Company Description
VodafoneThree - Senior Engineer (Packet Core Services)
Location: Newbury + Hybrid
Working Hours: Full time 37.5 hours per week – Mon to Fri
We believe that through collaboration and connection with our colleagues we can achieve great things. Our hybrid working approach allows our people to work both in the office and at home, providing the flexibility and resources you need to succeed in your role. We don't require you to be in on specific days; instead, we ask people to come into the office 2-3 days each week. You should work with your line manager to understand what their expectations are for you, your specific role and your team.
Who We Are
We’re here to build a network the UK can count on – one that connects people, places and potential. Because no matter where you live, what your background is, or how you get online – we think everyone deserves the same chance to stay connected, and with VodafoneThree, that future’s being built – today.
We’re creating more than the UK’s best network. We’re helping close the digital divide, empower communities and drive meaningful progress.
We believe that everyone should feel they belong. Whoever you are and whatever your story, there’s space for you here. We’re building a workplace where different perspectives are welcomed, voices are heard, and everyone feels safe to show up as themselves.
You’ll join a team that genuinely cares – about each other, about our customers, and about the future we’re building. From day one, you’ll be welcomed, valued and encouraged to bring your whole self to work.
Why VodafoneThree
Join us and you’ll be at the heart of change. That means building responsibly, investing sustainably and creating opportunities that last.
We’re not just expanding connectivity; we’re reimagining what a connected nation looks like. With £11bn invested in 5G and digital infrastructure, your work will directly power businesses, services, and communities across the country.
You’ll work on real challenges, with real impact, across every corner of the country. Wherever you join us, whatever your role, you’ll be helping to build a future that works better for everyone.
We move at pace, because what we’re building matters – and we’re learning as we go. We’re proud of the progress we’ve made, but we’re just getting started.
Join our UK Networks team, where we’re continually building and enhancing our network, connecting millions of people and businesses across the country. Be part of the team that makes it all happen – simplifying, automating, and bringing better connectivity than ever before, with giga-fast speed, to our customers.
Job Description
What you’ll do
The Network Engineering function is accountable for the design, delivery, and lifecycle management of the operator’s core network, ensuring secure, scalable, and high-performance connectivity that underpins all consumer and enterprise services.
Within this function, the Data Services domain provides engineering leadership for the platforms that enable subscriber mobility, secure interconnection, differentiated services, and high-capacity data transport. These include signalling and mobility platforms, gateway functions, policy and charging systems, and packet core services. Together, they form the foundation of the operator’s ability to deliver world-class connectivity experiences across 4G, 5G, IoT, and enterprise solutions.
A Senior Engineer within the Packet services team, you will be responsible for the design, performance, and lifecycle management of the 2G, , 4G & 5GC elements and architectures within the Data Core domain. The role will involve working closely with business stakeholders, strategy and architecture teams, as well as delivery and operational partners, to ensure the solutions meet the business requirements and are captured, understood, and deployed successfully into the VodafoneThree core network
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Work with the Packet Core Senior managers to define technology and lifecycle management roadmap for the packet core platforms, such as MME/AMF GGSN, PGW/UPF, IPX/GRX gateways, Gi/SGi-LAN, carrier-grade NAT, security gateways, DNS, interconnect gateways)..Drive the evolution from legacy platforms to cloud-native, software-defined, and virtualised solutions in line with 5G core architecture.
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Ensure platform capabilities align with enterprise, IoT, and consumer data service demands, including private networks and MEC.
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Lead the design, build, integration, and acceptance of platforms and services into the live network.
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Ensure platforms are engineered for scale, performance, and security, meeting customer and regulatory expectations.
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Oversee interworking across domains (core, IP transport, signalling/mobility, security) for seamless end-to-end services.
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Drive innovation and efficiency through automation, traffic optimisation, and policy-driven architectures.
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Partner with Operations to assure stability, resilience, and proactive risk management.
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Establish and monitor KPIs for platform and network performance, for example session setup success, latency, throughput, resilience, roaming performance, security posture and service continuity, ensuring the highest quality and performance is achieved. Assist and drive investigation where required through to fix and resolution. Participate in incident investigations and problem management for gateway-related issues, driving long-term fixes and improvements.
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Collaborate closely with L4’s Leaders and L5 to ensure coherent end-to-end engineering.
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Support commercial and regulatory engagements involving roaming, interconnect, data offload, and peering.
Qualifications
Who you are
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Ability to deliver complex engineering programs on time, within scope, and to high quality standards.
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Deep knowledge of core gateway functions such as: MME/ AMF, SGSN, GGSN, PGW, SGW, UPF, IPX/GRX, Gi/SGi-LAN, NAT, DPI,
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Excellent working knowledge of 2G, LTE & 5GSA data networks on an end-to-end basis
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Strong understanding of data plane optimisation, traffic steering, QoS, and policy management.
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Familiarity with interconnect frameworks, roaming architecture, peering, and data offload solutions.
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Expertise in NFV, cloud-native network functions, containerisation (Kubernetes), and automation (Ansible, CI/CD).
Worried that you don’t meet all the desired criteria exactly?
We know that everyone is unique, with multiple aspects to their identity and different experiences behind them. We are passionate about Inclusion for All and creating a workplace where everyone can thrive, whatever their personal or professional background. If you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align exactly with every part of the job description, we encourage you to apply as you may be the right candidate for this role or another role, and our recruitment team can help you see how your skills fit in.
Additional Information
What we offer
We care about our people’s success by offering great pay, bonuses, up to 28 days off plus bank holidays, and paid time for charity work. You can personalise our benefits for you and your family, like discounts, vouchers, a pension plan and loads more. We help with your career through our amazing learning tools and top-notch parental leave policies.
Need to know
We are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and all offers of employment for this role are subject to background checks, including criminal (DBS) and financial checks to meet the regulators standards.
We believe everyone should have the opportunity to interview for a role that matches their skills. In collaboration with our Talent, Diversity & Inclusion teams and our employee-led DEI Networks, we identified a range of reasonable adjustments to help you feel comfortable and perform at your best self during the interview process. If you require any reasonable adjustments or have an accessibility request as part of your recruitment journey, for example, extended time or breaks in between online assessments, a sign language interpreter, or assistive technology, please contact your recruiter directly or email [email protected] for guidance.
We use AI in different parts of our business to boost innovation, improve efficiency, and create new opportunities. We know many candidates use AI to fine-tune their CVs or prepare for interviews, but what we really care about is your unique experiences and achievements.
During the interview, we want you to rely on your own knowledge and skills to show us who you really are—your personality, creativity, and abilities. Above all, we’re looking for authenticity and can’t wait to get to know the real you.
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