Network Team Leader Manchester, England, United Kingdom

Mesh-AI Limited; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading automotive retailer in the UK is seeking a Network Team Leader to oversee and inspire a technical team. This role involves managing relationships with service providers while ensuring high standards in service delivery. The ideal candidate will have a technical background, proven leadership skills, and an understanding of ITIL principles. This position offers a competitive salary with hybrid working options and several core benefits to support your professional growth and wellbeing.

Benefits

Competitive salaries with structured pay scales

Generous annual leave

Enhanced family leave

Discounted gym memberships

Access to Techscheme for technology purchases

Qualifications

• Proven experience in motivating and leading a technical team.
• Security focussed with experience in handling security incidents.
• Understanding of ITIL principles and service management.

Responsibilities

• Lead Network Team rostering and performance development.
• Ensure that the team can resolve complex technical incidents.
• Own relationships with key network service providers and develop new service solutions.

Skills

Design, deployment and support of FortiGate Firewalls

Strong knowledge of network management tools

Technical troubleshooting expertise

Strong knowledge of MPLS and SD-WAN

Tools

Cisco switches

Meraki security devices

Job description

About us: We are one of the top three automotive retailers in the UK, proudly representing 32 manufacturer brands, selling a huge range of new and used vehicles from over 150 dealerships across the UK and Ireland.

We believe our people are our greatest asset, and we’re committed to recognising the valuable contribution each person makes. That’s why we continue to invest in a leading rewards and benefits package designed to support your career, wellbeing, and life outside of work.

Job Title: Network Team Leader
Location: Hybrid (with travel as required)
Salary: Up to £65,000 (Depending on Experience) + Benefits
Contract Type: Permanent, Full-Time

Are you a versatile, technical Network Team Leader with proven experience in motivating and leading both a team and key service partners? Are you looking for your next challenge with a company that have made significant investment in IT to bolster continued growth?

As the Network Team Leader for Lookers Motor Group you will be tasked with leading the relationship with our multiple network services providers, alongside our small internal team, to provide service to our complex, multi-site/multi data centre environment. You will help foster an inspiring team environment with an open and honest communication culture within not only the immediate team, our service partners and the wider Lookers IT Department.

Responsibilities

• To be responsible for the Network Team rostering, development and performance, ensuring the team works in alignment with the Lookers Motor Group frameworks and service management processes.
• Ensuring the team is fully equipped with the tools and knowledge to investigate, diagnose and resolve complex technical incidents and fulfil technical requests for all infrastructure/systems to SLA.
• Leading mission critical 24x7 IT infrastructure operations ensuring service excellence. This includes responsibility for the key disciplines of service management and service delivery, incident, problem, change, transition, configuration management, asset and obsolescence management, service continuity, availability, capacity and reporting.
• Own the relationship with key network service providers, in terms of service, roadmap and capability.
• Work collaboratively with other teams, stakeholders and decision makers to identify, recommend, develop, implement and support cost‑effective technology and process solutions.
• Responsible on an ongoing basis to update and maintain our network estate in line with agreed lifecycle and vendor roadmaps to a defined and supported level.
• Inputting to, developing and driving through to implementation the strategic infrastructure roadmap.
• Ensure that activities and escalations are in line with both customer and service level agreements.
• Contribute to the development of processes and aligned documentation, aligned to ITIL.
• Participate in root cause analysis for complex major incidents and escalated faults.
• Willingness to learn and document new services/products.
• Keep up to date with technical and service developments within the industry and making recommendations where appropriate to feed into the long‑term Lookers IT strategy.
• Security focussed and fully aware of key security principles and practices including demonstrable experience of dealing with security related incidents.
• Understanding of ITIL principles and practices.
• Standardisation, simplification driving improved security posture.

Your core technical competencies.

• Design, deployment and support of the following Fortinet products
  • FortiGate Firewalls
  • FortiManager
  • FortiAnalyzer
  • FortiNAC or equivalent network access products
  • FortiSwitches
  • FortiAPs
• Design, deployment and support of Cisco switches and routers.
• Design, deployment and support of Meraki security devices and wireless devices.
• Network Service Provider relationship and management.
• Strong knowledge and understanding of Infrastructure Security (ACLs, ACS, VRFs, Vlans).
• Strong knowledge and understanding of network management tools (SNMP, Solarwinds, PRTG).
• Strong knowledge and understanding of MPLS, SD‑WAN, VPN and resilient WAN technologies.
• Strong knowledge and understanding of routing protocols (OSPF, BGP).
• Strong technical troubleshooting expertise.
• Strategic roadmap authoring and ownership.

#LI-MT2

Core Benefits:

• Competitive salaries with structured pay scales and progression as you grow within the business
• Generous annual leave that increases with your length of service
• Enhanced family leave, including 6 months’ full pay for maternity and adoption leave, and 2 weeks’ full pay for paternity leave
• Access to Techscheme for discounted technology purchases with flexible payments
• Eyecare vouchers to help cover vision care needs
• Smart Health – 24/7 access to GP services to support your mental and physical wellbeing
• Dental insurance for everyday dental care and unexpected treatments
• Critical illness cover for peace of mind during life's most challenging moments

Financial Wellbeing:

• MyView PayNow – access a portion of your pay as you earn, with features to stream, save, and track your money through a user‑friendly app
• Free will writing services to help plan for the future
• Flexible life assurance options and partner life assurance for added protection
• Discounted gym memberships to support an active lifestyle
• Travel insurance to help you explore with confidence
• Access to home and technology vouchers
• bYond card and a wide range of exclusive retail and lifestyle discounts

We strongly believe in nurturing and providing our people with specific manufacturer brand and management training to enhance career development opportunities. We have a great bunch of people, and we like to celebrate and encourage success at all levels.

Lookers and Charles Hurst are an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to a working environment that is free from discrimination, is inclusive, and empowers our people to bring their whole self to work and reach their full potential.

If your application issuccessful, we will conduct relevant employment checks prior to you commencing employment with us. These will include verifying your recent employment, address, credit history and standard criminal record check. For roles that require you to drive, a driving licence check will also be carried out. Please note, all offers of employment are made subject to a 6 month probation period commencing from your start date.

We take our data protection responsibilities very seriously and are committed to upholding and respecting your privacy rights. Information about how we will process your data including the types of data we collect, the purposes for which we use it, who we may share it with and how long we keep it are set out in our privacy notice. It also includes information about your individual privacy rights. Please make sure you read our Privacy Notice so that you understand how we may collect and use your data.

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