Network Architect (we have office locations in Cambridge, Leeds and London)
Company Description
Genomics England is a global leader in enabling genomic medicine and research, focused on creating a world where everyone benefits from genomic healthcare. Building on the 100,000 Genomes Project, we support the NHS’s world-first national whole genome sequencing service and run the growing National Genomic Research Library, alongside delivering numerous major genomics initiatives. By connecting research and clinical care at national scale, we enable immediate healthcare benefits and advances for the future.
Our mission is to provide the evidence and digital systems so that by 2035 genomics could play a role in up to half of all healthcare interactions, whilst securing the UK’s position as the best place to discover, prove and benefit from genomic innovations.
We are accelerating our impact and working with patients, doctors, scientists, government and industry to improve genomic testing, and help researchers access the health data and technology they need to make new medical discoveries and create more effective, targeted medicines for everybody.
Behind the Healthcare and Research outcomes, Genomics England delivers through designing, developing and operating complex healthcare software systems.
We're on the cusp of big changes with the real prospect of genomics becoming the fabric of everyday healthcare through the lifetime – from birth to old age.
Job Description
Network Architect
We’re looking for an accomplished Network Architect to join our Scalable Tech Team at Genomics England and provide technical leadership for the secure, resilient connectivity that underpins our technology platform, healthcare, research and corporate services.
Our network services connect cloud platforms (primarily AWS) and on-premise infrastructure, enabling clinicians, researchers and colleagues to access sensitive genomic and associated health data securely and reliably.
Working within the Technology and Product Directorate, you’ll shape and deliver Genomics England’s network architecture across AWS, hybrid connectivity, corporate locations and partner integrations. You’ll collaborate with infrastructure, cloud platform, security, engineering, procurement, commercial, service management and delivery colleagues to turn complex operational and user needs into coherent, cost-effective, scalable and secure network solutions.
This is an architecture role where you’ll balance longer-term network strategy with practical delivery, using your proven experience and expertise. You will guide teams through network architecture decisions, develop reusable standards and patterns, and ensure solutions align with Genomics England’s wider technology strategy, architecture standards, security requirements and service expectations.
The scale and sensitivity of genomics require high-performing, highly available networks. AWS is at the heart of our environment, alongside hybrid and third-party connectivity, supporting secure data transfer, high-performance compute, large-scale storage, research workflows, operational services and controlled access to sensitive data.
Key Responsibilities
Lead the architecture and design of network solutions across Genomics England, ensuring they are secure, scalable, cost-effective, resilient, supportable and aligned with organisational needs. Define target architectures, standards and reusable patterns for cloud, hybrid, remote-access and partner connectivity.
Design and govern AWS networking, including multi-account connectivity, VPC design, routing, segmentation, private connectivity, DNS, load balancing and network security controls. Architect resilient connectivity between AWS, Genomics England locations, NHS and government partners, research organisations, suppliers and other trusted environments.
Work with security colleagues to embed zero-trust principles, least privilege, network segmentation, secure remote access, encryption in transit and effective boundary protection. Ensure network designs support the secure movement and processing of large-scale genomic and associated health data, including high-throughput and latency-sensitive workloads.
Develop network roadmaps and transition architectures that balance strategic direction, technical debt, service continuity and delivery priorities. Provide architectural oversight from discovery and options analysis through implementation, migration and live service.
Document network architectures, traffic flows, trust boundaries, technical options, decisions, dependencies and transition states clearly for technical and non-technical audiences. Define requirements for network observability, performance monitoring, capacity management, configuration control, resilience testing and incident response.
Collaborate with cloud platform, infrastructure, engineering, security, service management and delivery teams to ensure designs can be implemented and operated effectively. Contribute to architecture governance and assurance, presenting network designs and recommendations through appropriate technical forums.
Identify network risks, constraints, dependencies and single points of failure early, working with teams to address them. Evaluate emerging networking technologies and managed services where they could improve security, performance, resilience, operability or cost-effectiveness.
Work with architects across Genomics England to create coherent end-to-end solutions and encourage appropriate reuse across services. Contribute to architecture best practice and improving the quality of architecture across Genomics England.
Skills and Experience for Success
Substantial experience designing and delivering enterprise network architectures in complex, security-conscious environments, with strong knowledge of AWS networking services and patterns, including VPCs, Transit Gateway, Direct Connect, VPN, Route 53, load balancing, private endpoints and network security controls.
Experience designing hybrid and multi-site connectivity, routing, switching, segmentation, firewalls, DNS, IP address management, load balancing and secure remote access. Detailed knowledge of physical network technology, ideally Cisco, NVIDIA and Mellanox, and in-depth understanding of Cisco Nexus Dashboard, data centre fabrics, Aruba networking infrastructure, BGP, OSPF, RoCE v2, performance optimisation and lifecycle management.
Experience architecting highly available and resilient networks with clear recovery objectives, diverse connectivity and tested failover arrangements. Strong understanding of network security architecture, zero-trust principles, defence in depth, trust boundaries and secure connectivity to third parties.
Experience designing networks for high-throughput, data-intensive or latency-sensitive workloads and diagnosing performance or capacity constraints. Good understanding of automation, infrastructure as code, configuration management, observability and operational support for modern networks.
