Principal Network Engineer (Distributed Networks)

Key areas of responsibility

• Designing and building distributed networks, from device-level networking through overlay fabrics to integration with customer and partner networks.
• Designing mesh, SD-WAN, and overlay topologies that perform reliably in denied, disrupted, intermittent, and limited (DDIL) environments.
• Designing multi-bearer link aggregation, failover, and path-selection mechanisms across LTE, satellite, and bespoke RF links.
• Establishing the zero-trust connectivity model for our systems: certificate-based device identity, mutual authentication, and policy enforcement at the network edge.
• Owning routing, traffic engineering, QoS, and congestion behaviour across constrained and adversarial links.
• Building observability into networks that are by nature partly opaque, including telemetry, path analytics, and operator-facing situational awareness.
• Acting as a key technical decision-maker, balancing trade-offs across resilience, performance, security, and operational simplicity.
• Producing high-quality network architecture documentation, design artefacts, and reference patterns.
• Working directly with users, partners, and stakeholders to make sure the network architecture meets real operational needs.

Key skills, experience and behaviours

• Deep, hands-on networking background: routing protocols, L2/L3 networking, NAT, multicast, and the practical realities of running them at the edge.
• Strong experience with overlay and tunnelling technologies such as WireGuard, and IPsec.
• Practical experience with SD-WAN, software-defined networking, or programmable data planes.
• Working knowledge of mesh networking protocols and a feel for where they shine and where they break.
• Strong Linux networking: nftables/iptables, namespaces, tc, eBPF-adjacent tooling, and debugging at the packet level.
• Experience designing zero-trust network architectures, including PKI, certificate lifecycle, and identity-aware policy.
• Strong scripting and automation and infrastructure-as-code for network configuration.
• Proven ability to provide technical leadership and influence engineering direction, operating autonomously in complex and ambiguous environments.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to explain complex networking concepts clearly to a range of stakeholders.

• Direct experience designing, deploying, and supporting networks at the far-edge in denied, disrupted, intermittent, or lossy environments.
• Background in regulated sectors delivering complex connected systems, such as defence, national security, telecommunications, or critical infrastructure.
• Experience with multi-bearer / multi-path systems combining cellular, satellite, Wi-Fi, and bespoke RF links.
• Familiarity with MANET routing (OLSR, BATMAN, OSPF-MDR) or disruption-tolerant networking approaches.
• Familiarity with RF and waveform-level constraints sufficient to design well at the IP layer above them.
• Experience with network observability platforms and telemetry pipelines for distributed networks.

• Systems thinker: You reason naturally about large-scale, interconnected networks and balance short-term delivery with long-term architectural health.
• Hands On: You're excited by building, not by delegating.
• Curious & Adaptive: You continuously learn and you're comfortable working in spaces where the right answer isn't yet known.
• Pragmatic: You pick the right tool and the right level of process for the problem, and you know when an elegant protocol is the wrong choice operationally.
• Problem-solver: You troubleshoot and resolve complex network issues efficiently, including the ones that only show up in the field.
• Continuous improvement mindset: You proactively identify opportunities to improve networks, processes, and ways of working.

Working at Rowden