Senior Network & IT Security Lead / Manager Data Center & Branch Network
UK Career Opportunity
**Location:** Croydon, London, United Kingdom
**Salary:** £50,000–£60,000 per annum
**Employment Type:** Permanent | Full Time
**Relocation:** Permanent relocation to the United Kingdom is required
Build Your Leadership Career in the United Kingdom
Day Lewis is one of the UK's leading independent pharmacy groups, operating a nationwide network of pharmacies, wholesale distribution centres and healthcare services.
As part of our continued technology transformation, we are seeking an experienced **Head of Infrastructure Engineering, Networks & Operations** to permanently relocate to the United Kingdom and lead the infrastructure supporting our business‑critical healthcare operations.
This is a rare opportunity for an accomplished network leader to join a growing UK organisation, influence technology strategy, lead high‑performing teams and play a key role in modernising a complex enterprise technology estate.
This is not a traditional infrastructure support role.
We are looking for a technically credible leader who has progressed through infrastructure and network engineering, understands enterprise technology, can challenge technical designs, lead major incidents and communicate confidently with senior executives.
If you are looking for a genuine leadership opportunity in the UK where you can make a lasting impact, we would like to hear from you.
Why Join Us?
This is an opportunity to lead technology that directly supports healthcare services across the United Kingdom.
You will have responsibility for infrastructure, networking, telecommunications, workplace technology, resilience and operational engineering across multiple business locations.
You will work alongside executive leadership while helping shape the future direction of technology within the organisation.
The role provides significant ownership, technical influence and long‑term career progression within a growing UK business.
Relocation Opportunity
This position is based in **Croydon, Greater London, United Kingdom**.
We are seeking candidates who are excited about building their careers in the UK and are willing to relocate permanently for this opportunity. The individual will initially work full‑time from the Ahmedabad office during a 6‑month probation period and, following successful completion of probation and subject to applicable employment and immigration arrangements, relocate permanently to the United Kingdom.
This is an office‑based leadership role and is not a remote or offshore position.
The Role
Reporting to the Head of IT, you will provide strategic and operational leadership across our enterprise infrastructure, networks and operational technology estate.
We are looking for an experienced Network & IT Security professional with 12–15 years of experience in designing, implementing, managing and troubleshooting enterprise Data Center, DR and Branch Network infrastructure.
The ideal candidate should have strong hands‑on L3 networking expertise, combined with good knowledge of network security technologies and experience in leading technical teams, managing vendors and driving infrastructure projects.
The role will be primarily focused on Network Infrastructure, with responsibility for associated IT/Network Security controls and technologies.
Communication & UK Stakeholder Engagement
Excellent spoken and written English is an essential requirement.
The successful candidate will communicate directly with UK‑based:
- Technology leadership
- Infrastructure and Network teams
- Service Desk
- Cyber Security
- Application and Development teams
- Project and Programme teams
- Business stakeholders
- Customers
- Vendors
- ISPs and carriers
- Managed Service Providers
They must be able to communicate:
Technical Problem Business Impact Risk Action Resolution / Next Steps
in clear business language.
The candidate must be confident enough to lead technical discussions with UK colleagues and suppliers without requiring another manager to communicate on their behalf.
Communication ability will therefore be specifically assessed during the recruitment process.
Key Responsibilities
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1. Data Center & Enterprise Network
Design, implement and manage enterprise Data Center, DR and Branch network infrastructure. Provide L3 support and troubleshooting for complex network incidents and escalations. Manage and troubleshoot LAN, WAN, Data Center and Branch connectivity. Work on enterprise routing and switching technologies including BGP, OSPF, VLAN, VRF, STP and related protocols. Manage MPLS, Internet, SD‑WAN and site‑to‑site connectivity. Design and maintain highly available and redundant network architecture across Data Center and DR environments. Work with technologies such as Cisco Nexus/Catalyst, Cisco ACI, Arista or equivalent enterprise networking platforms. Troubleshoot complex issues involving routing, switching, packet loss, latency, asymmetric routing, MTU and network availability. Participate in network architecture, capacity planning and technology refresh initiatives. Ensure network resilience, redundancy and DR readiness.
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2. Network Security
Design, implement and manage enterprise Network Security infrastructure. Manage and troubleshoot enterprise Firewalls, including technologies such as Palo Alto, Fortinet, Check Point, Cisco FTD/ASA or equivalent. Manage firewall policies, NAT, VPN, security zones, segmentation and access controls. Implement and manage IDS/IPS solutions and monitor security events. Work with Network Access Control (NAC) and network segmentation solutions. Manage and support DDoS protection, secure remote access, IPsec/SSL VPN and other network security controls. Work with Web Application Firewall (WAF) and other perimeter security technologies. Implement network security hardening and security best practices. Coordinate with SOC/Information Security teams for security incidents, investigations and remediation.
