Flint UK Technology Services

Technical Solution Architect (TSA) Contract Duration: 6 months initially Location: Remote Clearance: SC Cleared or SC Eligible Overview We are seeking an experienced Technical Solution Architect (TSA) to lead the integration and deployment of customer solutions, with a particular focus on Palo Alto SD-WAN technologies. The ideal candidate will demonstrate strong leadership in solution design, technical delivery, and stakeholder engagement, ideally within the utilities sector . Key Responsibilities Lead the end-to-end design and integration of customer technical solutions. Provide technical leadership and direction throughout deployment projects. Oversee the implementation of Palo Alto SD-WAN solutions , ensuring best practices and successful integration. Collaborate with internal teams, vendors, and customers to ensure seamless delivery. Ensure all solutions meet security and compliance standards (SC clearance required/eligible). Act as the key technical authority for solution design decisions and escalations. Essential Skills & Experience Proven experience as a Technical Solution Architect or equivalent leadership role. Hands-on expertise in Palo Alto technologies , specifically SD-WAN deployment . Demonstrated ability to lead complex solution integrations in large-scale environments. Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills. SC Clearance (active or eligible for clearance). Desirable Prior experience in the utility or energy sector . Familiarity with enterprise networking and security architectures.

Overview 6 months rolling Outside IR35 Locations Bristol, Chippenham, Reading, Hemel Hempstead Please note: Only candidates who currently hold SC Clearance, or are eligible to obtain it, will be considered for this role. As a Solution Architect, you will be responsible for creating scalable, secure, and high-performance network solutions that span cloud, data centers, and enterprise systems. You'll collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver innovative designs that support both internal operations and customer-facing services. Key Responsibilities Lead end-to-end architecture governance and solution decision-making, aligned with enterprise design principles. Develop and maintain enterprise architecture strategies, roadmaps, and artefacts covering current, future, and transitional states. Act as a subject matter expert, advising stakeholders and shaping complex service changes and delivery requirements. Drive solution design across the full life cycle, including RFIs, proposals, contract changes, and bid responses. Deliver architecture outcomes such as proof-of-concepts, whitepapers, and high-level design collateral tailored to customer needs. Skills & Experience Strong expertise in enterprise networks (IP Layer 1-7) and security (including boundary protection). Knowledge of service provider technologies (DWDM, SDH, OTN). Hands-on experience with leading ICT vendor solutions (Cisco, Juniper, Palo Alto, F5, Nokia). Familiarity with architecture frameworks and methodologies (TOGAF, ArchiMate, ITIL, BPMN). Skilled in enterprise architecture tools (eg, iServer, IBM Doors). Proven track record in responding to complex, multi-vendor public sector bids and proposals. Experience in developing solution roadmaps and governance frameworks aligned with customer requirements

