Technical Lead/Architect

Salary: £? - ? per year

Requirements:

• Strong hands-on experience in Cisco data centre networking, including NX-OS and VXLAN EVPN.
• Proven ability to build and support automation in production environments.
• Comfortable working across networking and software tooling.
• Experience working in structured delivery environments with change control and governance.
• Strong problem-solving and troubleshooting skills across both network and automation layers.
• Ability to work collaboratively with TDA, delivery, testing, and operations teams.
• Cisco NX-OS experience, including VXLAN BGP EVPN, vPC, SNMPv3, and TACACS+.
• Cisco NDFC experience, including fabric templates, Recalculate and Deploy, out-of-sync detection, and image management.
• EVPN VXLAN and multi-site EVPN architecture experience, including live production migration design and rollback within constrained change windows.
• Python experience for production-quality automation and REST API integration, including use of Python data structures to model intent and state.
• YAML data modelling experience, including Ansible role and playbook design.
• JSON data handling and schema validation experience, including understanding of JSON alongside Python dictionaries and YAML, and basic schema-based validation concepts.
• Experience with GitHub or GitLab, including self-hosted runner configuration, OIDC token handling, environment protection rules, and workflow dispatch.
• Experience with pyATS and Genie, including testbed construction, NX-OS parser usage, assertion patterns, and automated rollback triggers on validation failure.
• GitOps principles experience, including idempotency, branch protection, signed commits, and four-eyes enforcement via pipeline gates.
• Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform experience, including execution environment design, job template configuration, and dynamic inventory integration.
• Experience producing HLD/LLD documentation aligned to FCA / PRA regulated delivery standards, with decisions traceable to requirements and explicit risk acceptance.
• NetBox 4.x data modelling, custom fields, and automation integration experience.
• Desirable: Batfish / pybatfish experience for pre-change network analysis, regression testing, and pre/post comparison.
• Desirable: VMware NSX-T / NSX 4.x integration with EVPN fabrics.
• Desirable: Docker container experience, including building, installing, running, and operating containers used to package automation tooling, test frameworks, and execution environments.

Responsibilities:

• Lead the technical design and architecture for Cisco data centre networking and automation solutions.
• Build and support automation in production environments.
• Work across networking and software tooling to deliver resilient solutions.
• Design and support EVPN VXLAN multi-site architectures, including production migration and rollback planning.
• Develop Python-based automation and REST API integrations for tools such as NDFC, ServiceNow, Infoblox, Red Hat AAP, Sentinel, and Vault.
• Create YAML-based data models and design Ansible roles and playbooks.
• Handle JSON data and schema validation to support automation testing and assurance workflows.
• Configure and manage GitHub/GitLab pipelines, runners, and protection controls.
• Develop and maintain pyATS and Genie tests, including validation and automated rollback triggers.
• Apply GitOps principles to automation delivery, including branch protection, signed commits, and pipeline enforcement.
• Design and configure Ansible Automation Platform execution environments, job templates, and dynamic inventories.
• Produce HLD and LLD documentation aligned to regulated delivery standards.
• Model and integrate data within NetBox 4.x.
• Collaborate with delivery, testing, operations, and architecture teams throughout the delivery lifecycle.

Technologies:

• API
• Ansible
• Architect
• Cisco
• Docker
• Fabric
• GitHub
• GitLab
• GitOps
• Support
• JSON
• Network
• Nx
• Python
• REST
• ServiceNow
• VMware
• Windows
• Git

More:

We are offering a 6-month contract for a Technical Lead / Architect role based in London, Bristol, or Birmingham, working in a hybrid model with three days on site each week. The day rate is £700 to £750 inside IR35. This role sits within a structured, regulated delivery environment and involves close collaboration across TDA, delivery, testing, and operations teams. We encourage safe engagement and note that if you receive suspicious outreach claiming to be from us, you should contact us via the ManpowerGroup website.

last updated 32 week of 2026