Ability to translate business, security, operational and user needs into practical network designs, standards and delivery roadmaps, balancing strategic architectural direction with immediate delivery needs, legacy constraints and service continuity.
Experience working with multidisciplinary teams and building alignment across architecture, infrastructure, cloud, engineering, security, procurement, commercial, service management and delivery stakeholders. Strong stakeholder engagement and a collaborative approach that builds trust and supports effective decision-making.
Experience documenting and communicating network architectures, traffic flows, options, risks and decisions clearly to technical and non-technical audiences, and providing architectural governance and assurance throughout the delivery lifecycle.
Ability to identify where network architecture practices, standards or controls could be improved and to embed those improvements into regular use.
Desirable Skills and Experience
Relevant professional certification, such as AWS Advanced Networking, AWS Solutions Architect, Cisco CCNP/CCIE or an equivalent qualification.
Experience working in healthcare, genomics, research, government or another regulated environment handling sensitive data, and experience in procurement processes associated with network infrastructure in a UK government organisation.
Experience with software-defined networking, SD-WAN, secure access service edge, network access control or zero-trust network access. Knowledge of AWS Network Firewall, Cloud WAN, VPC Lattice, Gateway Load Balancer and related network security or connectivity services.
Experience designing connectivity for high-performance compute, large-scale storage, data transfer appliances or distributed data-processing environments, and integrating with NHS, government, academic, research or commercial partner networks.
Knowledge of network telemetry and tooling, including flow logs, packet analysis, synthetic monitoring, performance analytics and security monitoring.
Experience with DevOps practices, CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure as code, automation and policy as code for network services.
Understanding of identity-aware networking, certificate services, encryption, proxies, web gateways and data-loss prevention controls.
Experience contributing to architecture governance forums such as a Technical Design Authority, familiarity with enterprise architecture tools such as Abacus, and experience applying TOGAF or equivalent architecture practices.
If you’re an experienced Network Architect who enjoys solving complex connectivity and security challenges, this is an exciting opportunity to shape the secure, resilient networks spanning AWS, on-premises infrastructure and partner environments that support life-changing genomic healthcare and research at Genomics England.
Additional Information
Being an integral part of such a meaningful mission is extremely rewarding in itself, but in order to support our people, we’re continually improving our benefits package. We pride ourselves on investing in our people and supporting them to achieve their career goals, as well as offering a benefits package including:
- Generous Leave: 30 days’ holiday, plus bank holidays, plus additional leave for long service, and also the option to apply for up to 30 days of remote working abroad annually (approval required).
- Family-Friendly: Blended working arrangements, flexible working, enhanced maternity, paternity and shared parental leave benefits.
- Pension & Financial: Defined contribution pension (Genomics England double-matches up to 10%, however you can contribute more if you wish), Life Assurance (3x salary), an Electric Vehicle salary sacrifice scheme and a Give As You Earn scheme.
- Learning & Development: Individual learning budgets, support for training and certifications, and reimbursement for one annual professional subscription (approval required).
- Recognition & Rewards: Employee recognition programme and referral scheme.
- Health & Wellbeing: Subsidised gym membership, a free Headspace account, and access to an Employee Assistance Programme, eye tests, flu jabs.
Equal opportunities and our commitment to a diverse and inclusive workplace
Genomics England is actively committed to providing and supporting an inclusive environment that promotes equity, diversity and inclusion best practice both within our community and in any other area where we have influence. We are proud of our diverse community where everyone can come to work and feel welcomed and treated with respect regardless of any disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, or social background.
Genomics England’s policies of non-discrimination and equity and will be applied fairly to all people, regardless of age, disability, gender identity or reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, being pregnant or recently becoming a parent, race, religion or beliefs, sex or sexual orientation, length of service, whether full or part-time or employed under a permanent or a fixed-term contract or any other relevant factor.
Genomics England does not tolerate any form of discrimination, harassment, victimisation or bullying at work. Such behaviour undermines our mission and core values and diminishes the dignity, respect and integrity of all parties. Our People policies outline our commitment to inclusivity.
We aim to remove barriers in our recruitment processes and to be flexible with our interview processes. Should you require any adjustments that may help you to fully participate in the recruitment process, we encourage you to discuss this with us.
Culture
We have four key behaviours that represent what we would like Genomics England to feel like and the culture we want to encourage, in order for us to achieve our mission. These behaviours help us all work well together, deliver on our outcomes, celebrate our successes and share feedback with each other. You can read about these and other aspects of our culture here Culture | Genomics England
Blended working model
Genomics England operates a blended working model as we know our people appreciate the flexibility that hybrid working can bring. We expect most people to come into the office a minimum of 2 times each month. However, this will vary according to role and will be agreed with your team leader. There is no expectation that people will return to the office full time unless they want to, however, some of our roles require full time on site attendance e.g., lab teams, reception team.
Our teams and squads have, and will continue to reflect on what works best for them to work together successfully and have the freedom to design working patterns to suit, beyond the minimum. Our office locations are: Canary Wharf, Cambridge and Leeds.
Onboarding background checks
As part of our recruitment process, all successful candidates are subject to a Standard Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. We therefore require applicants to disclose any previous offences at point of application, as some unspent convictions may mean we are unable to proceed with your application due to the nature of our work in healthcare.
