Cryptography Operations and Infrastructure Specialist

Location: Knutsford, England, gb

Company Description

Who is HelloKindred?

HelloKindred are specialists in staffing marketing, creative and technology roles, offering a range of talent solutions that can be delivered on-site, remotely or hybrid.

Our vision is to make work accessible and people’s lives better. We do this by disrupting traditional employment barriers – connecting ambitious talent to flexible opportunities with trusted brands.

Job Description

Anticipated Contract End Date/Length: Approximately 6 months
Work Set Up: Hybrid (3 days per week in office / 2 days remote)
Clearance Required: BPSS eligibility required

Our client in the Information Technology and Services industry is looking for a Cryptography Operations and Infrastructure Specialist to support the day-to-day operation, monitoring, maintenance, and continuous improvement of enterprise cryptographic services. The role will focus on maintaining service availability, troubleshooting complex technical issues, delivering controlled changes, and ensuring operational excellence across cryptographic infrastructure.

What you will do:

• Monitor cryptographic platforms and supporting infrastructure to maintain service availability and operational resilience.
• Perform routine operational activities in line with established service procedures.
• Execute health checks, service validations, and platform maintenance tasks.
• Troubleshoot and resolve complex technical issues across cryptographic infrastructure and supporting platforms.
• Perform root cause analysis and implement preventative measures to reduce recurring incidents.
• Coordinate with resolver groups and vendors where required to progress technical issues.
• Manage production incidents through to resolution within a 24x7 operational environment.
• Support the implementation of approved infrastructure and security changes.
• Participate in deployment planning and execution while ensuring changes comply with governance and operational standards.
• Create and maintain operational runbooks and support documentation.
• Identify service improvement opportunities and contribute to continuous improvement initiatives.
• Support automation initiatives to improve operational efficiency.
• Contribute to operational readiness reviews and post-implementation assessments.
• Support PKI, HSM, key management, and certificate management environments.
• Support application integrations with cryptographic services.
• Assist with platform upgrades and lifecycle management activities.
• Apply operational governance and documentation standards across cryptographic services.
• Use automation and scripting to support infrastructure operations and service improvements.

Qualifications

• Hold a Bachelor's Degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Cyber Security, Engineering, or equivalent experience.
• Bring 5+ years of experience within enterprise infrastructure or security operations environments.
• Possess experience supporting production systems within a 24x7 operational setting.
• Apply experience across incident, problem, and change management disciplines.
• Bring strong troubleshooting, analytical, and problem-solving capabilities.
• Hold ITIL Foundation or ITIL 4 certification, preferably.
• Possess relevant infrastructure, security, or cloud certifications such as Microsoft Azure Administrator, RHCSA, VMware, Security+, SSCP, CISSP, CISM, GIAC, AWS, or Google Cloud certifications, preferably.
• Apply hands-on knowledge of cryptographic technologies including HSMs, PKI, certificate management, and key management.
• Support platforms such as Thales Luna HSM, Entrust nShield, Venafi, DigiCert, Microsoft ADCS, Keyfactor, or HashiCorp Vault, preferably.
• Work with monitoring and operations platforms such as Splunk, Microsoft Sentinel, Datadog, Dynatrace, AppDynamics, or SolarWinds, preferably.
• Bring experience with IT service management platforms including , BMC Remedy, or Jira Service Management.
• Support infrastructure platforms including Windows Server, Linux, VMware, Azure, and AWS.
• Apply scripting and automation skills using PowerShell, Python, Bash, Ansible, or Terraform.
• Demonstrate strong operational governance, documentation, incident management, troubleshooting, and service improvement capabilities.
• Bring 7–10+ years of cryptography and information security experience for the Senior Cryptography SME profile, with strong expertise in HSMs, PKI, certificate management, key management, and enterprise security architecture.
• Demonstrate the ability to lead technical delivery and influence senior stakeholders, with banking or regulated-environment experience preferred for the Senior Cryptography SME profile.

Additional Information

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

Candidates must be legally authorized to live and work in the country where the position is based, without requiring employer sponsorship.

HelloKindred is committed to fair, transparent, and inclusive hiring practices. We assess candidates based on skills, experience, and role-related requirements.

We appreciate your interest in this opportunity. While we review every application carefully, only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

HelloKindred is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds and do not discriminate on the basis of race, colour, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.