Senior DevOps Engineer

A leading telecommunications company is seeking an experienced Senior DevOps Engineer to join its team on a contractual basis.

The successful candidate must have at least 5+ years of hands-on DevOps engineering experience, with strong technical expertise in cloud environments, CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure automation, scripting and containerisation.

We are looking for a technically strong individual with excellent problem-solving abilities, who can work independently and contribute to complex enterprise technology environments. 

Senior DevOps Engineer – Key Duties & Responsibilities

1. DevOps Strategy & Implementation
   • Design, implement and maintain DevOps processes and practices.
   • Improve software development, deployment and release processes.
   • Drive automation and continuous improvement across IT environments.
2. CI/CD Pipeline Management
   • Design, develop and maintain CI/CD pipelines using Azure DevOps, Jenkins and GitLab.
   • Automate application builds, testing and deployments.
   • Manage release processes and troubleshoot pipeline failures.
3. Cloud Infrastructure Management
   • Design, deploy and maintain cloud infrastructure across Azure and/or AWS.
   • Manage cloud environments, configurations and resources.
   • Ensure infrastructure scalability, availability, security and performance.
4. Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
   • Automate infrastructure provisioning using Terraform.
   • Implement configuration management using Ansible.
   • Maintain reusable infrastructure templates and deployment scripts.
5. Containerisation & Orchestration
   • Build, deploy and manage Docker containers.
   • Manage Kubernetes environments and container orchestration.
   • Support microservices deployments and container-based applications.
6. Scripting & Automation
   • Develop automation scripts using Python, Bash, PowerShell and Node.js.
   • Automate repetitive operational tasks and infrastructure processes.
   • Integrate systems and services through APIs.
7. Monitoring & Performance Management
   • Implement monitoring and observability solutions using Grafana, Prometheus and Elastic Stack.
   • Monitor system performance, application availability and infrastructure health.
   • Identify and proactively resolve performance bottlenecks.
8. Security & Compliance
   • Implement DevSecOps practices within development and deployment pipelines.
   • Manage access controls, credentials and security configurations.
   • Identify vulnerabilities and ensure secure deployment practices.
9. Troubleshooting & Incident Management
   • Investigate and resolve complex infrastructure and deployment issues.
   • Perform root cause analysis.
   • Support production environments and minimise service disruptions.
10. Technical Leadership & Stakeholder Management
    • Collaborate with software developers, architects and infrastructure teams.
    • Provide technical guidance and mentor junior engineers.
    • Prepare technical documentation and operational reports.
    • Communicate technical challenges and solutions to management and stakeholders.

11. 11. Management Presentations & Stakeholder Engagement

12. Prepare and deliver technical presentations to senior management and executive stakeholders.
13. Translate complex technical concepts into clear, business-friendly language.
14. Present DevOps strategies, project progress, implementation plans and technical recommendations.
15. Provide regular reporting on infrastructure performance, system availability, deployment progress and operational risks.
16. Communicate technical challenges, risks, dependencies and proposed solutions.
17. Present incident reports, root cause analysis and recommendations for improvement.
18. Engage confidently with senior stakeholders and participate in technical and strategic discussions.

Senior DevOps Engineer – Key Skills & Competencies

1. Cloud Infrastructure & Architecture

• Microsoft Azure and/or AWS cloud environments.
• Cloud architecture, infrastructure provisioning and management.
• Azure infrastructure and resource management.
• Cloud security, governance and cost optimisation.
• Hybrid and multi-cloud environments.
• Infrastructure scalability, availability and resilience.

2. CI/CD & DevOps Automation

• Azure DevOps and Azure Pipelines.
• Jenkins and GitLab CI/CD.
• GitHub Actions.
• Automated build, deployment and release pipelines.
• Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment.
• Pipeline optimisation and troubleshooting.
• Release management and deployment automation.

3. Infrastructure as Code (IaC)

• Terraform.
• Ansible.
• ARM Templates / Bicep.
• Infrastructure provisioning and configuration management.
• Automated environment deployment.
• Infrastructure version control and standardisation.

4. Containerisation & Orchestration

• Docker.
• Kubernetes.
• Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS).
• Container deployment and management.
• Helm charts.
• Container security and optimisation.
• Microservices architecture.

5. Scripting & Programming

• Python.
• Bash / Shell scripting.
• PowerShell.
• JSON and YAML.
• Automation scripting.
• API integrations and automation.
• Ability to develop scripts to eliminate manual processes.

6. Monitoring, Logging & Observability

• Grafana.
• Prometheus.
• Elastic Stack (ELK).
• Azure Monitor.
• AWS CloudWatch.
• Application Performance Monitoring (APM).
• Log management and analysis.
• Alerting, incident detection and troubleshooting.

7. Source Control & Repository Management

• Git.
• GitHub.
• GitLab.
• Bitbucket.
• Gitea.
• Branching strategies and version control.
• Code repository management.

8. Security & DevSecOps

• DevSecOps principles and practices.
• Secrets and credential management.
• Vulnerability scanning.
• Identity and Access Management (IAM).
• Security automation.
• Compliance and governance.
• Secure pipeline implementation.

9. Scripting & Automation

• Python – automation, infrastructure management and integration.
• Bash / Shell scripting – Linux administration and automation.
• PowerShell – Windows and Azure automation.
• Node.js (JavaScript) – automation scripts, API integrations and tooling.
• JSON and YAML – configuration management and pipeline definitions.
• REST API integration and automation.
• Writing scripts to automate repetitive operational tasks.
• Advanced troubleshooting and scripting for complex environments.