Senior Network Specialist

The role

Are you a senior network professional who thrives on transformation projects rather than business-as-usual support?

We’re delivering a large-scale, campus-wide network upgrade that will modernise and future-proof our entire infrastructure. This is a rare opportunity to play a pivotal role in a high-visibility programme that will reshape connectivity across a complex university environment.

Why This Role Stands Out

This isn’t a maintenance role. It’s a chance to:

• Lead and influence a full network refresh across a diverse enterprise estate
• Work on modern architecture, scalability, and resilience improvements
• Contribute to a high-impact infrastructure programme with executive visibility
• Leave a lasting technical legacy across a large organisation

You’ll join a collaborative IT team with strong project backing and the opportunity to shape technical decisions at a strategic level.

What will you be doing?

The successful candidate will play a senior technical role in the design and delivery of a major campus-wide network transformation programme. Working as part of a project-led team, you will provide technical leadership and hands-on expertise to support the refresh and modernisation of the University’s core network infrastructure.

You will contribute to network architecture design, support implementation activities, and help improve resilience, performance, and security across the estate. The role will involve close collaboration with project teams, operational colleagues, and key stakeholders, acting as a senior escalation point and design authority during delivery phases rather than providing routine business-as-usual support.

The successful candidate will be responsible for designing, administering and troubleshooting all of the University’s core network services. 

Why a 12-Month Contract?

This role offers the intensity and impact of a major programme without long-term commitment — ideal for professionals who enjoy project delivery, transformation work, or building impressive programme experience.

If you’re motivated by meaningful infrastructure change rather than incremental updates, we’d love to hear from you.

You should apply if

• Proven experience in enterprise network design and implementation
• Strong routing, switching, and wireless expertise
• Experience working on infrastructure refresh or transformation programmes
• Ability to operate confidently in complex, multi-stakeholder environments

You should apply if you have substantial experience designing and delivering enterprise-scale network solutions and enjoy working on time-bound transformation or infrastructure refresh programmes. You will be comfortable operating at a senior technical level, contributing to architectural decisions, and working within complex environments with multiple stakeholders.

This role is well suited to network professionals who are motivated by project delivery, modernisation, and meaningful infrastructure change rather than day-to-day operational support.

Additional information

• 25 Days Annual Leave
• Major Infrastructure Programme

Contract type: Fixed Term (12 months)

Work pattern: 35 hours per week

This advert will close at 23:59 UK time on Tuesday 3rd March

For informal queries, please contact Howard Smith (Core Network Team Manager) howard.smith@bristol.ac.uk

Interviews are expected to consist of a face-to-face panel interview and a written test.

Our strategy and mission

We recently launched our strategy to 2030 tying together our mission, vision and values.

The University of Bristol aims to be a place where everyone feels able to be themselves and do their best in an inclusive working environment where all colleagues can thrive and reach their full potential. We want to attract, develop, and retain individuals with different experiences, backgrounds and perspectives – particularly people of colour, LGBT+ and disabled people - because diversity of people and ideas remains integral to our excellence as a global civic institution.

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