NIST CSF). Collaborate with the Security team on vulnerability management, incident response, and audit readiness.
• Supplier & Stakeholder Management: Act as the primary technical authority with network service providers and hardware vendors, accountable for SLA adherence, capacity planning, and service improvement. Coordinate change windows, communications, and post-change validation with business and IT stakeholders.
• Documentation & Governance: Owner of network documentation, including diagrams, inventories, runbooks, and change records. Contribute to architecture standards, design reviews, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• On-call & Travel: Participate in an on-call rota for major incidents and perform occasional travel to sites and data centers.
• Working Relationships: Cross functional teams within technology; collaborate with infrastructure, security, and Tech teams to align network designs and configurations with security standards. Engage with operational and business units to promote awareness of network security best practices. Work closely with global partners (e.g., Yum! brands) to maintain compliance with corporate standards and security policies. Work closely with partners to maintain the security and operational integrity of the network and associated services.

What We Love From You

• Education/Certifications: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Security, or related field (or equivalent practical experience). Cisco CCNP or higher (or equivalent). Cloud networking certification (e.g., Azure/AWS) highly desirable. Security certifications (e.g., CompTIA Security+, CySA+, or SSCP) are advantageous.
• Knowledge and Expertise: Expert knowledge of BGP, static routing, route redistribution, VLANs, trunking, STP variants, LACP/EtherChannel. Significant knowledge of cloud networking principles including the design and configuration of services (Azure/AWS), including Express Routes, vNets, NGS’s, routing tables, and security appliances. Expert understanding of network protocols and infrastructure such as TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, 802.1x. Substantial understanding and experience of policy & object configuration, IPS/IDS, web filtering, application control, SSL inspection, VPN’s, IPsec tunnels, HA clusters, segmentation, and NAT. Proven ability to implement, and maintain robust network security measures for infrastructure, users, and devices. Proficient with SNMP, syslog, SIEM, and network automation, capacity planning and monitoring tools including introducing such tooling. Deep understanding of common networking attack vectors and defense-in-depth strategies. Board understanding of risk assessment methodologies, control frameworks (ISO 27001, NIST CSF, CIS Controls).
• Skills: Keen eye for anomalies; precise documentation and follow-through. Clear written and verbal communication—translating technical detail into business-friendly risk insights. Works well with Infrastructure, Application, and Business teams; influences without authority. Proactive ownership; drives tasks to completion with minimal supervision. Organizes workload, meets deadlines, and adheres to SLAs and standards. Handles sensitive information with discretion and integrity.

KFC For Everyone

Whoever you are and wherever you’re from, KFC is a place where you can bring the real you to work. Our promise is this: every person who applies to a role at KFC, regardless of age, background, ethnicity, gender, ability, religion or sexual orientation, will have an equal opportunity to work here. We don’t just welcome, we encourage applications from underrepresented groups from all industries. If you’d like any additional support with your application, have a disability or condition that may affect your performance during the recruitment process, or have any other requirements — just let us know. We’ll be there to help you be the real you.

READY? We hope so. If you’re ready to be part of our community, now’s the time to apply. Worried you aren’t ticking all the boxes? Don’t - we’d still love to hear from you.