Principal DevOps Engineer

A UK Government Security Check (SC) clearance is required for this role. If you don’t hold SC clearance, we will support you to apply assuming you have lived and worked in the UK for a minimum of 5 years.

As a Principal DevOps Engineer, you will play a pivotal role in leading the development, implementation, and management of secure, scalable, and efficient cloud environments. You will work with data and batch/real-time analytical platforms for public and private sector clients, utilizing the latest commercial and open-source technologies and methodologies. This role requires a deep technical expertise combined with strong leadership and strategic thinking.

You will be responsible for driving the automation of deployments, overseeing the integration of new modules and upgrades, and ensuring the stability and security of both test and production environments.

Key Responsibilities

• Infrastructure and Application Deployment:

  • Architect, build, test, and deploy cloud-based infrastructure and applications using CI/CD and Infrastructure-as-Code practices.
  • Develop and maintain automated deployment pipelines and processes.

• Custom Automation and Maintenance:

  • Contribute to the coding of custom test automation frameworks.
  • Perform script maintenance and updates in response to changes in requirements or implementations.
  • Assist with the setup and maintenance of environments for both manual and automated testing.

• Production Support:

  • Lead production support efforts by investigating and resolving incidents.
  • Perform ongoing routine application maintenance tasks.

• Gap Analysis and Solution Design:

  • Conduct gap analyses to identify feasible alternative solutions.
  • Assist in defining the scope of modifications and implement the necessary changes.

• Contingency Planning:

  • Participate in contingency planning, including developing reliable backup and restore procedures.

• Documentation:

  • Document functions, changes to new or modified modules, and test activities/results.

• Mentorship and Leadership:

  • Mentor and drive the team to deliver high-quality solutions that meet customer requirements.
  • Lead and manage a team of engineers, setting objectives, managing tasks, and ensuring the successful delivery of specific outcomes.

Core Competencies and Qualifications

• Education and Experience:

  • Bachelor's degree or higher in a relevant field.
  • Minimum of 10 years of experience in a DevOps capacity, with at least 5 years in a senior or principal role.

• Technical Skills:

  • Extensive experience deploying and operating infrastructure (network, servers, services) and applications on AWS and other cloud environments.
  • Proficient in server build and administration (Linux and Windows).
  • Expertise in CI/CD and Infrastructure-as-Code technologies (e.g., Terraform, Ansible).
  • Experience with cloud orchestration and containerization technologies (e.g., Kubernetes, Docker).
  • Strong knowledge of large-scale databases and distributed technologies (e.g., RDS).
  • Experience with distributed event streaming technologies (e.g., Kafka).
  • Skilled in writing and maintaining automation scripts using Bash/Shell or Python.

• Security:

  • Deep understanding of security best practices and tools for ensuring secure DevOps processes.
  • Ability to interpret requirements and high-level solution designs to build secure foundational environments, networks, and platforms.
  • Support the architecture team in presenting designs to client design authorities.

• Networking:

  • Solid understanding of networking concepts, including DNS, TCP/IP, firewalls, load balancing, and VPNs.
  • Ability to design network layers that meet specific requirements.

• Soft Skills:

  • Excellent communication skills for collaborating with cross-functional teams, including developers, QA, operations, and management.
  • Proven ability to mentor and lead junior engineers.
  • Critical thinking and innovative problem-solving abilities.
  • Proven leadership experience in driving DevOps culture and practices within an organization.
  • Capability to lead by example and influence others to adopt best practices.
  • Continuous learning mindset to stay updated with the latest industry trends, tools, and technologies.
  • Willingness to adapt to new technologies and methodologies as they emerge.

• Leadership and Management:

  • Experience in line management, including setting objectives, task management, and planning for delivery within larger projects.