South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
Solutions Architect - Barnsley
The closing date is 01 December 2025
Location - Home Based (with regular travel to Ambulance Trusts and suppliers across England)
In support of the ARP Programme of works the individual will be required to provide Design and Implementation guidance/assurance/support for the Data Centre Networks, WAN and Trust integrations. The individual will be required to work with Suppliers/ARP team/Trusts on a daily basis to provide and maintain the network delivery for all ARP Technologies.
* WAN/LAN
ARP provides mission critical communications for all Ambulance Trusts in the UK, the individual will be required have the full CCIE qualification in order to fulfil this role.
Main duties of the job
* This is a senior technical position that requires specialist skills in 2G/3G/4G/LTE technologies as well as experience of working in agile software development environments.
* The purpose of the role is to work with stakeholders to specify, design and select control room solutions that deliver the required utility and warranty required by the end users.
* The post holder will be responsible for all technical elements involved in planning, design, options appraisal, testing and delivery of the end product. This will include interfaces to other national and local programmes.
* The post holder will investigate and inform on latest 2G, 3G and 4G device related technology and be the technical expert providing knowledge on future technical trends
* The post holder will carry out assessments on specific areas of technology including control room and mobile device technologies and associated protocols and will provide clear technical guidance to the associated technical, service and user communities.
* Of particular importance is the ability to build strong and effective working relationships with other service management and technical disciplines, suppliers, users across the Ambulance Trusts, the wider NHS and managing the conflicting demands and tensions of a range of stakeholders.
About us
The Ambulance Radio Programme (ARP) is an enduring organisation directly appointed by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to provide and upgrade emergency communications for UK ambulance services.
ARP has a team of over a hundred staff consisting of commercial, finance, project, implementation, technical, user assurance and service colleagues. They are based all over the country to support the successful delivery and maintenance of a £460m programme of work. The aim of ARP is to implement new technology that provides innovation and enhances patient care with the latest equipment. ARPs solutions also play a longer-term role in preparing the ambulance service for the adoption of the Home Office's Emergency Services Network (ESN).
ARP is currently in the process of introducing an array of new technology-based services to Ambulance Trusts and Air Ambulance charities. The Services include the introduction of new technology to the national Ambulance fleet (approx. 6500 vehicles) and upgrading and developing new, data-rich communications products (apps and hardware) for use by over 15,000 frontline paramedic and Control Room staff. Overall, ARP is responsible for providing an end-to-end service covering installation, maintenance, and replacement, which plays a key role in enabling effective response to critical life‑threatening incidents.
Job responsibilities
Although the team is delivering complex programmes on behalf of the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC), the team is hosted by South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, which means the successful candidate will enjoy all the benefits that working for an NHS Foundation Trust has to offer. These include a generous annual leave allowance (starting at 27 days), career average NHS pension scheme, access to a network of NHS / Emergency Services discounts offered by third party partners and NHS tax free initiatives like a salary sacrifice lease car scheme, plus cycle to work and technology scheme tax saving initiatives.
This role requires Security Clearance, and you will need to have been a UK resident for at least 5 years. For more information on the Government requirements, please visit the Gov website.
This role requires Cisco CCIE full qualification and 5 years experience in mission critical Programmes.
Person Specification
Skills, Knowledge and Education
* Requires specialist skills in 2G/3G/4G/LTE technologies as well as experience of working in agile software development environments.
* Highly technical and requires CCIE full certification with over 5 years of experience working in mission critical Programmes.
* WAN/LAN Network Design with over 10 years experience.
* Proven technical experience in the field of mobile communications and in particular requirements gathering, options appraisal and technical/operational testing.
* Degree or relevant experience.
* Ability to Project Manage high‑value, complex implementations.
* ISEB Solution Enterprise Architecture.
* Experience of working within Ambulance Service.
* Experience of negotiating with suppliers.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
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