Senior IT Infrastructure Engineer

As the living, growing home of our national story, The National Archives is already a special place to work. We’re an institution nearly 200 years old with a collection spanning 1,000 years of history. But it’s where we go next that makes things really interesting. In our strategic vision: Archives for Everyone, we set ourselves the challenge of becoming the 21st Century national archive - a different kind of cultural and heritage institution: Inclusive, Entrepreneurial, Disruptive. We won’t become this overnight. It will take time, focus, effort and daring. That’s where you come in. Because we can’t do this without you.

Job Overview

• Salary: £50,569 per annum
• Contract type: permanent
• Band: F / SEO
• Closing date: Friday 3rd July at midnight

Help run and improve critical infrastructure:

We’re looking for a highly capable, hands-on infrastructure engineer to join our IT Operations team at The National Archives. This is a role for someone with strong technical depth who is comfortable operating across complex environments and taking ownership of real production services. You’ll be diagnosing issues, restoring services, leading infrastructure change, and contributing to the design and improvement of the systems we rely on every day. If you take pride in understanding systems properly, solving problems thoroughly and building reliable infrastructure, you’ll fit well here.

What you’ll be doing:

• You will work across a broad production environment, supporting and maintaining infrastructure that underpins critical services. This includes cloud, network and on-prem systems, where you will investigate issues, identify root causes and restore service with minimal disruption.
• Alongside operational work, you will lead and implement infrastructure change, ensuring that changes are introduced in a controlled and deliberate way.
• You will monitor systems proactively, identifying risks and opportunities for improvement, and contribute to strengthening security, resilience and overall service reliability.
• You will also work closely with colleagues, stakeholders and suppliers to deliver and improve services, bringing a practical and informed technical perspective to decisions.
• This role also includes contributing to the ongoing development of the environment, providing input into technical design and helping shape improvements over time.

Our environment:

You will be working across a varied and evolving technical estate that includes Microsoft 365, Azure, cloud and on-prem infrastructure, networking, virtualisation, and enterprise storage and backup platforms. We are actively improving our infrastructure, with a clear focus on strengthening resilience and service recovery, improving security and reducing risk, and modernising core services in a controlled and sustainable way.

What we’re looking for:

We are looking for an engineer who is technically strong, credible and able to operate at depth across complex infrastructure. This is not a role for someone building their foundational skills. You should already be comfortable working in environments where systems are interconnected, business-critical and not always straightforward, and where issues require structured investigation, sound judgement and a clear understanding of impact.

You will bring strong experience designing, supporting and maintaining enterprise infrastructure across cloud and on-prem environments, and a solid understanding of infrastructure, networking and security fundamentals and how they interact in practice. You will be comfortable diagnosing complex issues, identifying root cause and implementing fixes that address the underlying problem rather than the symptom. You will also have experience delivering change in live environments, with a clear appreciation of risk, dependencies and the need for control.

You do not need to have experience in every technology we use, but you do need a strong technical foundation and the ability to apply it confidently in unfamiliar or evolving situations.

This is a full-time post. However, requests for part-time working, flexible working and job share will be considered, taking into account at all times the operational needs of the Department. A combination of onsite and home working is available and applicants should be able to regularly travel to our Kew site for a minimum of 60% of their work time.

SC clearance/willingness to obtain SC clearance will be required for this role. This requires candidates to have been resident in the UK for at least the past three years. Please do not apply if you have been resident in the UK for less than three years as your application will be rejected. We are unable to offer sponsorship for this role.

Who this role would suit:

This role suits someone who takes pride in their technical capability and wants to work in a team where standards are high and the work is taken seriously. You are likely to enjoy getting properly into the detail of how systems behave and will be comfortable working through complex problems that do not have an obvious answer. You take ownership of issues end-to-end and are motivated to resolve them properly, rather than relying on workarounds or quick fixes.

You will value clarity, quality and long-term reliability, and will be motivated to improve services over time rather than simply keeping them running. You will also be confident working with others, able to explain technical issues clearly and contribute to shared understanding and decision-making. Most importantly, you will want to work in an environment where technical standards matter, good judgement is expected, and engineering is taken seriously.

Why this role matters:

This is a core role within a small specialist team. The work you do will directly affect the stability of production services, the pace and quality of infrastructure improvements, and the organisation’s overall security and resilience. You will have the opportunity to influence decisions and shape how services evolve, not just implement change.

About us:

The National Archives is the UK government’s official archive and a centre for digital expertise. We run services that are relied on by government, researchers and the public. We are a collaborative, learning-focused environment where technical expertise is respected, knowledge is shared, and continuous improvement is part of everyday work.

Interested?

If you are looking for a role where you can operate at depth, solve real problems and work with others who take infrastructure engineering seriously, we would like to hear from you.

Application process:

As part of your application, you will be asked to provide a summary of your relevant work history and experience and respond to a scenario-based question. Your work history should include the following:

• Highlight roles where you have worked with infrastructure operations, support or delivery
• Include the technologies and environments you have worked with (e.g. cloud, networking, Microsoft platforms, enterprise systems)
• Show the scale and complexity of the environments you have supported

Both elements will be assessed against the essential criteria shown in the job description below. We are particularly interested in how you apply your experience in practice and the judgement you bring to real technical situations. Responses should reflect your own work and understanding.

Interviews will be held on-site on Thursday 23rd and Friday 24th July.

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.

Job Description

Job Purpose

The main purpose of this role is to design, build, support, manage and maintain the core physical and virtual infrastructure that underpins our production services, working as part of a team responsible for developing and supporting The National Archives’ cloud services, business systems infrastructure, telecommunications and network infrastructure. The role works collaboratively across business and digital functions and with operational delivery teams to deliver services, identify opportunities for improvement, support service change, and ensure services meet or exceed service level agreements, objectives and key performance indicators in line with organisational and industry best practice.

