We are seeking a Senior Network Architect to assess, document and improve enterprise network architecture in a secure defence environment. You will combine detailed technical investigation with clear design documentation and practical recommendations for operational resilience.
Your initial assignment will support bridging the Gap programme and its Network team. The estate spans two data centres and includes Cisco ACI, Cisco routers, Cisco ASA firewalls and F5 load balancers.
Working alongside Architecture and Network support teams, you will establish an accurate view of the existing network, recommend improvements with minimal operational risk and assess the changes needed to support true active/active connectivity between the two data centres.
Salary: between £70,000 to £80,000
Location: Bristol (no remote working)
Clearance: a minimum of UK SC clearance
What you will do:
- Review the live network implementation, configurations and legacy design material across both data centres, identifying gaps between documented and actual operation.
- Produce accurate current-state High Level Designs and Low Level Designs using company templates, supported by clear topology diagrams, connectivity flows and technical dependencies.
- Review Cisco ACI, routing, firewall and load-balancing arrangements with the Architecture and Network support teams to understand service connectivity and operational constraints.
- Produce a Network Review and Recommendation Report identifying practical improvements that can be made without significant redesign and with minimal risk to live services.
- Assess opportunities to make better use of Cisco ACI application-centric capabilities, including application relationships, segmentation and policy design.
- Present recommended improvements as a prioritised roadmap showing sequencing, interdependencies, implementation considerations and service impact.
- Produce a Network Disaster Recovery Capability Report assessing the changes required for true active/active connectivity between the two data centres.
- Explain current connectivity limitations, proposed implementation approaches, risks to existing services and any additional hardware, software or licensing requirements.
- Lead technical review discussions, resolve design comments and secure review and sign-off of design documentation from Architecture and Network teams.
- Maintain controlled technical documentation and supporting evidence, contribute to risk and issue reporting, and submit deliverables through agreed secure channels.
Requirements
- Strong enterprise network architecture experience, including assessing existing implementations and producing accurate High Level Designs and Low Level Designs.
- Hands-on Cisco ACI experience, including fabric architecture, tenants, VRFs, bridge domains, endpoint groups and contracts, with an understanding of application-centric policy design.
- Strong Cisco routing knowledge and practical understanding of IP addressing, routing protocols, segmentation and connectivity between data centres.
- Experience reviewing Cisco ASA firewall configurations, traffic flows, access policies, NAT and high-availability arrangements.
- Experience with F5 load balancers, including traffic management, health monitoring, resilience and dependencies on surrounding network services.
- Experience assessing network disaster recovery and active/active designs, including failure scenarios, failover behaviour, routing symmetry and stateful service dependencies.
- Ability to investigate live configurations safely, identify technical constraints and recommend proportionate changes with clear implementation and operational impacts.
- Strong technical writing, diagramming and stakeholder communication skills, with experience taking designs through formal review and approval.
Desirable experience
- Cisco ACI deployments spanning multiple data centres and migration towards application-centric policies.
- Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA)
- Network resilience testing, recovery planning and assessment of hardware, software and licensing options.
- Defence, government or other regulated environments with controlled technical data and formal configuration management.
- Relevant Cisco, F5 or network architecture certifications, such as CCNP or CCIE.
Benefits
By joining us you can expect
- Autonomy to develop and grow your skills and experience
- Be part of exciting project work that is making a difference in society
- Strong, inspiring and thought-provoking leadership
- A supportive and collaborative environment
As well as this, we offer:
- Development access to LinkedIn Learning, a management development programme and training
- Wellness 24/7 Confidential employee assistance programme
- Social - Breakfast Tuesdays, Thirsty Thursdays and Pizza on the last Thursday of each month as well as commitment to charitable causes
- Time off 25 days a year; plus the opportunity to purchase extra leave per year
- Pension Salary Exchange Scheme with 4% employer contribution and 5% employee contribution
- Life Assurance of 4 times base salary
- Private Medical Insurance which is non-contributory (spouse and dependants included)
- Worldwide Travel Insurance which is non-contributory (spouse and dependants included)
Skills Required
- Strong enterprise network architecture experience, including assessing existing implementations and producing High Level Designs and Low Level Designs
- Hands-on Cisco ACI experience, including fabric architecture, tenants, VRFs, bridge domains, endpoint groups, contracts, and application-centric policy design
- Strong Cisco routing knowledge and practical understanding of IP addressing, routing protocols, segmentation, and data-centre connectivity
- Experience reviewing Cisco ASA firewall configurations, traffic flows, access policies, NAT, and high-availability arrangements
- Experience with F5 load balancers, including traffic management, health monitoring, resilience, and network-service dependencies
- Experience assessing network disaster recovery and active/active designs, including failure scenarios, failover behaviour, routing symmetry, and stateful service dependencies
- Ability to investigate live configurations safely and recommend proportionate changes with clear implementation and operational impacts
- Strong technical writing, diagramming, and stakeholder communication skills, including formal design review and approval experience
- Experience with Cisco ACI deployments spanning multiple data centres and migration toward application-centric policies
- Experience with network resilience testing, recovery planning, and assessment of hardware, software, and licensing options
- Experience in defence, government, or other regulated environments with controlled technical data and formal configuration management
- Relevant Cisco, F5, or network architecture certifications, such as CCNP or CCIE
What We Do
Methods is the leading digital transformation partner for the UK public sector. We care deeply about making our public services better and have been doing this for 28 years. Methods partners with a range of central government departments and agencies to transform the way public sector operates in the UK. Our mission is to help safeguard public-facing services and apply digital thinking to make sure the future of our public services is centred around citizens. Committed to having social impact, we enjoy an enviable track record of delivering real savings and benefits. We do this by helping you move from vertically integrated legacy infrastructure to a platform business model – allowing you to keep infrastructure costs low and focus on doing what you do best i.e. delivering front-end services. With Methods, you access a range of specialist skills and industry expertise to transform your organisation for the digital age, break free of expensive suppliers, and take control of your customer relationships and operating model. Further information on Methods Group can be found at www.methods.co.uk.
