Lead Network Engineer - Media & Advertising Job London area,Greater London England UK,IT/Tech

Join one of the UK's most established and respected media and content production organisations, delivering live broadcasting, award-winning journalism, and streaming content to audiences around the world. The organisation relies on highly resilient network infrastructure to support mission-critical broadcast and production environments.

This opportunity is ideal for an experienced Lead Network Engineer looking to take technical ownership of a complex network estate supporting live broadcast operations. You'll lead a small team, own the network architecture, and deliver resilient connectivity for high-profile live events, bridging the gap between enterprise networking and real-time IP broadcast infrastructure.

Responsibilities:

Provide architectural oversight and technical leadership for corporate and broadcast network infrastructure across all sites
Design, implement, and operate mission-critical IP networks supporting live broadcast, streaming, and corporate services
Lead multicast routing design and optimisation, PIM, SSM, IGMPv2/v3, Rendezvous Points for streaming and broadcast workflows
Plan and deliver network services for large-scale live events, elections, major outside broadcasts, high-profile transmission where zero downtime is essential
Own network performance, capacity, resilience, and security across broadcast and corporate environments
Collaborate with broadcast engineering and production teams to integrate new systems into the IP production environment
Line manage and mentor a small team of network engineers
Act as senior escalation point for complex network incidents and high-risk project delivery
Manage external suppliers and carriers on circuit provisioning, SLA management, and connectivity projects
Arista core broadcast and data centre fabric
Cisco, corporate and campus networking
Palo Alto, firewalls and security
BGP / OSPF, EVPN / VXLAN
Multicast: PIM / SSM / IGMPv2 / IGMPv3
SMPTE ST 2110, PTP / IEEE 1588, NMOS IS-04/IS-05

Skills/Must Have:

Broadcast networking background, this is essential, not a nice-to-have
Deep multicast expertise, specifically in broadcast or streaming environments, not just general enterprise multicast
Strong BGP and OSPF routing experience, Cisco and Arista in a production environment
Solid EVPN/VXLAN overlay architecture experience
Proven track record delivering networks for live, high-pressure events where availability is non-negotiable
Experience leading or mentoring a small technical team
Familiarity with SMPTE ST 2110, PTP (IEEE 1588), and NMOS is a significant advantage
Arista ACE or Cisco CCNP certification preferred
Confident communicator, able to bridge IT and broadcast engineering teams clearly

Location & Working Pattern:

Central London
Primarily onsite with some flexibility
Standard hours: 9am–5:30pm
No on-call requirement

Benefits:

Work for one of the UK's most recognisable media organisations, supporting infrastructure with genuine national significance
Gain experience delivering broadcast networking for high-profile live events, including elections, royal events, and major outside broadcasts
Combine technical leadership with team management, taking ownership of architecture, project delivery, and people development
Work across a best-of-breed, multi-vendor environment including Arista, Cisco, and Palo Alto technologies
Enjoy a role with no on-call requirement and a healthy work-life balance
Collaborate closely with broadcast engineering, production, and cybersecurity teams across the organisation

Salary:

£75,000 base salary