Lead Network Engineer

Welcome to KFC. Home of the real ones.

We sell the world’s best chicken. Seriously. And we’ve done it since 1939, when the idea of crispy, original recipe chicken took Kentucky by storm. Now, we’re proud to serve 1000+ communities across the UK and Ireland, bringing the grit, pride and iconic reputation that we started with, all those years ago.

Across the Restaurant Support Centre (RSC), we come to work to be ourselves, and to make something of ourselves. We want to see our potential go that little bit further, as part of one of the world’s most iconic brands.

What’s the gig? Well, you support our restaurants — and we’ll support you every step of the way. Simple. Our doors are open — and they can take you anywhere.

All we ask is that you be you. Because that makes us, us. Sound good? Great. Let’s find out about that job.

THE TEAM

Our Tech team is a 60+ strong team of curious minds, building the digital experiences that power KFC – from app to kiosk, delivery to checkout. We work cross-functionally, move fast, and stay focused on what matters: creating smart solutions that make things better for our customers and our teams

About the role

Accountable for the design, ownership, and continuous improvement of KFC UK&I’s network solutions, ensuring secure, resilient, and high-performing connectivity across 1,000+ restaurants and corporate environments. Responsible for leading the network engineering team, mentoring two network engineers, and managing the delivery and lifecycle of network technology and services. Vendor collaboration is a key part of this role as KFC have partnered with various organisations to assist with the day-to-day operation.

What YOU’LL DO:

Network Solution Design & Authority

• Owner of network architecture and design, accountable for developing and maintaining scalable, secure, resilient, and innovative solutions that align with business and security requirements.

Team Leadership & Mentoring

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of network engineers, managing their workload, performance, and professional growth.
• Allocate tasks, set priorities, and ensure the team delivers high-quality support and project outcomes within agreed SLAs.

Operational Excellence

• Accountable for the operational integrity of WAN, LAN, Wi-Fi, and cloud-based network services.
• Oversee incident response, troubleshooting, and root cause analysis for complex network issues, ensuring timely resolution and minimal business impact.
• Owner of network device configuration management, backup, and disaster recovery processes.

Security & Compliance

• Responsible for enforcing network security baselines, compliance with internal policies, and external standards (e.g., ISO 27001, NIST CSF).
• Collaborate with the Security team on vulnerability management, incident response, and audit readiness.

Supplier & Stakeholder Management

• Act as the primary technical authority with network service providers and hardware vendors, accountable for SLA adherence, capacity planning, and service improvement.
• Coordinate change windows, communications, and post-change validation with business and IT stakeholders.

Documentation & Governance

• Owner of network documentation, including diagrams, inventories, runbooks, and change records.
• Contribute to architecture standards, design reviews, and continuous improvement initiatives.

On-call & Travel

• Participate in an on-call rota for major incidents and perform occasional travel to sites and data centers.

What we love from you:

Education/Certifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Security, or related field (or equivalent practical experience).
• Cisco CCNP or higher (or equivalent).
• Cloud networking certification (e.g., Azure/AWS) highly desirable.
• Security certifications (e.g., CompTIA Security+, CySA+, or SSCP) are advantageous.

Experience

• Minimum 10 years’ experience in enterprise network engineering, with proven team leadership and workload management responsibilities.
• Demonstrated experience in designing, implementing, and supporting SD-WAN, large-scale Wi-Fi, NAC, and firewall solutions in hybrid (cloud/on-prem) environments.
• Experience in leading a small team of engineers, including resource planning.
• Track record of leading network changes in high-availability, mission-critical environments with minimal downtime.
• Experience collaborating with third-party vendors and suppliers to deliver critical services and oversee SLA compliance.

Knowledge and Expertise

• Routing & Switching: Expert knowledge of BGP, static routing, route redistribution. VLANs, trunking, STP variants, LACP/EtherChannel.
• Cloud & Modern IT: Significant knowledge of cloud networking principles including the design and configuration of services (Azure/AWS), including Express Routes, vNets, NGS’s, routing tables, and security appliances.
• Networking Principles & Protocols: Expert understanding of network protocols and infrastructure such as TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, 802.1x. SD-WAN, PKI, Radius, QoS, IP addressing and subnetting.
• Firewalls: Substantial understanding and experience of policy & object configuration, IPS/IDS, web filtering, application control, SSL inspection, VPN’s, IPsec tunnels, HA clusters, segmentation, and NAT.

Skills

• Analytical & Detail-Oriented: Keen eye for anomalies; precise documentation and follow-through.
• Communication: Clear written and verbal communication—translating technical detail into business-friendly risk insights.
• Collaboration: Works well with Infrastructure, Application, and Business teams; influences without authority.
• Self-Motivation: Proactive ownership; drives tasks to completion with minimal supervision.
• Process Discipline: Organizes workload, meets deadlines, and adheres to SLAs and standards.
• Ethics & Confidentiality: Handles sensitive information with discretion and integrity

What’s in it for you:

We offer benefits that make your life that little bit easier, because we know the juggle is real.

From flexible, hybrid working to Fri-Yay early finishes and Live Well Days, we’ve created a package that supports the real you, in and out of work.

You’ll get:

• Hybrid working from our Woking RSC (just 24 mins from London)

Because real ones deserve real rewards.

Keeping it real

We don’t hire staff — we hire people. People with real lives and aspirations, building real careers. Each of us has something special to add to the mix we call work, and we’ll always encourage you to add your perspective.

See, at KFC, everyone’s welcome — whatever your background, and whatever future you’re creating. We’ll look out for you because you’re one of us, not because you work for us. We’ll invest in your potential, because it’s what we’ve always done. But most of all, we’ll give you the freedom to be you, wherever (and whoever) you happen to be.

KFC for everyone:

Whoever you are and wherever you’re from, KFC is a place where you can bring the real

you to work.

Our promise is this: every person who applies

to a role at KFC, regardless of age, background, ethnicity, gender, ability, religion or sexual orientation, will have an equal opportunity

to work here. We don’t just welcome, we recruitment process, or have any other requirements — just let us know. We’ll be there to help you be the real you.

Ready?

We hope so. If you’re ready to be part of our community, now’s the time to apply.

Worried you aren’t ticking all the boxes? Don’t - we’d still love to hear from you.

If you are ready to bring your passion, skills, and dedication to KFC, we encourage you to apply now. We look forward to welcoming you to our team and embarking on this extraordinary journey together. Bring it.

Don’t tick all the boxes? Don’t worry. If you don’t match all the criteria for the role and still think you’d be a great fit, we’d love to hear from you.

Beware of fake job postings using Yum! and/or our brand logos -- KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and Habit Burger & Grill -- on fraudulent sites. Yum! Brands only posts jobs on official careers pages and never asks for money during onboarding. Avoid unsolicited contacts via Telegram, WhatsApp or similar social apps.