Network Service Lead

Based at our Head Office on the Gateshead Quayside, the Network Service Lead is a highly specialised, senior-level role sitting alongside our 3rd Line Networks team. This customer-facing role requires you to work closely with our enterprise-level clients to understand and improve their technical setups, proactively addressing complex IT challenges before they impact the business. Acting as the ultimate technical guardian for our top-tier customers, you will bridge the gap between high-level network engineering, customer relationship management, and solution design. Your core objective is to ensure these enterprise clients receive exceptional technical service while actively steering their infrastructure toward Aspire's best-practice network solutions. What you will be doing

• Enterprise Technical Guardianship: Serve as the dedicated senior technical point of contact for enterprise networking, ensuring customers receive the highest standard of technical service.
• Strategic Alignment: Engage directly with customers to complete reviews of their current network infrastructure and processes, identifying opportunities to modernise, standardise, and guide their networks toward Aspire's preferred technology stack and solutions.
• BRM Collaboration: Work closely with Business Relationship Managers (BRMs) and the Enterprise Sales team to understand enterprise customers' changing business requirements and ensure network services are used effectively to meet those needs.
• Central Customer Point of Contact: Become the primary, trusted technical relationship owner for the customer, coordinating stakeholders, shaping technical roadmaps, and ensuring continuity from discovery through delivery.
• Pre-Sales Bridging: Act as a critical bridge between 3rd Line Networks and the Pre-Sales team. Conduct initial scoping of complex issues, architect conceptual solutions with the customer, and transition these to the pre-sales team while "carrying the torch" to ensure the enterprise customer achieves the required outcome.
• Technical Leadership: Lead the implementation of approved changes, working hands-on and with other technical specialists to optimise each client's setup for long-term success.
• Ongoing Optimisation: Create and maintain service plans for enterprise customers when required, ensuring actions are followed through to completion.
• Hypercare: Deliver "hypercare" for these enterprise customers during service plan periods and after infrastructure changes.
• Take-on review: Be involved in and review Enterprise customer take-ons to ensure you are satisfied with the level of information provided by the take-on team, to maintain familiarity with customer setups from go-live, and to highlight any risks, gaps, or concerns with the customer early.

• A strong background in network support, with hands-on experience resolving a broad range of technical issues at a 3rd-line level or above.
• Deep, comprehensive knowledge of IT infrastructure with a specialised focus on enterprise networking (e.g., complex LAN/WAN routing and switching, advanced firewalls, SD-WAN, and Layer 7 Network Technologies such as NAC, Application Control, DPI).
• You are comfortable designing, configuring, and troubleshooting these systems end-to-end.
• Exceptional customer service skills and demonstrable experience in managing complex service situations.
• Strong business acumen and the ability to make sound commercial decisions. You'll optimise the customer's current environment while identifying pre-sales opportunities and architecting solutions that benefit both the customer and Aspire.
• The ability to communicate effectively with a large and varied number of stakeholders, from highly technical engineering teams to C-level executives, including delivering difficult messages clearly, constructively, and with a focus on outcomes.
• The ability to collaborate closely with other internal teams and influence colleagues.
• Demonstrable ability to seek out new ideas and use external information, outside of the company, to provide recommendations and solutions to problems

We understand that you might not have all of the qualifications and experiences that we think are key to succeeding in this role therefore we provide continuous learning and development at Aspire which is at the heart of everything we do. As long as you are passionate, eager to learn and driven to be the best at what you do and live our values this role may be a fit for you. Salary £45,000+ per annum (depending on experience), Here at Aspire we offer a great benefits package and a competitive salary. Being a people-centric organisation is what sets us apart - we strive to look after our people in the best way we can!

• Travel benefits including free parking, subsidized travel passes and much more!
• Health Cash Plan
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Network Benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Enhanced Annual Leave Entitlement (increasing with length of service)
• Enhanced Maternity, Paternity and Parental Schemes
• Enhanced Pension Scheme
• Tech Purchase Scheme
• Electric Vehicle Salary Sacrifice Scheme
• Employee referral scheme
• New business referral scheme
• Discounted Gym Membership
• Life Assurance and Critical Illness cover

Location and Working Arrangements You will be based at Aspire's Gateshead Head Office, with travel as required. Hours of Work Full time (37.5 hours per week). Monday to Friday. Equality, Inclusion and Diversity at Aspire Aspire is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating a culture that respects and values each other's differences, that promotes dignity, equality and diversity that encourages individuals to develop their true potential. Interview Process We generally conduct interviews in three stages, lasting approximately 2-3 weeks depending on everyone's calendars.

• Shortlisted candidates will be invited to a pre-screening call via teams to discuss your experience and what you're looking for in your next role.
• Successful candidates will be invited to an interview with the Hiring Manager.
• If successful in interview, candidates will be invited to an informal interview with key stakeholders at Aspire to meet the wider team(s).

At Aspire Technology Solutions, we look for dynamic individuals who want to work for one of the fastest growing IT and Cyber Security providers in the UK. It is an exciting time to join us on our journey as we grow and expand! Our mission: To deliver technology like no other!