Infrastructure & Network Engineer

Job Title: Infrastructure & Network Engineer

Reporting To: IT Manager

Department: IT

Hours: Full time, Monday-Friday, with occasional planned out-of-hours work.

On-Call: 1-in-3 standby rota with the IT team

Contract: Permanent

Salary: £42,000 to £48,000 depending on experience, plus on-call allowance

Job Summary/Purpose: The Infrastructure & Network Engineer is responsible for the security, design and day-to-day operation of Place UK’s server, storage and network infrastructure across multiple sites. Core areas include network access control (RADIUS/802.1X), Zero Trust Network Access, firewall management and server infrastructure. The postholder runs infrastructure change control, maintains security and segmentation standards, and ensures backup, restore and disaster recovery are tested routinely. They work within a small in-house IT team, share knowledge with colleagues, and take part in the on-call rota.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Network Access Control and Zero Trust

· Design, deploy and maintain RADIUS/802.1X authentication across wired and wireless networks, including certificate-based access.

· Design and maintain Zero Trust Network Access, with access policies based on user, device and application.

· Integrate network access with directory and identity services.

Firewall and Security

· Administer firewalls across the estate, including rule design, change review, logging and regular rule audits.

· Manage secure remote access and harden internet-facing services.

· Design and maintain network segmentation across the estate.

· Remediate infrastructure vulnerabilities and security findings.

Server, Storage and Virtualisation

· Administer server infrastructure, directory services, DNS, DHCP and policy management.

· Operate and maintain virtualisation and storage platforms.

· Own backup, restore and disaster recovery, including scheduled restore tests and DR exercises with documented results.

· Plan patching, lifecycle replacement and capacity for infrastructure.

Networking and Sites

· Manage routing, switching and wireless across all sites.

· Plan and deliver network maintenance and upgrades.

· Support the network infrastructure behind physical security systems, in line with data protection requirements.

Governance and Support

· Run infrastructure change control: raise, peer-review and document changes before implementation.

· Maintain network diagrams, configuration records and operational runbooks.

· Provide third-line support for escalated infrastructure incidents, including root cause analysis.

· Share networking and security best practice with IT colleagues.

· Coordinate contractors and vendors on infrastructure work when required.

· Follow site food safety, hygiene and health and safety rules when working in production and growing areas.

Skills, Knowledge and Experience:

Essential

· Experience in an infrastructure, network or third-line engineering role.

· Solid understanding of routing, switching, VLANs and wireless networking.

· Experience writing and reviewing firewall rules on an enterprise firewall platform.

· Working knowledge of RADIUS/802.1X and certificate-based authentication.

· Server administration and directory services experience.

· Experience with virtualisation, backup and restore.

· Full UK driving licence, for travel between sites.

Desirable

· Hands-on deployment of network access control.

· Experience with Zero Trust Network Access.

· Storage design and disaster recovery planning.

· Scripting or automation experience.

· Experience with vulnerability management or security frameworks.

Enthusiasm matters more to us than ticking every box. If you are passionate about infrastructure and networking and keen to learn, but do not meet every requirement above, we still want to hear from you.

Personal Profile

· Enthusiastic, curious and keen to learn

· True team player who shares knowledge freely

· Logical thinker and methodical problem solver

· Security-minded, and willing to challenge a risky change with clear reasons

· Self-motivated, able to own work from design to delivery

· Explains technical risk clearly to non-technical colleagues

· Practical and comfortable working in factory and farm environments

Preferred Qualifications

· English/Maths: 4/C or Level 2 Functional Skills equivalent

· Networking or security certifications such as CCNA, CompTIA Network+ or Security+, or equivalent

· A relevant degree, or equivalent demonstrable experience

· Experience working within manufacturing is advantageous