HR requirement for all job descriptions. Must be completed and submitted to the HRBP for your Region. For clarity, please avoid using abbreviations whilst completing this form. All fields require completing.

Job Title  IT Network Lead
Anticipated Salary Range & Contract Type  £66-85k
Depot / Department  IT
Section / Team  IT Operations
Reports to (job title)  Infrastructure Product Group Manager
Direct reports (job title(s)  None
Prior Approval obtained for HRBP/ Director  Y/N
Approved by

New Role: If N/A please complete below Y
Existing Role: If N/A please complete above N
Previous Job Title  Networking & Comms Centre of Excellence Manager
Previous Depot/ Department  IT Operations

Purpose of the role

A senior and tenured (10 years) datacoms and voice network engineer who manages the SGN IT Network so its efficient, error and incident free plus provides the business with the scale and resilience needed.
Team working with SGN IT Architects at all levels (road Maps, major changes, direction of evolution etc.)
Supplier management to deliver excellence in delivery, supply and support.
Working with other teams in the business and IT to guide on correct decision for IT Network use.
Primary contact for network deployments and changes
IT Network vendor’s primary contact.
Work with Junior technical staff (non-direct reports) including coaching
Work with IT Support organization to ensure incident, change, and request processes are effective and efficient
Guide the business on resilience options
Technical Notes to TDA to describe Network and Security systems incremental changes
Approval of request and changes
Manage with IT teams, IT Forecasting and procurement teams to manage down network, professional services and voice costs

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

•                10 years’ experience working in a Datacoms and Firewall Network role including Network Management, configuration, provisioning, and incident management processes
•                Experience managing third party vendors in Telecoms, Security (Firewall and SSE) and professional services
•                Worked for Telecoms company or ISP or large Enterprise in similar role

Problem Solving & Complexity
Generally speaking, what are the typical problems encountered in this job? Please highlight one of the below options and provide further details-

Excellent problem solving skill with significant experience in technical and remote problem solving.
Lateral thinker. Regularly non-routine / complex, with solutions requiring analysis, experience and knowledge.
Able to drive out failure with root cause analysis

Further details of the above.


Describe a typical problem that the job holder is expected to deal with themselves.
Regular problems will be related to Network and Security Systems efficiency, incident, resilience and load

Describe a typical problem that the job holder will need to seek advice on.
Any network and security system topology or complex resilience build
Road map anomalies
Incidents where network is implicated but proven not root cause

Describe a typical problem that the job holder will need to escalate for someone else to deal with.
Major Incidents
Incidents breaching SLA
Non-Compliance to build standards
Changes that risk catastrophic failure

What is the most difficult aspect of this job?
Ensuring the network change priorities are not overruled by the IT Operational reluctance
Application teams demanding Network resource to solve inter service issue or application synchronization issues

Does this job require someone who can think strategically / tactically?
Primary Tactical thinking in the near and mid term
Understanding of strategic impact on network service is beneficial

Impact of role

If the job holder ‘gets things very right, or very wrong’, how far reaching would this be inside SGN?
The impact of this roles decision making, personal communication skills and execution has a direct impact on the ability of all SGN personnel to execute their role in a safe and efficient manner

If the job holder ‘gets things very right, or very wrong’, how far reaching would this be outside SGN?
The impact of this roles decision making, personal communication skills and execution has a direct impact on the ability of all SGN personnel to execute their role in a safe and efficient manner as this role manages the work of IT’s biggest supplier

To what extent does the job directly contribute to departmental/company objectives?
Directly as not IT network services means no ability to work across all SGN

What timeframe does this job mainly operate within (i.e. does it deal mainly with current, day-to-day issues, or deal regularly with long term change or strategic issues?)
Normal business hours, with some out of hours rotar and call out work

Describe the most impactful decision(s) the job holder will typically make.
Whether or not to continue with a delivery that risks operational outage when under pressure for change
Requires a person confident in their position and moral stance

Does the role have accountability for the performance and results of multiple related units? Please specify how many.   
N/A






Influence/ working relationships.

Who does the job holder interact with within the business on a regular basis?
All personnel in SGN IT. SGN Property and FM teams, SGN Procurement, SGN End user groups

Who does the job holder interact with outside the business on a regular basis?
All IT Network and voice services supplier


How does the job holder interact with these stakeholders and to what level?  (For example, are they exchanging information, building rapport, enhancing SGN reputation, handling complaints, influencing and persuading, conducting complex negotiations?)
Exchanging information, building rapport, enhancing SGN reputation, handling complaints, influencing and persuading, conducting complex negotiations


Resource – Who /what are they responsible for? N/A (Use real numbers, values and examples if possible)

How many, if any, people does the job holder manage / supervise? Please provide their job titles. (if none, please state None)


If applicable, describe at what level this management / supervision is undertaken (e.g. do they deal with quality control, work allocation and planning, coaching, recruitment, ‘hard’ people management issues such as sickness absence, conduct, capability etc.?) (if none, please state None)


What value budget does the job holder set, manage or spend?
Influences £5M spend per year

What assets / equipment does the job holder manage or control?
All IT network Assets (Network, Security, Voice

What level of projects does the job holder manage or control?
Direct influence on network, voice, mobile comms and security changes