Date: 21 Sept 2025
Location:
Oxford/ Hybrid, GB, OX4 4DQ
Company: Nominet
Contract Type:
Permanent
Location:
Hybrid, with a minimum of 20% in the Oxford and London offices per month
About Us
We're Nominet – a world-leading domain name registry operating at the heart of the UK internet. While we're best known for running .UK domains, our DNS expertise also underpins critical internet infrastructure that government services, including the NHS, rely on.
As a public benefit company, our work has a positive impact on society. We've donated millions to projects that use technology to improve people's lives and have committed to delivering £60m worth of support over the next three years.
The Role
As the Head of DNS Engineering at Nominet, you will lead a core technology engineering team to deliver industry-leading Domain Name Systems for the internet and key customers. This is a critical role with responsibility for engineering one of Nominet's main business lines.
You will manage a highly skilled team who are either deep experts in the Domain Name System (DNS) itself or software engineers who will develop custom applications that support our DNS Services. This role requires a good understanding of DNS technologies, as well as the ability to align DNS product and service delivery with the broader strategic goals of the organisation.
As a thought leader, you will identify and champion changes to the DNS ecosystem at Nominet, considering related and emerging technologies and best practices. You will take an evidence-based approach to technology selection with a relentless focus on simplicity and working software. A data driven approach will inform your decision making and form a feedback loop to drive incremental improvements. You will be a natural problem solver with the mindset for excellence across the entire software development lifecycle – architecture, engineering, and into operations
What You'll Be Doing
Lead DNS Engineering Department:
Manage and mentor several teams of engineers, fostering a collaborative and innovative environment. Technical Leadership: Provide technical expertise, guide the design, implementation, and operation of our DNS products and services. Ensure that all DNS services are robust, scalable, and aligned with best practices in the industry. DNS Subject Matter Expert (SME) alignment: Work with our DNS protocol expert architects and engineers to ensure their thinking is incorporated into our products and services.
Strategic Direction:
Work closely with the CTO, Technology Leadership Team and product team to define the strategy for our DNS products and services. Ensure that our DNS offerings are 2 positioned to meet current and future business needs, with a focus on innovation and continuous improvement.
Project Delivery:
Deliver Nominet's DNS projects in line with the strategy, ensuring they are completed on time, within budget, and to the highest standards of quality. Manage risks and ensure that all solutions are rigorously tested to our high standards of quality.
Operational Excellence:
Ensure that all DNS services meet or exceed SLAs for uptime and performance. Lead the team in proactive monitoring, maintenance, and optimisation of DNS services to ensure their ongoing reliability and efficiency.
Community Engagement:
Represent our organisation in global DNS operations forums, e.g., CENTR, and DNS-OARC.
Stakeholder Collaboration:
Work closely with other teams within the organisation, including Network Engineering, Security, and SRE, to ensure that DNS services are fully integrated with our broader infrastructure and aligned with organisational goals.
People Development:
Focus on the recruitment, development, and retention of top talent within the DNS team. Foster a culture of continuous learning and professional development, ensuring that team members are kept up to date with the latest developments in DNS technology
About You
* 7+ years of engineering experience; 3+ years of senior leadership experience, preferably working within a telco, internet or service provider environment or experience with near real-time systems and streaming systems
* An understanding of DNS: Experience with DNS architecture, protocols (such as DNSSEC, DoH/T/Q), and nameserver implementations such as those by ISC, NLNetLabs, and OpenXchange. DNS Security Knowledge, an understanding of DNS security practices, including DNSSEC, DDoS mitigation, and related technologies.
* Networking Fundamentals: Knowledge of networking principles, including IP addressing, routing, and load balancing, as they relate to DNS. Knowledge of using BGP to deliver DNS services via IPAnycast.
* Experience developing and commercialising solutions/products
* Enterprise architecture mindset and experience
* Experience with data and analytics
* Knowledge and practical experience of product development life cycle and Agile development methodology
* Experience of working with highly secure environments
* Hands-on experience with large scale distributed systems, web applications and cloud platforms (AWS preferred, but not essential).
* Proven experience in software planning, organization, and development
* Experience with systems design and development from business requirements analysis to day-to-day management
* Ability to align key stakeholders toward a common goal, drive results, and facilitate change
* Superior problem-solving, written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills
* Experience managing, coaching, developing, and inspiring direct reports
* Candidates must enjoy learning, be adaptable to changing priorities and have the flexibility to be effective in an evolving Dev/Ops environment
Apply our leadership competencies
* Being Human - Able to demonstrate empathy, authenticity and ethical behaviour, fostering a culture of trust, respect and inclusivity
* Enabler - Facilitates the growth and success of others by providing resources, support and opportunities, creating an environment where individuals can thrive and achieve their full potential
* Visionary – Demonstrates foresight and strategic thinking, inspiring others with a compelling vision of the future and guiding them towards Nominet's long term success
* Goal Oriented - Demonstrates a strong focus on setting, pursuing and achieving goals, ensuring alignment with Nominet's strategy and driving performance through clear direction and accountability
* Models the way – Demonstrates exemplary behaviours and sets a standard for others to follow, embodying Nominet's values through actions and decisions
What To Expect Next
1st stage: Introduction call with a member of the TA team mins)
2nd Stage: Hiring manager and leadership capability - (1hr)
3rd Stage: Technical deep dive (1hr)
4th Stage: Psychometric Assessment
5th Stage: Exec Interview (2 x 45mins)
Working At Nominet
Our people make things happen, but our values are our compass as a company, guiding our day-to-day work and building our culture. They reflect that we're strongest when we're proactive and pull together, while underlining the importance of a "glass half full" mindset and aiming to keep things simple for success.
What We Offer
* Early Finish Friday – Working week of 34 hours with full-time pay. (Finish at midday on Friday)
* 30 days of annual leave plus bank holidays, with the ability to purchase an additional 5 days
* Bupa private healthcare + Employee Assistance Programme
* Electric vehicle scheme with on-site charging points
* Rewards platform with access to discounts at hundreds of shops, restaurants etc.
* Medicash discounts on routine healthcare including optical, dental and much more
* Company and individual performance-based annual bonus –
Diversity Statement
We're passionate about creating a workplace where every individual is valued, respected, and empowered. Somewhere we can benefit from all forms of diversity and discover the true value in our differences. If there are any adjustments we could make to the recruitment and selection process to support you, please let us know
Security Statement
Nominet is committed to the safeguarding and welfare of the internet and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment by participating in the relevant security and screening processes. All roles working for Nominet will be subject to a Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) check. Some roles due to the nature of their work, will require additional security clearance.
Nominet is unable to provide visa, sponsorship or relocation support at this time.
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