Our world-leading Time & Frequency department and NTC Programme are seeking an Environments Manager with proven expertise in managing both hardware and platform environments.
This is an exceptional opportunity to join the global authority in precision timing at a defining moment for UK digital infrastructure.
Backed by a government investment of £180 million in the National Timing Centre (NTC) programme, we are developing a world-first resilient time distribution capability that will provide industry with a robust complement to satellite systems (such as GPS) – which are increasingly vulnerable to disruption from solar storms, jamming and spoofing. This will underpin essential services, including
- Telecommunications,
- Online banking,
- Emergency response,
- Transport networks, and
- Wider digital and data-driven operations.
Together, these services form the backbone of modern society - and your leadership will help ensure they remain secure, reliable and robust even if global navigation satellite systems fail.
Key Responsibilities:
- Own and manage physical and technical environments - Take responsibility for the full lifecycle of delivery environments (development, test, staging, and production), including associated hardware, lab equipment, and infrastructure. Ensure environments are correctly installed, configured, maintained, and decommissioned in line with operational needs and delivery schedules.
- Maintain environment standards and control - Define and implement practical standards for environment setup, access, and usage. Maintain clear documentation, ensure environments are fit for purpose, and manage capacity and availability to support ongoing work.
- Lead incident response and environment stability - Act as the go-to person for environment-related issues, particularly those involving hardware or infrastructure. Lead fault finding, troubleshooting, and resolution, working hands-on where needed to restore services and minimise downtime.
- Manage hardware and asset lifecycle - Oversee the full lifecycle of hardware assets, including procurement support, tracking, maintenance, audits, and disposal. Ensure equipment is used effectively, maintained in good condition, and meets compliance and operational requirements.
- Support controlled change and improvements - Work closely with configuration and change management to ensure updates to environments and hardware are planned, tested, and implemented safely, without disrupting operations.
To be successful in this role, you will have the following skills and experience:
Experience working with IT delivery environments across their lifecycle (e.g. development, test, and production), with an understanding of availability, stability, access, and change control considerations.
Relevant training or familiarity with service, environment, or configuration management frameworks (e.g. ITIL), alongside a good understanding of configuration and asset management principles and standards (e.g. ISO 55000).
Experience contributing to configuration management activities; including maintaining system records, supporting baselines, participating in audits, and operating within structured change or configuration control processes.
Experience supporting the lifecycle of IT or physical assets, ideally within hardware, laboratory, or technical environments, including asset tracking, maintenance, and disposal considerations.
Comfortable working across engineering, delivery, and operations teams to resolve issues, support change, and balance delivery requirements with environment stability.
We actively recruit citizens of all backgrounds, but the nature of our work in specific departments means that nationality, residency and security requirements can be more tightly defined than others. You will be asked about this throughout the recruitment process. To work at NPL, you will need to obtain BPSS security clearance.
For this role you will need to have an SC clearance with no restrictions, or you must have the ability to obtain an SC clearance.
Please note: Applications will be reviewed, and interviews conducted throughout the duration of this advert therefore we may at any time bring the closing date forward. We encourage all interested applicants
The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) is a world-leading centre of excellence that provides cutting-edge measurement science, engineering and technology to underpin prosperity and quality of life in the UK. Find out more about what it is like working here - The measure of us - Overview
NPL and DSIT have strong commitments to diversity and equality of opportunity, and welcome applications from candidates irrespective of their background, gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, or age, providing they meet the required criteria. Applications from women, disabled and black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates in particular are encouraged. All disabled candidates (as defined by the Equality Act 2010) who satisfy the minimum criteria for the role will be guaranteed an interview under the Disability Confident Scheme.
At NPL, we believe our success is a result of the diversity and talent of our people. We strive to nurture and respect individuals to ensure everyone feels valued by treating everyone on the basis of their own individual merits and abilities regardless of their own or perceived identity, as part of our commitment to diversity & inclusion, we ensure we’re creating an environment where all our colleagues feel supported and welcome. More about this on our Diversity & Inclusion page.
We are committed to the health and well-being of our employees. Flexible working and social activities are embedded in our culture to create a positive work-life balance, along with a broad range of rewards, benefits and recognition. Our values are at the heart of what we do, and they shape the way we interact, develop our people and celebrate success. To ensure everyone has an equal chance, we’re always willing to make reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process. If you would like to discuss, please contact us.
