Head of Network Platforms and Connectivity Services

A leading regulated financial services organisation is seeking a Head of Network Platforms and Connectivity Services to define, evolve and deliver its network and connectivity strategy across a critical, large-scale technology estate.

Reporting to the Head of Technology Platforms and Architecture, you will own the strategy that enables the secure, resilient and high-performance movement of data across customer channels, core banking, payments, cloud environments, data centres and third-party ecosystems. You will also lead the strategic relationship and governance of the organisation's key managed network service provider, driving operational resilience, security, service availability and innovation. This is a role for a leader ready to move network operations from reactive support towards predictive, automated and self-healing service models.

What you'll do

1. Own and drive the network and connectivity strategy for highly resilient, secure and scalable services
2. Lead the governance and performance of the managed network service provider through strong service management and outcome-based delivery
3. Define the future-state architecture for enterprise connectivity across data centre, cloud, WAN, LAN, Wi-Fi and internet services
4. Establish a network automation strategy using Infrastructure as Code, intelligent orchestration and policy-based operations
5. Advance AI-driven network operations (AIOps) with predictive analytics, anomaly detection and automated remediation
6. Ensure network platforms meet evolving regulatory, cyber security and operational resilience requirements
7. Embed engineering-led delivery, automation-first thinking and resilience-by-design across the technology organisation
8. Lead a high-performing hybrid team of internal experts, strategic partners and specialist engineers

What you'll bring

1. 10+ years in network engineering, telecommunications and infrastructure services, including significant experience within regulated financial services or critical infrastructure environments
2. 5+ years at senior leadership level, leading large-scale technical teams, strategic partners and complex transformation programmes
3. Proven experience establishing and governing managed service provider relationships, including commercial oversight and contractual governance
4. Track record designing and implementing resilient network architectures, operational resilience frameworks and disaster recovery capabilities
5. Hands-on experience with Software Defined Networking, network automation, cloud connectivity, AI Operations and Infrastructure as Code, delivering measurable outcomes