Head of DNS Engineering

Head of DNS Engineering

Contract Type: Permanent

Location: Hybrid - a minimum of 20% in the office 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, we also help protect public services from cyber threats. 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. We’re also already a Carbon Neutral company, and we’re committed to helping the UK reach Net Zero by 2050.

About 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

Responsbilties

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 and your experience

7+ years of engineering experience; 3+ years of senior leadership experience, preferably working within a telco or service provider environment Expertise in 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: Deep understanding of DNS security practices, including DNSSEC, DDoS mitigation, and related technologies. Networking Fundamentals: Strong 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 • Experience with near real time systems and streaming systems 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 Programming experience with more than one programming language, typically C, C++, C#, Scala, Java, Python 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 The role demands focus, energy and enthusiasm for creating high-quality software products as well as a positive attitude to succeed. Candidates must enjoy learning, be adaptable to changing priorities and have the flexibility to be effective in an evolving Dev/Ops environment

Interview process

1st stage: Introduction call with a member of the TA team (30 mins)

2nd stage: Hiring manager interview (45 mins)

3rd stage: Technical interview (60 mins)

4th stage: Psychometric assessment

5th stage: Values interview with leadership team (60 mins)

What we offer

30 days 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

Please note, all roles working for Nominet will be subject to a Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) check. Some roles will require additional security clearance due to the nature of their work. Nominet is also unable to offer Visa Support in any capacity.

We’re proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer, and we’re committed to building an inclusive, diverse community that celebrates and welcomes everyone. If there are any adjustments we could make to the recruitment and selection process to support you, please let us know.