Infrastructure Engineer - Lab Operations

Job Title: Infrastructure Engineer - Lab Operations
Location: Slough/Winnersh - 5 days per week onsite initially, to go down to 2/3 afterwards
Salary/Rate: 500 per day inside IR35
Start Date: 09/11/2026
Job Type: Contract - 6 months

Company Introduction
We have an exciting opportunity now available with one of our sector-leading telecommunication clients!

This role will be supporting the transformation and operational management of the test lab estate. The role is not a traditional network engineering or testing position. The successful contractor will focus on lab operations, systems administration, Source of Truth ownership, platform stewardship, incident management and supporting the test environment.

The contractor will be instrumental in supporting an evolving lab operations model, helping build out the Source of Truth capability (NetBox), and ultimately supporting future automation and orchestration initiatives.

Job Responsibilities/Objectives

• Administer systems
• Support lab infrastructure
• Manage operational processes
• Drive and maintain quality data
• Support the Source of Truth platform
• Coordinate incidents and work orders
• Contribute ideas and improvements
• Support future automation initiatives

Must-Have Skills

• NetBox (or Comparable Experience)

This is the most important area of the role.
Candidate does not need extensive NetBox experience, but any exposure is highly desirable.
Key responsibilities:
Source of Truth stewardship
Data quality management
Asset and infrastructure visibility
Supporting future automation initiatives
Alternative experiences to consider:
etBox
autobot
MDB ownership
Infrastructure Source of Truth platforms
Asset management platforms

• Systems Administration / Platform Administration

Strong experience managing and administering technical platforms.
Examples:
Infrastructure platforms
Virtualisation environments
Operational tools
Platform support

• Lab/Infrastructure Operations

Experience in:
Complex lab environments
Data centres
Telecoms environments
Technical operations teams
Infrastructure support functions
Ability to:
Manage incidents
Coordinate changes
Administer environments
Maintain accurate documentation
Support operational workflows

Nice-to-Have Skills

• Automation Exposure

Candidates should ideally have:
Python
PowerShell
Bash
Automation mindset
They will not be building large automation frameworks immediately, but candidates should be comfortable operating in an environment heading in that direction.

• Telecoms Experience

Beneficial but not essential.
Examples:
Telecoms
ISP
Mobile networks
Fixed networks

If you are interested in this opportunity, please apply now with your updated CV in Microsoft Word/PDF format.

Disclaimer
Notwithstanding any guidelines given to level of experience sought, we will consider candidates from outside this range if they can demonstrate the necessary competencies.
Square One is acting as both an employment agency and an employment business, and is an equal opportunities recruitment business. Square One embraces diversity and will treat everyone equally. Please see our website for our full diversity statement.