Job Description

Details

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Reference number

425273

Salary

48,801 - 53,697
Plus location allowance 1750
A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
GBP

Job grade

Senior Executive Officer
TPB5

Contract type

Permanent

Business area

FCDO Services - Technology and Operations

Type of role

Engineering

Working pattern

Full-time

Number of jobs available

3

Contents

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Location About the job Benefits Things you need to know Apply and further information

Location

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Hanslope, South East England, MK19 7BH

About the job

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Job summary

As a senior network engineer you would be expected to have a good working knowledge of the following network technologies:


Cisco ASA


Palo Alto Firewalls


Big IP (F5)


Network Protocols


Cisco Switching, Routing, Security and wireless technologies


Knowledge of Virtual Environments and virtual network solutions, (i.e. VMWare, Azure)

Job description

You would be expected to have ability to design, configure and implement as to the business requirements. Able to work effectively under pressure to deadlines, with rapidly changing priorities and workloads.


You'll work closely with project managers, developers, incident, and problem managers, as well as external suppliers, translating technical terminology and building trusted relationships. Whether optimising systems, escalating service issues, or producing high and low-level documentation, you'll communicate clearly and with authority- all while maintaining your own professional growth, keeping pace with the latest technologies and best practices.

Oversee IT operations that protect millions

A natural-born leader, you'll help develop a team of engineers - from setting direction, to coaching individuals, and driving high performance. Balancing people management with hands-on technical work, you'll manage and prioritise day-to-day tasks while ensuring requirements are met and incidents are resolved quickly. Where issues are complex or unprecedented, you'll bring your expertise and initiative to find solutions that stick.


You'll work closely with project managers, developers, incident, and problem managers, as well as external suppliers, translating technical terminology and building trusted relationships. Whether optimising systems, escalating service issues, or producing high and low-level documentation, you'll communicate clearly and with authority.


Always looking for ways to improve, you'll spot patterns, address recurring issues, and recommend process enhancements that raise the standard of technical services. You'll mentor junior colleagues, share your expertise, and support senior engineers when needed - all while maintaining your own professional growth, keeping pace with the latest technologies and best practices.

Bring your technical expertise to support essential public operations

You're confident working in secure, complex environments and bring a strong background in networking and infrastructure. From firewalls to cloud platforms, you're comfortable designing, configuring, and supporting solutions that keep systems resilient.


Detail matters to you. Whether you're managing protocols or troubleshooting across networks, you'll bring precision and reliability to everything you do. You're also comfortable producing documentation, reporting on key performance measures, and sharing your knowledge with others. Adaptable, proactive, and always developing your skills, you'll bring both technical expertise and leadership to everything you do.

The support you need to grow your career

Working with us, you'll help keep people, information, and assets safe around the world. It's a role you can feel proud of, and we aim to make every part of your career just as rewarding. That's why when you join us, expect to receive a competitive salary, generous holiday entitlement and a Civil Service Pension. Along with this, you'll also have access to training and other development opportunities to help grow your career with us. Our offices have an on-site gym, nursery, cafe, and restaurant, and we offer interest-free loans on season tickets and bikes to help you get there. It's a great set of benefits made to support all you do and all you need.


Every single colleague must be security cleared before joining us. If you're successful in your application, we'll ask you to undergo our vetting process to achieve Developed Vetting (DV) clearance. You can find out more about vetting at fcdoservicescareers.co.uk/how-to-apply/


To find out more about our benefits and our organisation, please visit fcdoservicescareers.co.uk


Closing date: 05/10/2025

It takes a diverse team to protect a diverse world

The vital work we do takes an incredible community of colleagues, with different skills, backgrounds, cultures, and identities. We support every individual, so that you always know you're welcome and valued. It's what makes us a Disability Confident employer. And why we're recognised as a 'Carer Confident' workplace. And it's how you know you're joining an inspiring, inclusive organisation.

Candidates who are judged to be close to meeting the criteria may be considered for other positions in FCDO Services which may be at a lower grade, but have a potential skills match

Person specification

We are looking for people with:

Experience in support and design in highly secure environments. Cisco Switching, Routing, Security and wireless technologies Network Protocols TCP/IP, BGP, ICMP, OSPF, IPSEC Cisco ASA Firewall Administration and design Cisco Firepower ( NGFW) Palo Alto Firewall administration. Knowledge of Virtual Environments and virtual network solutions,(ie VMWare ) Experience in Cisco ISE and PRIME BIG IP F5 Administration Configuration - LTM, ASM Network Monitoring PRTG Cisco ACI Azure AWS experience

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdraw. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:


Managing a Quality Service Changing and Improving Communicating and Influencing

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:


Experience in support and design in highly secure environments. Cisco Switching, Routing, Security and wireless technologies Network Protocols TCP/IP, BGP, ICMP, OSPF, IPSEC Cisco ASA Firewall Administration and design Palo Alto Firewall administration BIG IP F5 Administration Configuration - LTM, ASM Knowledge of Virtual Environments and virtual network solutions,(ie VMWare )

Benefits

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Alongside your salary of 48,801, FCDO Services contributes 14,137 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.Learning and development tailored to your role. Annual leave starting at 25 days. A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity. A Civil Service pension. Free shuttle bus available between central Milton Keynes and Hanslope Park 9 days per annum public and privilege days

Things you need to know

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Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles , and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.
To apply for this role, you will be asked to provide your CV, a personal statement, and provide answers to some job specific questions.


Your CV and personal statement will not form part of the assessment they will provide an insight into your work history and experience.


Your CV should include:

no personal identifying details career history with key responsibilities skills and experience achievements qualifications

Your personal statement should outline your interest in the role.


Candidates will only be sifted on answers provided to the job specific questions which are outlined in the application form.


Those that are successful will be invited to a MS Teams or Face to face interview.


At the interview you will be asked a blend of questions on technical skills and behaviours.


Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdraw. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.



Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is developed vetting .



See our vetting charter .
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Medical

Successful candidates will be expected to have a medical.

Nationality requirements

Open to UK nationals only.

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.



We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles .
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy .

Apply and further information

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This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

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Job contact :

Name : FCDO Services Resourcing Team Email : Fcdosevices.recruitment@fcdo.gov.uk
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Recruitment team

* Email : Fcdosevices.recruitment@fcdo.gov.uk