The Senior IT Infrastructure Operations Engineer provides second and third line support for incidents, problems and changes, and helps ensure high standards of operational service delivery. The role also leads on the implementation of new technology solutions and contributes to the design and development of the infrastructure environment, providing expert guidance to stakeholders and operational teams.

Role and Responsibilities

Supporting ICT Services

• Prepare, deliver and support IT operations solutions and services, physical or virtual, in line with industry and organisational best practice, service requirements and key performance indicators throughout the product lifecycle.
• Respond to incidents, problems and service interruptions, working with third parties and colleagues to investigate, analyse and resolve issues and restore normal service as quickly as possible through approved incident management processes.
• Maintain accurate records on the Service Management tool, including customer contact details, concise details of faults and requests, and relevant communications, keeping customers informed of progress and resolution where appropriate.
• Manage and maintain effective relationships with technology suppliers to ensure services are delivered to agreed standards, negotiating services and supplies where required.
• Lead the implementation of change to ICT systems, ensuring changes are agreed by the appropriate authorities and system owners and follow approved change control processes.
• Monitor systems proactively to identify performance issues and opportunities for service improvement.
• Work with colleagues and suppliers to ensure that appropriate security controls are in place across systems and services.
• Create and maintain up-to-date technical and procedural documentation.
• Maintain service delivery governance within the team, including incident, change, release and configuration management, continual service improvement and customer satisfaction.
• Undertake any other duties consistent with the role, as required and agreed with the IT Infrastructure Services Manager.

Leading and Communicating

• Coach and mentor apprentices and junior team members, providing leadership, technical guidance, support and development.
• Act as a technical expert within the infrastructure team in the planning, design, delivery and operation of IT solutions, and as a point of escalation for design-related issues.
• Be a recognised technical specialist in an area of expertise and share knowledge and experience with IT colleagues and other TNA teams.
• Lead the development and promotion of fit-for-purpose business systems and ITIL processes aligned to departmental objectives.
• Analyse appropriate technologies and ensure customers have the solutions they need, when they need them, and in the most appropriate format for their requirements.

Planning

• Identify and progress technical improvement opportunities, providing specialist technical support and input to projects to ensure delivery of non-functional requirements and continual service improvement.
• Contribute to overall management activities, including workforce planning, budget management, technology roadmaps, projects and tasks.
• In collaboration with others, help develop and maintain appropriate business continuity and disaster prevention and recovery plans for telecommunications and network infrastructure.
• Use project management methodology and agile practices where appropriate to support delivery, improve communication and provide clear plans for development and change.
• Maintain a good working knowledge of the current infrastructure, future trends and emerging technologies, and provide advice on technology investment and solutions.
• Manage workload and longer-term priorities to ensure business needs are met and work is delivered on time and to budget.
• Collaborate with IT colleagues, business partners and third-party suppliers to recommend, design and develop technology solutions that support departmental and organisational objectives.
• Provide regular updates on progress, risks and issues, escalating where appropriate to support delivery to time, budget and customer requirements.
• Plan to be available for scheduled releases at specific times as required.

Working Conditions

Normal office and controlled environment. Display Screen Equipment user. Moving items up to 20kg in weight.

Person Specification

Essential criteria:

• A strong background and broad hands-on experience in managing, supporting and developing infrastructure services in a complex enterprise environment, including cloud and on-premise networking, Microsoft 365 and Azure, Hyper-V, server hardware, data domain backup, EMC storage, TCP/IP, DNS, firewalls, networks, Microsoft Active Directory, SCCM, service management and ITIL service management processes.
• Proven experience of designing infrastructure services and leading projects to time and budget, using structured project management techniques and methodologies to deliver high-quality, innovative and value for money services and systems.
• A strong working knowledge of IT security processes, government security policy and practice, and the implementation of supporting systems such as IPS, firewalls, proxy, management and monitoring services.
• Critical thinking and problem-solving skills, with the ability to troubleshoot and resolve issues logically and independently, using appropriate techniques to identify root cause.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to explain technical issues clearly and concisely to both technical and non-technical audiences, provide technical assurance to projects and developments, and produce clear and accurate documentation.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and a strong customer focus, with the ability to build effective working relationships across the organisation, work collaboratively as part of a team, negotiate with and manage third-party suppliers, and meet individual and team objectives.

Desirable criteria:

• Professional industry qualifications such as MSCA, MCSE, HPE or CCNA.
• An IT-related degree or similar academic qualification.
• Experience of working on cloud migration projects, for example migration to Microsoft Office 365 or service migrations to Azure and AWS.
• A solution development or architecture qualification.
• Knowledge of HMG information assurance technology standards.
• Knowledge of or experience in project management, particularly Agile methodologies.
• Nimble LEAN thinking to drive change that enables efficiencies and growth.

Other Requirements

A combination of onsite and home working is available and applicants should be able to regularly travel to our Kew site. Must be prepared to travel to other Government departments and supplier premises as required.

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found.

Benefits

Generous benefits package, including pension, sports and social club facilities, onsite gym, discounted rates at our on-site cafe and opportunities for training and development. Annual leave entitlement of 22 days per calendar year (rising to 25 after the first year, and incrementally to 30 days after six years) and 10½ days public and privilege holidays per annum.

Reasonable adjustments

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes. If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should contact The National Archives as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Security

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check. People working with government assets must complete basic personnel security standard 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).

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code 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. The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities.

Contact point for applicants:

Name: The National Archives Recruitment Team