Lead Network Security Engineer/ Architect- freelance - hybrid, London, UK

We are committed to building an inclusive workplace and encourage applications from women and other under-represented groups in tech. All qualified candidates are welcome.

Start date: May/ June 2026 
Location: London, UK (Hybrid — minimum 2 days per week in office)

We are committed to building an inclusive workplace and encourage applications from all qualified candidates.

Reports to Head of Data Centre and Network Services. Responsibilities: Engineer and operate firewall platforms (Palo Alto, FortiGate), F5 BIG-IP, IPS, and proxy/SWG solutions — including rule lifecycle management, policy optimisation, and senior incident response Design and enforce macro/micro-segmentation strategies across Cisco ACI, firewall-based, and hybrid fabric models Architect secure proxy, TLS inspection, and Zero Trust connectivity patterns for on-prem, cloud, and hybrid traffic flows Deliver HLDs, LLDs, runbooks, and design standards; provide technical sign-off and risk assessments for major programmes Support compliance and audit with traceable, governance-aligned documentation Engage vendors (Palo Alto, Fortinet, F5) and stakeholders across Infrastructure, Cyber Security, and Risk Drive automation and improvement across rule management, ACI workflows, and compliance validation Requirements Hands-on expertise with Palo Alto, FortiGate, F5 BIG-IP, and proxy/SWG platforms Strong L2–L7 troubleshooting and incident leadership Cisco ACI security and policy design experience Regulated environment experience (e.g., financial services) with strong audit documentation skills Preferred: Cloud security (Azure/AWS), SASE/Zero Trust transformation, automation via Python, Ansible, or IaC