Job Title: Splunk Site Reliability Engineer/Migration Specialist (Contract) Location: Birmingham (Hybrid/On-site, required 3 days per week) Contract Type: Contract Duration: 3 months rolling Job Summary: We are seeking an experienced Splunk SME/Migration Specialist to lead and support the migration of observability workloads from Splunk to Elasticsearch (ELK Stack) . The ideal candidate will bring hands-on expertise in Splunk architecture, data ingestion, alerting, and dashboarding, along with experience migrating workloads to Elasticsearch. In addition to migration duties, the candidate will maintain and enhance existing Splunk infrastructure, provide incident support, manage upgrades, and ensure observability platforms remain secure and performant. This role demands a technically strong individual with excellent stakeholder communication and problem-solving skills. Key Responsibilities: Migration: Develop and implement a comprehensive migration strategy from Splunk to Elasticsearch (ELK Stack). Assess existing Splunk configurations (dashboards, alerts, saved searches, data models) and recreate them in Kibana. Collaborate with Elastic teams to configure alerting and monitoring using Kibana, Elasticsearch Watcher, or third-party tools. Ensure migration plans include validation, rollback procedures, and knowledge transfer. Platform Operations & Incident Response: Maintain Splunk infrastructure in both Production and Non-Production environments. Support Splunk SRE and Application teams in incident investigation and resolution. Proactively monitor system health and performance metrics. Upgrades and Change Management: Plan and execute upgrades to Splunk components. Perform pre- and post-upgrade checks and validations. Prepare documentation and submit Change Requests following organizational procedures. Security and Compliance: Work with Puppet and other automation tools to ensure timely patching of vulnerabilities. Implement and verify security best practices for observability platforms. Support compliance initiatives and audits. Documentation and Knowledge Sharing: Maintain accurate and up-to-date technical documentation, including architecture diagrams, configurations, procedures, and troubleshooting guides. Review and update support articles and take ownership of relevant assets. Support knowledge transfer across teams as needed. Troubleshooting and Support: Identify and resolve issues in Splunk and ELK environments. Assist teams with Splunk-related queries and optimization efforts. Skills and Qualifications: Essential: Proven expertise with Splunk architecture , data ingestion, dashboarding, alerting, and administration. Experience migrating Splunk workloads to Elasticsearch (ELK Stack) . Solid understanding of Kibana , Elasticsearch Watcher , and observability tooling. Proficiency in Linux/Unix systems and networking protocols . Hands-on experience with Scripting (eg, Python, Shell/Bash). Experience supporting or working alongside DevOps/SRE teams . Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and communication skills. Desirable: Experience with containerized environments such as Docker or Kubernetes . Industry certifications such as Splunk Certified Power User/Admin/Architect . Knowledge of automation tools (eg, Puppet, Ansible). Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or related field. Key Attributes: Independent and proactive problem-solver. Collaborative and able to work cross-functionally with infrastructure, security, and application teams. Able to work under pressure and prioritize tasks effectively. Strong communicator, both written and verbal.

Job Specification: IP Design Specialist - Designer Role Title: IP Design Specialist - Designer Location: Hybrid- Reading Role Overview The IP Design Specialist (Designer) will be responsible for delivering high-quality IP/MPLS network designs supporting a variety of infrastructure and customer solutions, including fixed-line and mobile services, private and hybrid cloud, enterprise IT, and wireless networks. The individual will lead the low-level design and implementation planning of medium to large-scale projects, ensuring solutions are robust, scalable, and aligned to architectural guidelines. Key Responsibilities Produce detailed, technically sound designs across LAN/WAN, SP/MPLS, Cloud Network infrastructure, and Data Centre environments. Take ownership of LLDs (Low-Level Designs) based on high-level architecture, ensuring compliance with standards and operational requirements. Collaborate with cross-functional engineering and implementation teams to ensure successful delivery and operational handover. Act as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) across IP, routing, switching, and network virtualization domains. Conduct peer reviews and provide technical oversight to junior engineers/designers. Engage in design validation, lab testing, and proof-of-concept activities. Troubleshoot and support network designs through deployment and into steady-state operations. Participate in design governance and approval forums. Essential Skills & Qualifications Extensive experience in Service Provider and Data Centre routing/switching. Proficiency in BGP, MPLS, ISIS, OSPF, QoS, and large-scale WAN/LAN design. Deep understanding of Cisco, Juniper, Fortinet, F5 product lines. Strong experience with on-prem and hybrid cloud networking (OpenStack/OpenShift/VMware NSX). Experience in network automation or Scripting tools (eg Ansible, Python) is a strong plus. Working knowledge of network telemetry and management protocols (SNMP, Syslog, TACACS+). Hands-on experience with complex network troubleshooting tools and techniques. Desirable Certifications CCIE/JNCIE/SRA or equivalent experience. Cloud or Automation certifications (AWS Networking, Terraform, DevNet, etc.) advantageous. Key Attributes Delivery-focused, technically curious, and highly motivated. Excellent communication and documentation skills. Ability to manage multiple projects in parallel with minimal supervision. Willingness to occasionally work outside standard hours for deployments or incident response.