Lead Network Engineer

Our Tech team is a 60+ strong team of curious minds, building the digital experiences that power KFC – from app to kiosk, delivery to checkout. We work cross‑functionally, move fast, and stay focused on what matters: creating smart solutions that make things better for our customers and our teams.

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 has partnered with various organisations to assist with day‑to‑day operation.

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.
• 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.
• 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.

Education and 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.

Experience

• Minimum 10 years’ experience in enterprise network engineering, with proven team leadership and workload management responsibilities.
• Demonstrated experience in designing, implementing, and supporting SD‑WAN, large‑scale Wi‑Fi, NAC, and firewall solutions in hybrid (cloud/on‑prem) environments.
• Experience in leading a small team of engineers, including resource planning.
• Track record of leading network changes in high‑availability, mission‑critical environments with minimal downtime.
• Experience collaborating with third‑party vendors and suppliers to deliver critical services and oversee SLA compliance.

Knowledge and Expertise

• Routing & Switching: Expert knowledge of BGP, static routing, route redistribution, VLANs, trunking, STP variants, LACP/EtherChannel.
• Cloud & Modern IT: 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.
• Networking Principles & Protocols: Expert understanding of network protocols and infrastructure such as TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, 802.1x, SD‑WAN, PKI, Radius, QoS, IP addressing and subnetting.
• Firewalls: 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.
• Security Controls: Proven ability to implement, and maintain robust network security measures for infrastructure, users, and devices. Skilled in configuring security policies, logging and monitoring, and integrating advanced solutions such as IDS/IPS, NAC, and network segmentation.
• Management & Monitoring: Proficient with SNMP, syslog, SIEM, and network automation, capacity planning and monitoring tools including introducing such tooling.
• Threat Landscape: Deep understanding of common networking attack vectors and defense‑in‑depth strategies.
• Risk & Compliance: Board understanding of risk assessment methodologies, control frameworks (ISO 27001, NIST CSF, CIS Controls).

Skills

• Analytical & Detail‑Oriented: Keen eye for anomalies; precise documentation and follow‑through.
• Communication: Clear written and verbal communication—translating technical detail into business‑friendly risk insights.
• Collaboration: Works well with Infrastructure, Application and Business teams; influences without authority.
• Self‑Motivation: Proactive ownership; drives tasks to completion with minimal supervision.
• Process Discipline: Organizes workload, meets deadlines, and adheres to SLAs and standards.
• Ethics & Confidentiality: Handles sensitive information with discretion and integrity.

Benefits

• Hybrid working from our Woking RSC (just 24 mins from London)
• Up to 11 % company pension contributions
• Fri‑Yay finishes at 1 pm every Friday
• 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
• 25 % off the chicken

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.

Beware of fake job postings using Yum! and/or our brand logos — KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and Habit Burger & Grill — on fraudulent sites. Yum! Brands only posts jobs on official careers pages and never asks for money during onboarding. Avoid unsolicited contacts via Telegram, WhatsApp or similar social apps.

#J-18808-Ljbffr…