Senior Engineer - Mission Critcal Communications; Airport Operations

Senior Engineer – Mission Critical Radio & Cellular Systems Heathrow Airport | Service Operations | Permanent

Help keep one of the world's busiest airports connected.

Our client organisation is seeking an experienced Senior Engineer – Mission Critical Radio & Cellular Systems to join the team responsible for supporting one of the UK's most complex operational communications environments at Heathrow Airport.

This is a rare opportunity to play a leading role in maintaining and evolving the critical communications infrastructure that supports airport operations, emergency response, engineering teams, airlines, ground handlers and numerous operational partners. Every day, your expertise will help ensure resilient communications that keep Heathrow operating safely, securely and efficiently.

This is a hands‑on senior engineering role where you'll provide technical leadership across a diverse estate of mission‑critical communications technologies. You'll lead the investigation of complex technical issues, support major incidents, influence future technology improvements and work closely with internal stakeholders, suppliers and project teams to deliver highly resilient services.

You’ll be involved in both operational support and strategic service improvement, making this an ideal opportunity for an engineer who enjoys solving challenging technical problems whilst helping shape the future of operational communications.

Working across a broad communications estate, you'll support technologies including‑

• DMR and PMR radio networks
• Legacy MPT
  1327 infrastructure
• Multi‑Operator Cellular Infrastructure (2G, 3G, 4G and 5G)
• Mission Critical Dispatch Systems
• Fibre and IP communications networks
• Airport‑wide RF distribution and antenna systems

• Provide technical leadership for mission‑critical radio and cellular services.
• Lead the investigation and resolution of complex technical incidents and major service outages.
• Drive continual service improvement through proactive maintenance, root cause analysis and operational best practice.
• Mentor and support engineers, sharing technical knowledge and developing team capability.
• Support the introduction of new technologies into live operational service.
• Manage relationships with equipment manufacturers, specialist suppliers and engineering partners.
• Work closely with operational stakeholders to ensure services remain resilient, supportable and fit for future demands.

You’ll be an experienced communications engineer with a strong background supporting critical operational environments. You thrive on solving complex technical challenges, remain calm under pressure and enjoy taking ownership of high‑impact engineering issues.

You’ll be comfortable working with a wide range of stakeholders and equally at home leading a major technical recovery as you are carrying out detailed engineering investigations.

We’re particularly interested in candidates with experience of‑

• Mission‑critical radio communications and/or cellular infrastructure
• TETRA, DMR and PMR technologies
• RF engineering, antenna systems and fibre infrastructure
• IP networking within operational communications environments
• Technical incident management, problem management and root cause analysis
• ITIL Service Management principles
• Supplier and vendor management
• Providing technical leadership or mentoring engineering teams

Experience with any of the following would be advantageous‑

• Motorola, Teltronic, Hytera, Frequentis or similar mission‑critical platforms
• Public or private LTE/5G networks
• RF test equipment including spectrum analysers and fibre test equipment
• Critical national infrastructure or other highly regulated operational environments
• ITIL certification
• Industry or manufacturer certifications in radio or cellular technologies

This is an opportunity to work on infrastructure that genuinely matters. You’ll join a highly skilled engineering team supporting technology that enables the safe and efficient operation of one of the world’s busiest international airports.

If you’re looking for a technically challenging role where your expertise will have real operational impact, we’d love to hear from you.

Successful candidates will be required to obtain and maintain Heathrow Airport security clearance.