Principal Engineer, Network Cloud

Job Description

Job Req ID: 59295

Posting Date: 4th June 2026

Function: Network Cloud

Location: Manchester / Ipswich / London

Closing Date: 18th June 2026

About the role

Network Cloud is BT’s Private Cloud team, responsible for the majority of BT’s on-premise compute, storage and Data centre networking services. In close collaboration with application teams across Fixed, Mobile, Openreach, Protect BT and others, we design build and manage the cloud platforms that support our on-premise Network functions including our mobile and voice cores. As a large scale operator we are responsible for multiple private datacentres, thousands of physical machines and switches which underpin services which are critical to our UK and Global customers.

You are the Technical Lead for this very important Cloud Platform. This role reports to the Network Cloud Director and is a key member of the Network Cloud Leadership team. The role guides decisions for Network Cloud Fabric and Architecture and ensures optimised design and long term scalability of our platforms.

In this role you will be responsible for the design, stability and optimisation of the Network Cloud platforms. Working with a matrixed engineering team you will be responsible for the design of all layers of the infrastructure stack including networking, compute, hypervisors, storage, Kubernetes, and operating systems. This is a multi-technology platform consisting of Openstack, VMware, Kubernetes, Juniper and Cisco Networking, multiple server and storage solutions and a range of automation tools.

You will be working closely with stakeholders throughout BT Group to ensure that the Network Cloud platforms meets our business needs with specific emphasis on optimising for performance and availability.

This role is hybrid (3 days in office) in one of the following locations: Manchester / London / (Ipswich for existing BT colleagues only)

What you’ll be doing

• Design Authority and Subject Matter Expert for our Network Cloud platforms
• Attending to major incidents where deep technical support is needed
• Working closely with and influencing senior stakeholders across BT
• Guiding the Network Cloud Technical team to produce world class technical solutions.
• Forward looking planning, 3-5 year architectural roadmaps including vendor trends and technical lifecycles aligned to our products.
• Shaping our strategy, leading recommendations and developing the plans to keep platforms relevant for long term scalability
• Ensure decisions are made within appropriate architectural and design guardrails and standards
• Balance technical innovation and operational stability
• Understand industry trends, be part of technical communities and translate into strong relevant insight, applying to recommendations and translating into business value.
• Validate recommendations through testing, PoCs and controlled pilots and use data to validate assumptions.

Essential Skills / Experience

• SME Areas: Openstack, Networking, Compute, Storage, Linux, Kubernetes, Security policies and standards.
• Technical Expert: Fixed and Mobile telecom networks (5G / Voice / Broadband)
• Commercial acumen: Strong commercial acumen which enables construction input to significant business cases; recommendation of commercially viable technical decisions, and delivery of cost effective solutions.
• Stakeholder Management: Establishes and maintains internal and external stakeholder relationships (senior customers, vendors, suppliers) and facilitates mutually beneficial negotiations to develop solutions, ensuring they meet current and emerging business and technical needs.
• Problem Solving: Provide expert level consulting into problem solving, often proposing multiple approaches and presenting approaches at senior level. Likely to own technical investigation of the problem through matrix management of a multi-skilled BT and vendors/supplier team.
• Continuous Improvement: Leveraging opportunities to introduce more cost effective solution elements based upon internal or external products during the course of the bid and in-life.
• Drives continuous improvement by changes in working practises and technology within the customer contract.

Our Package

• On target 15% on target bonus​
• Health Care
• Car Allowance
• BT Pension scheme, minimum 5% Employee contribution, BT contribution 10%​
• From January 2025, equal family leave: receive 18 weeks at full pay, 8 weeks at half pay and 26 weeks at the statutory rate. It’s for all parents, no matter how your family is made up.​
• Enhanced women’s health support: including help with menopause symptoms, cancer screenings, period care and more.​
• 25 days annual leave (not including bank holidays), increasing with service​
• 24/7 private virtual GP appointments for UK colleagues​
• 2 weeks carer’s leave ​
• World-class training and development opportunities​
• Option to join BT Shares Saving schemes.

BT Group is the UK’s leading communications group and the holding company behind some of the country’s most recognised brands – including BT, EE, Openreach and Plusnet. Our purpose is as simple as it is ambitious: we connect for good. Our customers include consumers, small, medium and large businesses, public sector organisations and other communications providers.

BT Group’s role is about setting direction, unlocking value and creating the conditions for our brands and businesses to thrive.

Having come through the most capital-intensive phase of our fibre investment, our focus now is on what comes next – simplifying how we operate, using technology and AI to work smarter, and organising ourselves to serve customers better and grow sustainably. Group teams shape strategy, policy, brand, capital allocation and transformation, helping the whole organisation perform at its best.

We have a singular culture that unites all our people: we are customer-first challengers, who are committed, clear and connected. These behaviours unite us as one team to deliver for our colleagues, our customers, our stakeholders and the country. Joining BT Group means working at the heart of a business that matters to the UK, with the opportunity to shape decisions, influence outcomes and help set the future course of one of the country’s most important companies.