Job Description

The Ellison Institute of Technology's (EIT) purpose is to have a global impact by fundamentally reimagining the way science and technology translate into end-to-end solutions and delivering these solutions in programmes and platforms that respond to humanity's most challenging problems.
EIT will ensure scientific discoveries and pioneering science are turned into products for the benefit of society that can have high-impact worldwide and, over time, be commercialised to ensure long-term sustainability.
Led by a faculty of world experts, EIT seeks to solve the world's most challenging problems across four high-risk, high-reward, high-impact humane endeavours: health and medical science; food security and sustainable agriculture; climate change and clean energy; and Artificial Intelligence & Robotics.
EIT is investing significant resources in a new world-class research and development facility in the Oxford Science Park. Set for completion in 2027, the state-of-the-art campus includes 300,000 sq ft of research laboratories, an oncology and preventative care clinic, and educational and meeting spaces. Together, they create the perfect environment for EIT experts to take ground-breaking ideas from research to broad implementation. The new facility will further EIT's current partnership with the University of Oxford and become the new home for Ellison Scholars.
EIT is committed to cultivating a community where excellence is achieved through collaboration, trust, innovation and tenacity. We foster an environment where everyone's experience and expertise are valued. We are curious and resilient in our efforts to drive long-term, sustainable innovation to meet humanity's most enduring challenges.
Reporting into the IT Director, EIT is looking for a Head of Network Infrastructure to lead our enterprise-wide network and infrastructure strategy and be a significant contributor to the development of our Oracle Cloud Infrastructure strategy. As Head of Network Infrastructure, you will be responsible for designing, implementing, and managing robust, secure, and scalable LAN, WAN, Wi-Fi, and Cloud architecture to support our mission-critical scientific research and technology-driven operations.
We are at the very start of our Network Infrastructure journey, and the successful candidate will have the opportunity to build and deliver the latest network technologies to support a multi-site campus that requires fast, reliable, and secure connectivity that covers a large spectrum of use cases. With our world leading, 300,000 square feet primary campus buildings coming online in 2027, focus is now upon finding the right technology, design, and configuration to support the seamless connectivity for this, and other, UK based locations.
This role requires a seasoned Network expert, who architects network infrastructures with many years operating within a complex, high-performance environment who possesses expertise in enterprise networking, network security, cloud networking, and IT infrastructure management. You will work closely with internal stakeholders, technology partners, and research programs to ensure our network and infrastructure meet the evolving needs of a cutting-edge scientific organisation.
The successful candidate for this role will be the first member of the Network Infrastructure team and have the opportunity to define the team's size and shape to ensure the goals of the team are met. As well as having expertise in the world of Networking, the successful candidate will also provide tangible evidence of their ability to build, empower, and support a team of technical Network Engineers.
Key Responsibilities:
Strategy & Leadership

• Define and implement a network and infrastructure strategy that aligns with the organisation's scientific and technology goals.
• Recruit and lead a team of network engineers, cloud specialists, and IT professionals.
• Ensure the scalability, security, and high availability of all enterprise network and cloud systems.
• Drive the adoption of emerging networking and cloud technologies to support innovation and efficiency.

Network & Infrastructure Management

• Oversee the design, implementation, and maintenance of LAN, WAN, SD-WAN, Wi-Fi, AVoIP and cloud networking solutions.
• Manage the network performance, security, and resilience of data centre, office, laboratory, auditorium and cloud environments (OCI, Azure).
• Ensure network reliability, redundancy, and disaster recovery plans are in place and regularly tested.
• Optimise bandwidth utilisation, network traffic flow, and overall system performance to support data-intensive research activities.

Security & Compliance

• Enforce cybersecurity best practices, ensuring compliance with industry regulations and organisational security policies.
• Implement firewall, VPN, IDS/IPS, and zero-trust network security frameworks.
• Collaborate with the IT security team to proactively identify and mitigate threats.
• Lead incident response and troubleshooting efforts for network-related security events.

Cloud & Hybrid Infrastructure

• Design and manage OCI cloud networking architectures, ensuring seamless connectivity for multiple child tenancies and enabling hybrid connectivity where required.
• Contribute to the deployment of Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and automation to improve efficiency and reduce manual intervention in OCI tenancy creation and maintenance.

Stakeholder & Vendor Management

• Act as the Institute's Subject Matter Expert on network connectivity design and administration, ensuring network infrastructure supports scientific research requirements.
• Manage vendor relationships, contracts, and SLAs with third-party service providers and cloud providers.
• Work closely with scientists, engineers, and technical teams to ensure network infrastructure meets their specific needs.

Requirements
Essential Skills, Qualifications & Experience:

• 7+ years of experience in IT networking and infrastructure management in an enterprise-scale organisation.
• Proven expertise in LAN, WAN, WiFi, cloud networking and hybrid infrastructure.
• Strong leadership experience, with the ability to manage technical teams and large-scale projects.
• Deep understanding of network security principles, including firewalls, VPNs, IDS/IPS, and zero-trust security.
• Hands-on experience with industry leading, enterprise scale network equipment and solutions
• Experience designing and managing SD-WAN, MPLS, and software-defined networking (SDN).
• Strong grasp of cloud networking principles and advanced cloud networking configuration.
• Experience in maintaining disaster recovery, high-availability architectures, and ITIL best practices.
• Excellent problem-solving, communication, and stakeholder management skills.

Desirable Skills, Qualifications & Experience:

• Experience working with Juniper and HP Aruba solutions and architecture in a Campus environment
• Industry certifications such as CCNP, CCIE, CISSP, AWS Certified Advanced Networking, or Azure Solutions Architect.
• Experience working in a scientific, research, or technology-intensive environment.
• Familiarity with IT design frameworks (TOGAF, etc.)
• Hands-on experience with Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools such as Terraform, Ansible, or CloudFormation.
• AV over IP experience
• Experience leading in a similar role within a university campus or network of schools is not essential but highly desirable.

Benefits
At the Ellison Institute, we believe a collaborative, inclusive team is key to our success. We are building a supportive environment where creative risks are encouraged, and everyone feels heard. Valuing emotional intelligence, empathy, respect, and resilience, we encourage people to be curious and to have a shared commitment to excellence. Join us and make an impact!
We offer the following salary and benefits:

• Salary: 100,000 - 150,000 dependent on experience, plus travel allowance and bonus
• Enhanced holiday pay
• Pension
• Life Assurance
• Income Protection
• Private Medical Insurance
• Hospital Cash Plan
• Therapy Services
• Perk Box
• Electric Car Scheme

Terms of Appointment:

• You must have the right to work permanently in the UK with a willingness to travel as necessary.
• You will live in, or within easy commuting distance of, Oxford and can commit to our standard 3 day in office hybrid working week policy.
• During peak periods, some longer hours may be required and some working across multiple time zones due to the global nature of the programme.

Next steps:

• Please submit your application by applying on our website with a cover letter outlining how your experience aligns with the role responsibilities and your motivations for joining EIT.
• Shortlisted candidates will be invited to a screening call via Zoom to assess suitability for the role. If successful you will be invited to an onsite panel interview consisting of technical and competency questions. There will also be a final stage interview onsite with our Senior Business Operations Director.
• We aim to respond to all candidates within the application window. There isn't a scheduled closing date for this position, however we encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible as we may close the advert if we received a high volume of applications.

Ellison Institute of Technology