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 certifica