Network and Telecoms Technical Lead

Location

This is a remote role, offering the flexibility to work virtually from anywhere within the UK.

Permanent

As a Network and Telecoms Technical Lead, you will play a key role in ensuring the performance, availability and support of our global network, telephony, security, and fixed and wireless services. Working closely with third‑party vendors and service providers, you will be responsible for service delivery, supplier and contract management, and the ongoing operation of our network and telecommunications estate. This is a hands‑on technical leadership role within a complex multinational environment, offering the opportunity to work across a broad range of technologies.

You will be actively involved in the Cisco ecosystem, including Switching & Routing, FMC, WLC, ISE and Catalyst Center, while also gaining exposure to platforms such as Forti Gate. You will drive continuous improvement, support business‑critical projects, and help shape the future direction of our network and telecommunications services, ensuring they remain secure, resilient and aligned with business needs.

• Support BAU operations, projects and incident resolution, working with vendors and partners to minimise business impact.
• Ensure Network and Telecommunications services are delivered in line with contractual, architectural, security and availability requirements.
• Manage supplier and vendor relationships, including service reviews, contract renewals and service performance.
• Act as a key liaison between IT Operations, Business Change, IT Delivery, support teams and third‑party providers.
• Review and approve changes, attend CAB meetings, and support the successful transition of new and changed services into support.
• Support financial governance, resource planning, certificate management, vulnerability patching and other operational controls.
• Identify and implement service improvements, cost‑saving opportunities and continuous improvement initiatives.

• Hands‑on experience of Cisco switching and routing CLI, with firewalling experience advantageous.
• Experience of multinational telecoms provision and support, including network infrastructure, WAN, LAN, mobile, telephony, data centres and cloud partners.
• Clear understanding of ITIL principles and Incident, Problem, Change and Release Management processes (ITIL Foundation preferred).
• Extensive experience of defining, supporting and managing the lifecycle of Network and Telecommunications services.
• Experience of managing outsourced support teams, suppliers and vendors, including contractual obligations, SLAs and formal supplier relationship management.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to translate technical information into business terminology, including engagement at board level.
• Experience of working in a matrix‑managed environment, with awareness of budgets and cost control processes.
• Strong decision‑making skills and the ability to maintain clear and focused thinking under high‑pressure situations.
• Ability to keep updated on technology trends and solutions within the Network and Telecommunications arena.

• ITIL v3 Practitioner or ITIL 4 Managing Professional (or equivalent).

At RS, we are making amazing happen for a better world.

As a global product and service solutions provider, we help industrial customers operate more efficiently and sustainably. Operating in 33 markets, we support around one million customers worldwide with more than 875,000 stocked products, access to over five million additional products, and a range of service solutions designed to help businesses thrive.

What sets us apart is our people. More than 8,500 colleagues around the world…