Principal Engineer

Principal Hardware Engineer

Overview
Senior hands-on role responsible for the physical delivery and lifecycle management of infrastructure across data centres, build labs, and office environments.

This role combines deep technical expertise with on-site leadership, risk ownership, and responsibility for engineering standards in critical environments.



Key Responsibilities

Infrastructure Delivery




  • Lead and execute physical build, installation, relocation, and decommissioning of servers, storage, and network hardware




  • Own rack layouts, structured cabling, patching, labelling, and cable management standards




  • Coordinate power, cooling, and space planning with facilities and design teams




  • Oversee logistics, manual handling, and on-site hardware movements




Risk, Safety & Change




  • Produce and maintain RAMS for engineering activities




  • Identify operational risks and implement mitigations




  • Operate within formal Change Management processes, including CAB participation for data centre works




  • Enforce health and safety standards on site




Documentation & Compliance




  • Maintain accurate asset records and site documentation




  • Support audits and compliance requirements including ISO 9001, ISO 27001, and PCI-DSS




Project Support




  • Work with project managers, architects, and third parties to deliver infrastructure projects




  • Provide technical input for data centre migrations, expansions, and refresh cycles





Experience & Skills Required

Experience




  • 5+ years in data centre operations or infrastructure engineering




  • Strong knowledge of commodity compute, storage, and networking hardware




  • Advanced understanding of data centre best practice




  • Experience producing and working to RAMS in critical environments




  • Structured cabling expertise (Cat6/6a, OM3/OM4, fibre)




  • Working knowledge of power distribution, PDUs, and load balancing




Skills




  • Methodical, accurate, and calm under pressure




  • Clear communicator with engineers, customers, and stakeholders




  • Takes ownership of on-site decisions and outcomes




  • Able to prioritise workload across multiple activities





Vetting & Practical Requirements


  • Clean manual driving licence




  • Valid passport




  • Ability to pass BS7858 vetting




  • Eligibility for UK SC clearance (5 years UK residency)




  • Willingness to travel to UK and overseas sites




  • Flexibility to work nights and weekends when required






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