Lead Network Engineer

Our Tech team is a 60+ strong team of curious minds, building the digital experiences that power KFC – from app to kiosk, delivery to checkout. We work cross‑functionally, move fast, and stay focused on what matters: creating smart solutions that make things better for our customers and our teams.

Accountable for the design, ownership, and continuous improvement of KFC UK&I’s network solutions, ensuring secure, resilient, and high‑performing connectivity across 1,000+ restaurants and corporate environments. Responsible for leading the network engineering team, mentoring two network engineers, and managing the delivery and lifecycle of network technology and services. Vendor collaboration is a key part of this role as KFC has partnered with various organisations to assist with day‑to‑day operation.

• Owner of network architecture and design, accountable for developing and maintaining scalable, secure, resilient, and innovative solutions that align with business and security requirements.
• Responsible for evaluating emerging technologies, driving adoption of best practices, and ensuring all network solutions are future‑proof and cost‑effective.
• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of network engineers, managing their workload, performance, and professional growth.
• Allocate tasks, set priorities, and ensure the team delivers high‑quality support and project outcomes within agreed SLAs.

• Accountable for the operational integrity of WAN, LAN, Wi‑Fi, and cloud‑based network services.
• Oversee incident response, troubleshooting, and root cause analysis for complex network issues, ensuring timely resolution and minimal business impact.
• Owner of network device configuration management, backup, and disaster recovery processes.

• Responsible for enforcing network security baselines, compliance with internal policies, and external standards (e.g., ISO 27001, NIST CSF).
• Collaborate with the Security team on vulnerability management, incident response, and audit readiness.
• Act as the primary technical authority with network service providers and hardware vendors, accountable for SLA adherence, capacity planning, and service improvement.
• Coordinate change windows, communications, and post‑change validation with business and IT stakeholders.

• Owner of network documentation, including diagrams, inventories, runbooks, and change records.
• Contribute to architecture standards, design reviews, and continuous improvement initiatives.

• Participate in an on‑call rota for major incidents and perform occasional travel to sites and data centers.

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Security, or related field (or equivalent practical experience).
• Cisco CCNP or higher (or equivalent).
• Cloud networking certification (e.g., Azure/AWS) highly desirable.
• Security certifications (e.g., CompTIA Security+, CySA+, or SSCP) are advantageous.

• Minimum 10 years’ experience in enterprise network engineering, with proven team leadership and workload management responsibilities.
• Demonstrated experience in designing, implementing, and supporting SD‑WAN, large‑scale Wi‑Fi, NAC, and firewall solutions in hybrid (cloud/on‑prem) environments.
• Experience in leading a small team of engineers, including resource planning.
• Track record of leading network changes in high‑availability, mission‑critical environments with minimal downtime.
• Experience collaborating with third‑party vendors and suppliers to deliver critical services and oversee SLA compliance.

• Routing & Switching: Expert knowledge of BGP, static routing, route redistribution, VLANs, trunking, STP variants, LACP/Ether Channel.
• Cloud & Modern IT: Significant knowledge of cloud networking principles including the design and configuration of services (Azure/AWS), including Express Routes, vNets, NGS’s, routing tables, and security appliances.
• Networking Principles & Protocols: Expert understanding of network protocols and infrastructure such as TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, 802.1x, SD‑WAN, PKI, Radius, QoS, IP addressing and…