Description

Network Architect

Location: Farnborough, with flexibility to work from home dependent on business demands

Salary: £58,400 - £74,900

The Role:

The Network Architect is responsible for designing, implementing, and governing a highly secure network for Critical National Infrastructure to ensure it is secure, scalable, resilient, and aligned with business objectives.

This role provides technical leadership across enterprise, cloud, and hybrid networking environments and acts as the architectural authority for network-related decisions.

What will I be doing?

Network Architecture & Design

• Design and maintain enterprise-wide network architectures (LAN, WAN, WLAN, SD-WAN, cloud, and hybrid environments).
• Define network standards, principles, and reference architectures.
• Ensure network designs support availability, performance, scalability, and security requirements.

Technical Leadership & Governance

• Act as the network architecture authority, approving designs and providing expert guidance.
• Review low-level designs (LLDs) and ensure alignment with agreed architecture standards.

Security & Resilience

• Embed security-by-design principles, including segmentation, encryption, and zero-trust concepts.
• Collaborate with cybersecurity teams on risk mitigation, vulnerability management, and compliance.
• Design resilient and fault-tolerant networks, including disaster recovery and business continuity considerations.

Stakeholder & Delivery Support

• Translate business and non-functional requirements into network architecture solutions.
• Provide architectural support to delivery teams during build, test, and deployment phases.
• Engage with vendors and suppliers on technical solutions, evaluations, and roadmaps.

What does Leidos need from me?

Technical Skills

• Enterprise network design (routing, switching, firewalls, load balancing, VPNs).
• Awareness of Cloud networking (VPC/VNet design, hybrid connectivity, ExpressRoute/VPN Gateway).
• Network security architecture and compliance frameworks.
• Network performance, monitoring, and troubleshooting at scale.

Architectural & Professional Skills

• Strong experience producing HLDs, LLDs, architecture diagrams, and design justification.
• Ability to balance technical risk, and business outcomes.
• Clear communication skills for both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Qualifications & Experience

• Proven experience in a senior network engineering or network architecture role.
• Strong background in enterprise-scale networking environments.
• Relevant certifications (desirable):
  • Cisco (CCNP / CCIE)
  • Cloud networking certifications (e.g. Azure Network Engineer, AWS Advanced Networking)
• Security certifications (e.g. CISSP, CCNP Security)

Clearance Requirements:

To be eligible for this position, you must possess or be able to obtain SC and NPPV clearance. If you do not already have DV clearance, you may also be required to secure it.

What we do for you:
At Leidos we are PASSIONATE about customer success, UNITED as a team and INSPIRED to make a difference. We offer meaningful and engaging careers, a collaborative culture, and support for your career goals, all while nurturing a healthy work-life balance.
We provide an employment package that attracts, develops and retains only the best in talent. Our reward scheme includes:
•    Contributory Pension Scheme
•    Private Medical Insurance
•    33 days Annual Leave (including public and privilege holidays)
•    Access to Flexible benefits (including life assurance, health schemes, gym memberships, annual buy and sell holidays and a cycle to work scheme)

•    Flexi-Time Working

Commitment to Diversity:

We welcome applications from every part of the community and are committed to a truly diverse and inclusive culture.  We foster a sense of belonging, welcoming all perspectives and contributions, and providing equal access to opportunities and resources for everyone.  If you have a disability or need any reasonable adjustments during the application and selection stages please let us know, and we will respond in a way that best fits your needs.

Who We Are:

Leidos UK & EUROPE – we work to make the world safer, healthier, and more efficient through technology, engineering and science.

Leidos is agrowing company delivering innovative technology and solutions focused on safeguarding critical capabilities and transformation in frontline services, our work in the United Kingdom includes addressing some of the most complex problems in defence, healthcare, government, safety and security, and transportation.

What Makes Us Different:

Purpose: you can use your passion and abilities at Leidos to keep the people you care about safe. We are at the forefront of machine learning, AI, cyber security and solutions. Using your skills in the technology frontline by helping to build a safer world.  You can inspire change.

Collaboration: having flexibility to do your job is one of our core benefits, enabling you to become part of our extraordinary team.  We have been empowering our people to work flexibly for years.  Whether you work from home, the office or on customer sites, we will give you the digital tools and the flexibility to work smarter and align your needs and ours.          

People: Leidos empowers people from every background to be themselves and gives you the tools to learn new skills by enabling growthwhilst developing. We believe that extraordinary people need opportunities to grow, to be inspired and to inspire others. At Leidos, we invest in technical academies, career rotations and a career development plans that enhance your future.

If you're looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo — because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We're already at step 30 — and moving faster than a