Network Architect - Factory Edge / IT-OT

Network Architect - Factory Edge / IT-OT

£500 per day | Inside IR35 | Predominantly Remote | 6-Month Rolling Contract

We're looking for an experienced Network Architect with strong IT/OT connectivity and network security expertise to support a major Factory Edge programme.

This is an opportunity to shape the network architecture that connects edge computing platforms into complex manufacturing environments, ensuring secure, resilient and repeatable connectivity across factory sites.

The role is predominantly remote, with occasional onsite visits to factories in Merseyside (approximately one day per month).

Contract details

Day rate: £500 per day, Inside IR35

Duration: Initial 6 months, rolling contract with potential for extension

Location: Remote, with occasional onsite attendance in Merseyside

Working arrangement: Predominantly remote

Programme: Client Edge as a Service

The role

As Network Architect, you'll take ownership of the network architecture and connectivity patterns required to integrate edge infrastructure into factory IT and OT environments.

You'll establish secure, standardised and scalable network designs that can be deployed consistently across multiple manufacturing sites, balancing enterprise networking requirements with the need to protect operational technology and production systems.

Working closely with enterprise architecture, cyber security, network operations and factory teams, you'll turn architectural requirements into practical, deployable designs and reusable standards.

Key responsibilities

Design end-to-end network connectivity for factory edge environments, covering LAN/WAN, SD-WAN, routing, switching, firewalls and secure remote access.

Define network segmentation and security boundaries between enterprise IT, edge infrastructure, OT environments and application zones.

Develop repeatable network architecture blueprints and site integration patterns for deployment across multiple factories.

Establish network resilience requirements, including redundant paths, switching, uplinks and critical dependencies.

Ensure alignment with enterprise security policies, zero-trust principles and IT/OT security requirements.

Create high-level and low-level design guidance, network standards and site-readiness assessments.

Work with local factory teams and global network operations to assess existing environments, resolve technical constraints and agree deployable solutions.

Define network assurance criteria and support architecture governance, service acceptance and operational handover.

Essential experience

Proven experience as a Senior Network Architect or Network Architect within a large, complex enterprise environment.

Strong technical knowledge of enterprise networking, including LAN/WAN, SD-WAN, routing, switching, firewalls and network segmentation.

Experience designing secure, resilient connectivity for virtualised infrastructure, distributed platforms or edge computing environments.

Strong understanding of network security architecture, operational resilience and network assurance.

Experience producing reusable architecture standards, network blueprints, HLDs, LLDs and implementation guidance.

Excellent stakeholder management skills, with the ability to work across architecture, security, operations and site-based engineering teams.

A pragmatic, delivery-focused approach to designing standards that can be implemented consistently across multiple locations.

Desirable experience

Previous experience working in manufacturing, industrial environments or factory IT/OT architecture.

Knowledge of industrial network segmentation and security frameworks, including IEC 62443 and relevant NIST guidance.

Experience with edge infrastructure platforms such as Azure Local, Dell NativeEdge or Kubernetes-based environments.

Familiarity with ServiceNow, SIAM and enterprise service transition or operational support models.

Key deliverables

You'll be responsible for developing the core network architecture deliverables needed to support a consistent Factory Edge service, including:

Factory Edge Network Blueprint.

Standard IT/OT connectivity and segmentation patterns.

Network resilience and secure remote-management standards.

Factory network-readiness assessment templates.

Network design, onboarding and assurance criteria.

Architecture governance, security alignment and operational handover documentation.

What success looks like

You'll enable factory sites to be assessed and onboarded using repeatable network designs, with clear connectivity requirements, robust segmentation and well-defined resilience standards.

Your work will help ensure edge deployments integrate securely into existing factory environments without introducing unmanaged connectivity risks, while supporting consistent operations and sustainable ownership across the wider estate.

Interested? If you have strong enterprise network architecture experience and can translate complex IT/OT requirements into secure, practical and repeatable designs, we'd like to hear from you