West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) is seeking a Principal Network and Infrastructure Specialist to take ownership of a diverse and business‑critical network estate, spanning core switching, enterprise Wi‑Fi, and voice systems across key sites including transport hubs, offices, and partner locations. The role involves managing Cisco‑based switching environments, VLAN configurations, and supporting Aruba wireless networks to keep people, places, and services connected.
What You’ll Be Doing
- Lead, manage, and continuously develop the organisation’s network, voice, and connectivity infrastructure across cloud and on‑premises environments, ensuring alignment with the Tech and Insights strategy and industry best practice.
- Provide expert technical leadership and 3rd‑line support for highly complex infrastructure issues and transformation projects, making independent, informed technical decisions to maintain resilient and secure services.
- Ensure the network infrastructure is secure, reliable, and recoverable by overseeing performance, monitoring, backup, disaster recovery, and compliance with cyber security, data protection, and governance standards.
- Drive the adoption of modern, scalable architectures and automation, identifying opportunities for improvement, managing risks and dependencies, and delivering solutions that provide value for money.
- Oversee and support the delivery of infrastructure services through effective collaboration with internal teams, contracted resources, and external suppliers, while contributing to skills development and knowledge resilience within Digital and Data.
What’s Essential
- Extensive experience within networking and infrastructure environments, including but not limited to cloud virtual networking, LAN / WAN, firewalls, voice and wireless technologies.
- Extensive experience administering, configuring, and designing a multisite and hybrid cloud enterprise network environment.
- A good understanding of network and infrastructure roadmaps and the ability to evaluate the applicability for business productivity solutions in accordance with the Digital and Data strategy.
- Experience deploying hybrid cloud networking and infrastructure solutions, such as managed service WANs, multi‑site enterprise LANs, enterprise wireless solutions, virtual cloud networking and secure resilient network environments and technologies.
- Experience with core network technologies such as data and voice networks, routing, Layer 3 switching, firewall configuration, VLANs, software‑defined network technologies and secure resilient design principles.
- Extensive knowledge of supporting Layer 2 / 3 Cisco and HP Aruba network environments and virtual networking.
Location
The position is based at 16 Summer Lane, Birmingham, B19 3SD, with at least two days a week spent in the office.
Salary And Benefits
We advertise salary ranges, with new appointments typically starting at the lowest salary point. In exceptional cases, the salary point may be adjusted to secure the best candidate. This approach allows for potential year‑on‑year salary increases, offering progression and appropriate rewards to employees. Requests for salaries above the maximum advertised range will not be considered.
- Local Government Pension Scheme (one of the most generous pension schemes in the UK).
- Shared Cost Additional Voluntary Contribution scheme allowing you to build an additional pot of money alongside your pension with contributions exempt from Income Tax and National Insurance contributions (NICs).
- 28 days paid annual leave (with an option to purchase more) + statutory days.
- Electric vehicle car benefit scheme.
- Healthcare plans.
- Discounted gym membership, will‑writing, and mortgage advice.
- Option to buy a bicycle, including e‑bikes and adapted pedal cycles, at a discounted rate.
- Three days of paid leave each year to volunteer.
- Interest‑free financing through SmartTech to buy the latest technology.
- Discounted shopping with over 2,000 big‑name retailers, and a Costco membership through the WMCA.
- Boundless unlocks unlimited entry to top‑rated UK attractions and additional benefits and discounts.
- Eye Care Scheme, offering a free eye test and a financial contribution towards glasses.
Right to Work in the UK
Proof of right to work in the UK will be required for all applicants in accordance with UK Home Office requirements before any employment offer can be confirmed. Non‑UK applicants (excluding Ireland) would be required to hold a relevant visa from UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI).
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