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3. Data Loss Prevention & Security Technologies
Good understanding of DLP (Data Loss Prevention) technologies and their integration with enterprise network/security infrastructure. Work with security teams on implementation and troubleshooting of DLP, IDS, IPS, SIEM and security monitoring solutions. Support implementation of security controls for protection of critical applications, databases and business data. Participate in vulnerability remediation, security hardening and security audit activities. Ensure network infrastructure complies with applicable security policies, standards and regulatory requirements.
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4. Branch & WAN Network
Design and manage connectivity for a large branch/office network environment. Manage WAN technologies including MPLS, SD‑WAN, Internet and VPN. Ensure secure and highly available branch connectivity to Data Center, DR and cloud environments. Troubleshoot branch‑level routing, connectivity, firewall and security issues. Work with telecom/service providers for circuit provisioning, troubleshooting and SLA management.
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5. Cloud & Hybrid Network
Good understanding of Cloud Networking, particularly connectivity between on‑premise Data Centers and cloud environments. Experience with AWS/Azure connectivity, VPN, Direct Connect/ExpressRoute or equivalent technologies will be an advantage. Support hybrid network architecture, cloud security and secure connectivity between enterprise and cloud environments.
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6. Team & Vendor Management
Lead and mentor network and network‑security engineers. Manage L1/L2/L3 support teams and ensure timely resolution of escalated incidents. Act as the technical escalation point for complex network and security issues. Manage OEM, telecom and managed‑service vendors.
Review vendor performance against agreed SLAs and OLAs. Coordinate with application, server, database, cloud, cybersecurity and IT operations teams. Participate in major incident management and conduct technical RCA/problem management. Drive continuous improvement, automation and operational efficiency.
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7. Projects & Architecture
Lead network and security infrastructure projects from design through implementation and operational handover. Prepare and review HLD/LLD, network diagrams, implementation plans and migration plans. Evaluate new networking and security technologies. Drive network modernization, Data Center transformation, SD‑WAN, security enhancement and capacity expansion initiatives. Ensure changes are implemented in accordance with ITIL/change management processes. Participate in DR drills, BCP activities and infrastructure resilience assessments.
Mandatory Technical Skills
- Networking
- 12–15 years of enterprise networking experience
- Strong L3 hands‑on troubleshooting experience
- Data Center networking
- Branch/WAN networking
- BGP, OSPF
- VLAN, VRF, STP
- MPLS
- SD‑WAN
- LAN/WAN
- IP routing and switching
- Network redundancy and high availability
- Cisco Nexus/Catalyst, ACI, Arista or equivalent
- Network & IT Security
- Enterprise Firewall
- Palo Alto / Fortinet / Check Point / Cisco FTD/ASA
- IDS / IPS
- DLP
- VPN – IPsec/SSL
- NAC
- Network segmentation
- WAF
- DDoS protection
- SIEM/security monitoring concepts
- Network security hardening
- Security incident troubleshooting
- Management
- Technical team leadership
- People management
- Vendor/OEM management
- Incident & problem management
- Change management
- Project management
- SLA management
- RCA and escalation management
Desired Certifications
Any of the following certifications will be an advantage:
- CCNP / CCIE
- Palo Alto PCNSE
- Fortinet NSE/FCP
- Check Point certifications
- CISSP
- CISM
- ITIL
- AWS/Azure networking certifications
Telecoms, Voice & Microsoft Teams Telephony
The Senior Lead Network Engineer will support and provide technical leadership across:
- VoIP
- SIP and SIP trunking
- Microsoft Teams Telephony
- Call routing
- Carrier connectivity
- Voice network dependencies
- QoS
- Number provisioning and porting
- Telecom circuits
- Voice resilience
- Telecom monitoring
- Call‑quality troubleshooting
Candidate Profile
- A strong hands‑on L3 Network professional rather than a purely managerial candidate.
- Experienced in large enterprise Data Center + DR + Branch/WAN environments.
- Strong in network troubleshooting and architecture.
- Experienced in managing firewalls and network security infrastructure.
- Comfortable handling critical production incidents and escalations.
- Able to lead a technical team while remaining involved in complex technical issues.
- Experienced in working with multiple OEMs, telecom providers and managed‑service partners.
- Strong in communication, stakeholder management and technical decision‑making.
- We are specifically looking for a Senior/Lead Network Engineer who remains technically hands‑on.
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